These past few weeks have been a big test, a test of my will, priorities, and grad school. I have heard so many times to “figure out my priorities and focus on them.” And of course that leads to excuses on my part. Mostly to the effect of “as soon as I finish XYZ I will really focus on this.”
And my focus has been everywhere but where it needs to be. I have a few big, life changing events all going down between May and December of this year. In May, I take comprehensive exams which I have to pass to be a doctoral candidate. I will spend the summer writing my dissertation to graduate. Oh yeah, and that wedding in August 
Throw in a job search between now and graduation in December and life is a little crazy.
So where are my priorities and focus? What do I need to focus on now?
Right now, my number one is the doctoral program. I know I have not given it 100%. I don’t know if I have given 50% of my true ability. I feel pretty good about two of my comps, but there is one area I should be studying my butt off for. And that dissertation, I seem to just want to work on bits and pieces. I have to focus on looking at the whole picture. It’s back to the white board!
Second is Jordan and wedding planning. I am pretty guilty of not unplugging when I am home, so that has got to be a bigger priority. Which also means, sorry Jordo, there may be some take-n-bake pizza nights in your future! The wedding planning seems to be under control, but I want to enjoy the process which means getting though my comps so that I can enjoy my showers and the last few months leading up to the big day.
Unfortunately, my workouts and teaching come in third on the list. I know that I have to get my workouts done in the morning, and probably turn down subbing some classes. I am starting to meet with a personal trainer this Wednesday. To make life easier the one area I can’t slack on is meal prep. That will make life easier.
This is one area I feel that I keep saying “As soon as I get my food allergies tested I will get on a much better schedule.”
Well, the soonest I can get those allergies tested is April 17. And that is just the initial appointment. I was told today that the whole process to determining food allergies is lengthy and this doctor does not just have frequent openings. It takes over a month just to get an initial appointment. So why wait?
I actually took that first step and prepped all of my meals (well pre workout through my afternoon snack). My diet is not “paleo” like I would like it to be, but it is clean, healthy, nutritious food. And I was pretty proud that my hour of work in the kitchen set me up on the right track for the rest of the week.
So what is holding you back? Where do your priorities lie?
