It Is Time to Start Planning for Next Year...
Happy New Year!!
Don't check your calendars, it isn't January yet, but it is the beginning of my new year - the one I celebrate most heartily - the beginning of the new school year.
It's silly, really, but I have always been very tied to the school year. I've been in school much more than I have been out of school, so the start of my resolutions and new outlooks are often tied to August and September rather than January. There is just something about the sight of pristine school supplies that tends to get me excited about new beginnings and opportunities for learning and growth.
Yesterday was the last day of the old school year for me.
My facility has an extended school year (ESY), so we have 28 days of school during the summer months. I have to work during that time because I have a 213 day contract. I have not had a summer off since my high school days, and I don't think I'd be really able to handle all that time off. I do know that I need more than 9 days away from work in order to completely refresh - this upcoming break is 17 days which tends to be just enough for me to get truly bored and excited about returning to the world of school and work.
For the next two weeks, I'll be spending time clearing out my living space, playing with Mom here at home, and resting. I will also be making my plans for next year.
Like most folks, my plans and goals fall into two categories - personal and professional. I accomplished most of my professional goals this year, so it is time to establish new ones. I did not do so well on my personal goals, so this year is the year to focus on that aspect of my existence.
I am ready to start. I have made a page in my home bullet journal titled, Things I Want to Do. There are some things on that list that will take some time - going to Paris, traveling to the Dakotas, buying a house, learning Portuguese and Russian, and publishing a book. There are other things that can be done pretty quickly - establish morning routine, eating better, exercising more, cleaning out, making some money through my website, writing to a pen-pal, and teaching others about music therapy. This helps me with my goal-setting process.
I try really hard to practice what I preach when I talk about writing rock solid clinical goals and objectives for clients in my personal process.
I start with my desired outcome. That's what the Things I Want To Do page is good for - establishing my desired outcomes. So, I want to go to Paris - that is my desired outcome.
Now I take that outcome and do a task analysis on it...what do I need to do to be able to go to Paris?... the list begins. Coordinate time off with my sister (travel companion who REALLY wants to go to Paris). Update passport. Investigate flights, looking for the least number of take-offs possible (to accommodate my travel companion who HATES flying but wants to go to Paris). Save money to afford all of this. Brush up on my French. Figure out what we want to do while there.
These are my goals. Coordinate time off. Update passport. Investigate flights. Save money. Practice French. Coordinate an itinerary.
Now, I take those goals and do yet another task analysis on each one of them. How much French do I need to practice? What are the steps that I need to take to update my passport? What are the things that need to be done first? (Duh, save up your money!!) Here are my current objectives, right here within this task analysis process in front of me. At the end of this process, I know what I want to work on this year.
(By the way, this is the same process that I take when I am establishing goals and objectives for my clients.)
In the next several days, I'll be working on visioning my desired outcomes for this school year and then I'll be doing my task analyses to help me establish my personal and professional goals for this school year. On this day, however, I am going to work on one of my desired outcomes - cleaning out! It's time to tackle the closets...
Happy Friday, all!
Don't check your calendars, it isn't January yet, but it is the beginning of my new year - the one I celebrate most heartily - the beginning of the new school year.
It's silly, really, but I have always been very tied to the school year. I've been in school much more than I have been out of school, so the start of my resolutions and new outlooks are often tied to August and September rather than January. There is just something about the sight of pristine school supplies that tends to get me excited about new beginnings and opportunities for learning and growth.
Yesterday was the last day of the old school year for me.
My facility has an extended school year (ESY), so we have 28 days of school during the summer months. I have to work during that time because I have a 213 day contract. I have not had a summer off since my high school days, and I don't think I'd be really able to handle all that time off. I do know that I need more than 9 days away from work in order to completely refresh - this upcoming break is 17 days which tends to be just enough for me to get truly bored and excited about returning to the world of school and work.
For the next two weeks, I'll be spending time clearing out my living space, playing with Mom here at home, and resting. I will also be making my plans for next year.
Like most folks, my plans and goals fall into two categories - personal and professional. I accomplished most of my professional goals this year, so it is time to establish new ones. I did not do so well on my personal goals, so this year is the year to focus on that aspect of my existence.
I am ready to start. I have made a page in my home bullet journal titled, Things I Want to Do. There are some things on that list that will take some time - going to Paris, traveling to the Dakotas, buying a house, learning Portuguese and Russian, and publishing a book. There are other things that can be done pretty quickly - establish morning routine, eating better, exercising more, cleaning out, making some money through my website, writing to a pen-pal, and teaching others about music therapy. This helps me with my goal-setting process.
I try really hard to practice what I preach when I talk about writing rock solid clinical goals and objectives for clients in my personal process.
I start with my desired outcome. That's what the Things I Want To Do page is good for - establishing my desired outcomes. So, I want to go to Paris - that is my desired outcome.
Now I take that outcome and do a task analysis on it...what do I need to do to be able to go to Paris?... the list begins. Coordinate time off with my sister (travel companion who REALLY wants to go to Paris). Update passport. Investigate flights, looking for the least number of take-offs possible (to accommodate my travel companion who HATES flying but wants to go to Paris). Save money to afford all of this. Brush up on my French. Figure out what we want to do while there.
These are my goals. Coordinate time off. Update passport. Investigate flights. Save money. Practice French. Coordinate an itinerary.
Now, I take those goals and do yet another task analysis on each one of them. How much French do I need to practice? What are the steps that I need to take to update my passport? What are the things that need to be done first? (Duh, save up your money!!) Here are my current objectives, right here within this task analysis process in front of me. At the end of this process, I know what I want to work on this year.
(By the way, this is the same process that I take when I am establishing goals and objectives for my clients.)
In the next several days, I'll be working on visioning my desired outcomes for this school year and then I'll be doing my task analyses to help me establish my personal and professional goals for this school year. On this day, however, I am going to work on one of my desired outcomes - cleaning out! It's time to tackle the closets...
Happy Friday, all!
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