This week’s post is a bit different than usual. I’m sharing some life news for those who may be interested but also because I think you might be able to learn something from my transition experience. By transition, I mean going from one job to the next. Let me explain.
Turning 50
Over the summer I turned 50, and it was big. Not in terms of a huge celebration but more that it was extremely impactful for me. It felt like a milestone in a way that no other birthday has (at least in a long time). A few weeks before my birthday I started ruminating on life and realized I wasn’t entirely happy with my job situation. Don’t get me wrong, SUNY Geneseo is a wonderful place; it’s my alma mater! But, I found myself thinking again about healthcare and how much I missed being in that environment.
Higher education is rife with change and it’s not quite what it was when I started working as an adjunct professor nearly 20 years ago. What’s more, my commute to and from Geneseo was wearing on me and the, at times, 24/7 nature of the work was becoming stressful. I was yearning for a different challenge, and a different vibe. That’s when I noticed a job opening at the University of Rochester Medical Center. It was director of marketing and brand strategy, and it sounded appealing. I applied.
Change
It took several weeks, a few months, for the application and interview process and during this time, Geneseo also transitioned from one president to the next. Needless to say it was a lot of change all at once for me while I contemplated an even bigger change–a new job and a return to healthcare. Contemplation turned to reality when I received the offer. I start on November 10. October 31 was my last day in the office at SUNY Geneseo, the end of my second era at the small, liberal arts honors college in Western New York. As I write this, I’m on the eve of a week off between the two jobs and I’m taking advantage of the time to do a complete reset. I thought I’d share my process with you.
Resets Are Not Only for Seasonal Changes
Most people think about resets or starting fresh at the new year, or spring time, usually when people clean out. Even back to school is a popular time to start over. November 1 is not usually a date for resetting, but it is for me this year! Changing from one job to the next is in itself a reset so I thought why not take the opportunity to clean out, organize, and refresh goals and habits? So, that’s exactly what I’m doing.
Step 1: Cleaning and Organizing
I am focusing on one room, closet and drawer at a time, cleaning, organizing and throwing things away. I didn’t really do this over the spring and summer months and it’s long overdue! For example, yesterday I reorganized the pantry, throwing away a garbage bag full of expired items and reshelving all our kitchen items. This morning, I cleaned out my purse. I have all week to get to the rest of the house, but the larger projects include my home gym/office space, bedroom closet, and linen closet. The goal is to reorganize and clean. Starting fresh at home helps my clear my mind to start fresh.
Step 2: Recommit to a Workout Routine
I have had a tough time sticking to one workout program lately. There is no excuse for me! I have to take my own advice and I just haven’t. So, November 1 I recommitted to a program and am going to run it all the way through. MindPump‘s MAPS Performance is my choice. It’s a three-day a week resistance training program, emphasizing functional strength and movement in all planes of motion combined with two mobility workouts per week. I think it’s a good program for me since I need to work on mobility and continue to grapple with my piriformis syndrome and imbalances. In fact, I’m substituting a lot of the bilateral (two legs/arms at the same time) movements with unilateral (one arm/leg at a time) ones to help fix those imbalances and improve my pain.
My plan is to work out in the morning again and stick to that routine. The return to standard time should help in that regard. I’m also tracking the weights I use in my notebook to keep me accountable and will log each strength training workout with my Apple Watch to get “credit,” another way to hold myself accountable.
Step 3: Meal Planning and Prep
When it comes to nutrition I don’t have too much to reset since I have a pretty solid system of meal planning and prep but I want to be more intentional about my food choices. Between the stress of the final stages of my job interviews, the transition to a new boss (for a week) at Geneseo and Halloween, let’s just say my diet hasn’t been as healthy as it could be. Even today I’m drinking blackberry wine and eating peanut M&Ms while I write this and watch the Buffalo Bills football game. Balance!
Seriously, though, I want to recommit to a whole foods, anti-inflammatory diet high in protein and low in sugar. I will have a new schedule, too, so will need to be creative with meals so the family has something to eat even on nights when I train late at the gym.
Step 4: Time Management 101
I have always been pretty good at time management but lately I’ve had so much to do that I’ve had trouble fitting it all in. From obtaining a new certification to preparing for my new job, and having a completely full personal training schedule, I’ve been struggling to get to everything. So, I decided to try time blocking. I used ChatGPT to schedule out a week’s worth of stuff from work to grocery shopping to training to client programming, I have it all mapped out on my Google calendar. I made sure to include down time, relaxation, and at least 7 hours of sleep per night. This is new for me so we’ll see how it goes. The good news is that in theory everything fits into my weekly schedule. It’s just a matter of execution.
What Can You Learn from My November?
So, why did I share all this with you? It’s to show you that it takes strategic planning to lead a healthy and purposeful life. You have to be intentional about setting your goals and breaking down the steps to reach those goals. Clearing your mind and your environment can help create the space you need to do that well. I hope sharing this inspires you to recommit to your health and wellness goals or take control over something that feels lost in your life. You don’t need to wait for a special season or day to reset. Any day can be your new day!
2 thoughts on “Time for a Reset”