Reality Check-list

Things I Have NOT Been Doing Lately:

• Skiing (aside from last weekend, when I went twice)- a major source of exercise and winter fun, but I've been sitting on my ass a lot
• Hitting the gym- For weeks I was going twice a day, 3-5 days per week. Since getting the flu a few weeks ago I've been getting maybe 3 workouts per week. Pathetic.
• Eating well- Actually, I always eat well, but here lately I've also been eating poorly way too often. Leigh and I have initiated a junk food Fridays rule- we only get to pig out one day per week, on Fridays, preferably after going to the gym at least once that day. Last Friday we ate a Costco pizza (yes, a whole one!), packing almost 2,000 calories per person. Yeah, I know...
• Applying for jobs- I was on a roll for a few weeks and applied for three local jobs and a few out of town ones. Since then most of the job openings posted locally are for positions I'm not really qualified for or have no interest in. But there is one new one and a few more Fed jobs, I just need to get my stuff together!
• Cleaning and baking- dog hair dust bunnies abound at home, my side of the bedroom is covered in clothes (dirty and clean), and it's been weeks since I baked a healthy loaf of bread or dessert. Result? My house is messy, smells like a dog, and I tend to break down and buy "unclean" sweet foods when I need a fix. Oh yeah, and my Girl Scout Cookies order came in today. Lord, help me!

Things I HAVE Been Doing Lately:

• Watching The West Wing on DVD (a lot)
• Eating (a lot)- see above
• Feeling bored- I can only blame my own lack of motivation.
• Reading a foreign policy book for the FSOT- this is a good move, but I should be doing more because the June test is going to sneak up on me. Not that I have to pass the first time, but considering that this process has several testing stages I should do my best to get as far as I can on each attempt. So I need to read faster...
• Brainstorming ways to get back on track- I even bought a day planner and started using it this morning. We'll see how that goes.
• Worrying about finding a new job- maybe if I applied to more I could rest a little easier, but in truth I won't feel better about this until I have an offer in hand
• Daydreaming about trips I can't take- Europe appears to be off the table for now, unless I get a job lined up and we have some extra money to work with this summer/fall. I also really want to go to Hawaii for a week, but Leigh doesn't have any time off and (again) we have no extra money right now. Honestly, I'd be happy to go anywhere for a change of scenery. It seems absurd to have so much time off saved up (about 16 days!) and not have any plans to use it. The good news is that I get the cash balance of any unused days off when I finish my clerkship (unless my next job is also with the State, then it just rolls over), so at the very least this will translate into a nice bonus check.

I used to be a go-getter, a "doer," someone who makes lists and checks off every item. I'd like to be that person again. So, does anyone have any ideas to jump start my motivation? To get me back on track?

With that in mind, I should probably finish this memo I've been working on for ages...