A lot of us use winter breaks to catch up on rest, things we've been needing to get taken care of, seeing family and friends, taking care of school things. Sometimes we can get a little overwhelmed, lose track of what needs to get accomplished before semesters or quarters begin...which happens. So what this post is about is to provide insight on how I've been using my winter break to accomplish some goals set for myself.

Outside of spending money on gifts for family, my best friends, and my spoiled dog, I've been reevaluating my research plan, what I need for IRB approval, funding, opportunities to build my brand and platform, among many other things. The first thing I did during winter break was...

1. Review the comprehensive examination rubric

Since I have comps coming up early January, I chose to review the rubric to know exactly what the reviewers are looking for before receiving the questions. I felt this was an appropriate step to take in order to be successful in passing comps in order to move on to my dissertation research and writing.

2. Redeveloping my personal, academic, and professional brand

As some of you may have seen in my last blog post, I'm in the process of redeveloping my brand. There are multiple reasons why I chose to do this instead of using the "what you see, is what you get" mindset, which doesn't always work out for the best. A mentor of mine told me perception is everything, and that really stuck. I want to be perceived as someone who can get the job done, has valuable and necessary skills to contribute to the purpose of the employer's goal(s).

3.Revising my resume and curriculum vitae (CV)

This is something that is big for me. Since I want to get into research and teaching, and hopefully a professor position with a college or university, I want my resume and CV to show how I can contribute to the faculty and help learners, while providing the "why" they should give me an opportunity to potentially join their staff.

4. Reviewing of job postings

Since I have a goal set for myself to get out of the banking industry, I've been reviewing job posting of positions I would consider desirable for myself, despite location. Based on the job postings, I've been tailoring my resumes and CVs for different positions I may ve interested in.

5. Enhancing my quantitative and qualitative skillsets

I am all about utilizing and enhancing transferable skills that I have learned and developed from coursework and practicums. I've written down quantitative skills that I use in the workplace that I want to enhance while working on qualitative skills I want to further develop. Now, this can come from practicing using a program such as SPSS or Excel, or practicing coding and thematic analysis. The more you use these skills, the more the improvement is.

6. Taking on 2020

Instead of looking at what didn't work out for me in 2019, I chose to write out my wins (no matter what area of my life it occurred in). We should always celebrate our wins, big or small! For those goals we set for ourselves that we didn't achieve yet, this allows you the opportunity to redevelop a plan of action to accomplish those goals.

7. Relax

Granted this time of year can be chaotic with the holidays, finals, and more, you owe it to yourself to relax and disconnect from school and work instead of burning yourself out!

I hope these 7 things I chose to do during winter break help you stay productive without overextending yourself!

-The Student For Life