Foo - Crassic gets an update!

So it's time for Crassic to apply a few updates, once yet again. I'm hoping I can stick through these goals, as they would improve a lot of muddy areas in my life right now (where there are very few, fortunately).

Diet:


Nix the nightly bowl of cereal with an apple and half of a banana instead. Less sugar, less milk (i.e. less saturated fat), less unneeded carbohydrates and most of the nutrients. If I'm still hungry (which I will be after about two hours), I can take in two or three slices of turkey and ONE cracker (for flavor to kill the hunger).
Restrict Clif Bars to an afternoon snack, and introduce more fruit (this is already happening; I eat at least one apple every day. They taste great!)
Eat dinner earlier, or lighten later dinners (instead of rice and meat at 8pm-10pm, have salad with tuna or chicken instaed). (I already do this, but it's not constant.)


NOTE: I don't really need to lose the weight, but there is this ever-so-slight amount of extra body fat that I can do away with. I'm currently at ~10% body fat (5'9", 157-160 pounds).

Time Management:


Get at least 6.5 hours of sleep daily, except during emergency work sessions. (I want to shoot for 10pm to 5am or 11pm to 6am, but this is difficult on days where I train with my team. I have thought about not training with them at all, but that would mean that I have to train on my own, which may not be effective).
Leave for school at least two hours before any meeting, and only go ONCE a day, unless absolutely necessary. (My school is an hour away on-peak and up to two hours away during late nights. I'm discovering that once I get home, my body and I would much rather stay there, which usually means that I'm much more likely to not show for something if I have to go home and come back for it.)


School Work Management:


Begin homework assignments two to three days in advance, depending on difficulty. (I have succeeded with this only a few times, but I'm still trying to make it flow.)
Begin test preparation a week in advance, for at least an hour a day each day. (This will usually become two hours, since I re-type the material I learn to absorb it easier.)
Refrain from using the laptop during lectures, even the boring ones. (I'm already doing this. There's almost NO reason to use a computer during a lecture, especially when all of the material is already in PPT format and no notes need to be taken down. I'd rather sit in the front row and look attentive, in case I need to prove that I actually care about my performance and the material at hand.)
Use the power of open-book exams to their fullest potential. (I've forgotten about this on my first exam, and did pretty badly. I thought I knew what I was doing, but I was proven otherwise.)


Critiques are much appreciated (provided you read all of this!).

Looks like a fine plan to me. Half the trouble with self improvement is recognizing the issues and then making a decent analysis so that you're able to develop a plan of action.

Weight loss: Both my husband and I have lived by the philosophy that you eat your largest meal in the morning and taper off from there. Rebuilding your glucose reserves after what is often a 12 hour foodless stretch should be your number one concern. Secondly, take a tip from the rest of the animal kingdom and graze, graze, graze throughout the day. Develop healthy choices that are enjoyable substitutes to junk foods. Note the key word here...it won't do any good if you don't like what you're eating! Don't cave in to advertising, and never go food shopping on an empty stomach. Keep up your fluid intake and don't confuse a dehydrated state with weight loss.

Time management: If you're having trouble sleeping the required hours, try cat napping during what I call your "sluggish time." You know, that time of day when it always seems you could fall asleep with no trouble at all. For me it invariably happens at 5:00 PM. Circadian rhythms!

I guess I can't help much on the rest, not that what I've said is beneficial anyway. It seems like you have the basics, it just needs implementation! :)

Thanks, Suzie! It has definitely been informational enough.

The problem with these plans is that I often fall back, and I'm trying not to do that anymore.

My advice? Cut that list by half and focus on that first....if you do too many things at one time, you'll fall back.

The ones that I'm concentrating most on now are the times that I leave the house, and the times that I allocate for homework. I've been doing everything else on that list for a little while now.