A few years back, I began writing monthly to-do lists to help me keep track of what’s on my plate. I share these lists here, and report back each month on what I was able to accomplish.

My March list focused on tasks that allowed me to get in some rest and recovery time. Here’s what I was able to get done in the last month:

  • Took a week off of work. In late March, I took time off of work over my institution’s spring break week. I spent the week alternating between productivity and rest and it was the perfect mix. (You can hear my full debrief of my retreat week on this podcast episode.)
  • Watched more television and movies. I had several things that I wanted to make progress on watching over the last month. I ended up watching a little bit of several different things including an X-Men movie and some Dawson’s Creek episodes (from my annual goals list), a couple episodes of You on Netflix, and starting the adaptation of Daisy Jones and the Six. It was very fun to get more time lounging in front of the television in March!
  • Walked outside more. The weather has been warming up a bit and it’s allowed me to go on some more walks outside. I particularly like when I can get in some walking meetings throughout the day. Mid-day lunchtime walks were also a great energy boost after I had been at my desk on zoom for large portions of the day.
  • Dropped off a donation to Goodwill. I got this delivered to Goodwill in March and then immediately started the next donation pile so that it can accumulate throughout the spring.

March flew by and I loved getting in some rest and recovery time. Now it’s time to plan for a new month of to-do items! I’m ready to launch into April and see what this first month of Q2 will bring.

Here are some of the items on my April to-do list:

  • Debrief Q1 of my annual goals. As each quarter comes to a close, I like to debrief what I was able to accomplish with my annual goals on the podcast and the blog. This helps me to know what’s on track and what I need to be giving more time and attention to. I’ll be getting these debriefs completed and posted early in the month.
  • Experiment with more cycling workouts. I got a Peloton bike in late March and I’ve been really enjoying trying out different workouts on this new piece of exercise equipment. I’m hoping to keep up the regular cycling that I started in March throughout the month of April.
  • Travel to a conference. I’ll be speaking at the Online Learning Consortium (OLC) conference in Nashville later this month. It will be my first plane ride since late 2019, and I’m feeling a bit rusty with traveling. I’m already planning to find a really good audiobook for the plane rides to and from the conference.
  • Make progress on a couple of larger projects at work. In April, I’ll be launching part two of a large multi-year project at work. This next month will also see a second highly collaborative project wrap up. I expect April to pass very quickly since there will be a lot going on as we race to complete things before the end of the term.

Once again, this next month is looking pretty full! What are you looking forward to in the month of April?