One choice for a law school essay instructed applicants to describe how the particular school’s program would fit into their “five year plan.” I chose a separate essay, but ruminating on this question along with multiple other obsessive short, mid, and long-term plans inspired me to write this post. Being able to take stock of your plans on multiple dimensions like this can help stabilize your life if you ever feel that it’s random, chaotic, or otherwise directionless.

Five Days

Get my wind back, succeed in November at work

A couple of weeks ago, to avoid the winter lung attack and to get into shape Andrew and I committed to Lakeview Athletic Club for a year. So far every day has been a mix of struggle and victory, leading to feelings of wondrous exhaustion the following mornings. I’ve talked to many people about my goals and can’t really articulate them that well. But among them:

-Fit into a medium tee
-Lose the geek frame; reduce my thickness below the belly to thickness above ratio
-Have enough physical strength and energy to spill over into boosts for mentally exhausting tasks

Anyway, more concretely, for the next week I’d really like to get my wind back, get past that initial hurdle that makes you sickeningly sore every day, and start on an upward climb to some seriously ambitious goals.

With respect to numbers at work, last month was incredible. So far this month we need to pick it up as we’re hovering around a 100% (just meeting goal) trend, but my personal goal is to hit at least 110% for November and December so as to be competitive for a downtown transfer directly after the holidays.

Five Weeks

Survive the onset of winter, start climbing the wall, hear from more law schools, get a new job

Winter is going to be hell for me on days that my dear and generous coworker can’t give me a ride. It will indeed be the winter of my discontent. As another prolific wordsmith once said though, I will survive.

By climbing the wall I mean to gain enough upper body strength to effortlessly perform 10 pullups, or boulder a few pegs on the climbing wall. Should I hit this target my upper body should be on its way to shredded!

Anxiety is taking over re: law as two key letter writers have not yet sent their LORs. Once they’re in I’ll be submitted everywhere, but right now I’m only accepted at AL and pending at UT and BU. This is nerve wracking as the applicant pool almost certainly will be jam-packed. I don’t want to go to T14 for Biglaw, completely, rather I’d like to maximize my options geographically and with respect to sector and field.

Then, on the job front, I’d like to either be tutoring full-time or transferred to within an hour’s commute for AT&T. Either way, I hope that the holidays help me to amass cash to give me some freedom for the months leading into law school.

Five Months

Continue to develop a love for law, bench 250, meet new people, travel the country

Bob Woodward’s The Brethren has begun to radiate, and Toobin’s The Nine along with many more books and podcasts should follow. This stuff is very cool.

I moved downtown to meet new people, and although that end was crippled by my denial of transfer, the post-December outlook ought to allow for a lot more goings-out. In addition to meeting new people locally I’d love to move around and meet new potential classmates while visiting law schools, visit new and old friends before the onslaught, and stay connected with my dear family.

Five Years

Ah, the challenging one.

Here, overall, I’d like to reverse two trends: 1) apathy and lack of accomplishment academically and professionally 2) visions of grandeur with leisurely endeavors, like games (a sort of moderation in all things thing).

Attacking #1, I’d like to compete and thrive in law school, and find a calling that lends itself to adding value to society. Possibilities abound: environmental law, international trade/tax/relations, financial institutions, digital rights, and many more. Short-term, finding a few specific jobs that would match these arenas would be lovely.

On #2, I’d like to keep my ambitions for greatness in games buried as they have been for a while. Spreading the gaming royalty house over the next 25 or 30 years will keep things sustainable I suppose. Playing WoW sparingly if at all and finding reasonable, finite substitutes should keep the irresponsible play in check too. These are neatly intertwined: sacrificing FFXIV in law school should be a confirmation of my commitment to #1.

Of all these…

Everything is pretty firm save for a few things. I’ll definitely have to think more about the five year component, and may be considering a run at poker (with less than 5% of net cash as risk capital!) I want to game when it is valuable – with friends and at milestones like FFXIII. I want to cook. I want to get a piano and get into it. I want to not only brush up on but re-master Japanese as well. All the usual wishes reoccur, there’s just the problem of making time.