How I got inspired, made a plan, and got a life

I keep having this sinking feeling every now and then that i am just wasting
away my life. Everyone around me seems to have a plan. Some are studying
(for CAT, for GRE, for GMAT), some are changing jobs, some are getting to go
onsite and earn dollars. In short, everyone seems to be doing something or
preparing for something. They have "A Plan". And then there is yours tru'ly.
The only planning i seem to be doing is to decide where to eat my dinner
tonight, which movie to watch when i get back home and whether to watch the
Nth re-run of F.R.I.E.N.D.S (what's with the dots? so difficult to type!!)
on Star World or "The fabulous life of the rich and famous" on VH1.

Hmm... Not good. Not good at all.

So then i decided, on one fine morning, to come up with my
own "Plan". Normally, i wouldn't put a personal thing like that on this
blog, but when i finished making the plan and read it, i was so damn sure i
wasn't going to follow even a single part of it, that i burst out laughing
at my own optimism.


The Plan

1. Finances - Start keeping strict track of finances. Avoid splurging. Do
NOT go anywhere near a supermarket for at least a month. Hide Credit
Card somewhere. Kick room-mate whenever he says "Ja, jee le apni zindagi".

2. Food - Only veg food (eggs are veg). One month trial basis. Non-veg only
when out with friends. "Naughty Angels Cafe" does not count as outing. Cut
down on junk food. Stay away from McDonalds and KFC.

3. Work - Try... just try to come to work on time every day (Office starts
at 9:30 by the way). Don't leave early unless something important
comes up (going home and watching "Seinfeld" does NOT count as "something
important") . Don't chill-out at office.

4. Learning - Start reading more. Finish at least one book every week. Start
reading more mags ( "Top Gear" does not count. Neither does
"Digit"). And for god's sake start the MCAD preparation.

5. Television - CUT DOWN. Watch more news. Do not watch "Fabulous life of
the rich and famous" on VH1 and "MTV Cribs" anymore.

6. Body - Sleep earlier everyday. By around 12. Wake up early. Around 7
should be fine. Start doing push-ups everyday. And any other exercise which
can be done indoors. Bring out the skipping rope.

7. Guitar - Practice for at least half an hour everyday. Be religious about
it.

8. Laptop - Use it for something better than playing games (Counter-Strike
is NOT a game. It is a tried and tested method for stress-relief).
Un-install Doom3. start readin tech books on it.

9. Movies - Not more than 5 per week ( 2 on weekdays, 3 on weekends). Not
more than 1 in theatre per week. Do NOT watch Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna.

10. Mind - Start writing more. Write something every night before going to
bed. Try and add something to the blog at least once a week.



As i said, after reading this, it was hard not to laugh at my own optimism.
I am sitting in office and writing all this. I guess point #3
would be kinda difficult to deal with.