It's August...

Time sure does fly by.

When I started my blog and website, my intention was to post to it frequently. I started this site just as I was starting my doctoral program. Nobody can prepare you how demanding a doctoral program is. My adviser tried to warn me. However, there's something about a doctoral program for which no amount of warnings or conversations can prepare. A doctoral program is just something a person must experience for themselves.

Needless to say, I the program has been far busier than I ever imagined. On top of a doctoral program I also maintain my day job. There have been several instances over the last 2+ years where I will teach an evening college class. The weeks I taught were absolutely crazy.

On a positive side, I completed all of my doctoral courses (and wrote a ton of papers in the process). I'm now focusing on my dissertation. It's coming along. I am still busy, but not as busy as I was. Before, I was working on my class work and writing papers, and I was also researching my dissertation topic. With the regular classwork out of the way, all of my efforts are focused on the dissertation so, while it's still very challenging, I actually have more time than I did.

Over the past few months I started looking at various things in my life. I think it's a natural process to start thinking about what comes next as you get closer to graduation. I noticed that for the past 2 years my life was simple. I've wanted for little. Amid the chaos of a being a doctoral student and working professional, my life has been governed by simplicity. I've grown to enjoy a simple lifestyle.

So. Over the next few months I'm embracing a minimalist lifestyle. I do not mean that I will be a minimalist for a few months only. What I mean is, I'm going to be transitioning into a minimalist lifestyle over the next few months. I am ready for a change and I'm determined to make that change a reality.

First things first...create my plan...