The trees are more branch than leaves, and I made it half way through the teaching weeks before Christmas. It's also the half way check in for this session - that came around fast! This week, as well as reviewing our goals, let's talk about a relative newcomer on the stationary scene (at least to me) - washi tape. Until I looked into it, I assumed it was something that had been around for decades in Japan and in hobbies like scrapbooking, but it turns out it was only invented in 2006 (although washi paper has a much longer history). So, do you use it at all? Is it still a mystery to you, or is it one of those things that are irresistably collectable "little treats"?
I'd also like to pick up some chat from last week - in some weeks, months or academic years, TLQ might not be research - there might be so much else going on that that important but not urgent things might be looking after yourself, supporting a graduate student or colleague in their work, or getting a report or teaching session prepared before it becomes screamingly urgent. This is particularly true as our careers advance and, right now, given the stresses on all our universities from finances and the wider world. Using this group for company, for TLQs which aren't research, for habit building - all fine! When I ran an in person version of this group for a few years, one professor used to set the goal "write the word research on a piece of paper" as a goal for his really busy weeks - he said remembering he had a research life to get back to was still a useful goal. One week he turned up to the reporting in round up with an airline sick bag with "research" written on it in Sharpie... and told us he'd actually had a useful idea and noted it down on a more traditional surface.
I'm glad you all enjoyed Shoutypants and the laserpointer - I'll try and get some success shots for later weeks. And I'm sure hw will deign to be a mascot.
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| Can you see how sad his life is and how badly he needs trests? |
SESSION GOALS:
Daisy
Turn two half-done papers into submitted papers
Figure out exercise routine
Try new teaching things with favourite courses
Shepherd four research students through their work
Dame Eleanor Hull
- keep up with morning exercise
- finish chapter for volume of collected essays
- write abstracts for three conferences next year (shoot me now)
- process student work in timely manner
- find readers for essays, do other editorial work
- deliver various not-museum-studies workshops (about half a dozen planned at present)
- try to do a couple of things on my Life Stuff list
heu mihi
1. Finish proofs and index for forthcoming book (has to get done, but I'm putting it here anyway)
2. Rough plan for Companion essay; research for essay; get ready-ish to draft in January
3. Teach my tiny class as well as I can (it's a required course for our major, but for weird demographic reasons I only have 3 students!)
4. Keep the administrative balls in the air; work on improving departmental climate/cultures
5. Get plenty of exercise, plenty of rest, and plenty of time for quiet contemplation
6. Think ahead to a creative project for the future
7. Finish my current Italian novel
JaneB
SELF-CARE: I struggle with this, so putting in some process goals -
a) intentional movement for at least 15 minutes three days a week (this can be stretching or more active exercising, but it needs to be intentional and additional to just "doing life"),
b) doing some kind of making (art or craft) a couple of times a week,
c) doing something gently social (playing D&D online counts, or a multi-text exchange with a non-work friend - living alone makes hermitting easy when life gets stressful and work uses up most/all/more than all of my interaction-tokens for the day) a couple times a week
d) keep up reading for pleasure - I seem to have my mojo back, and its definitely a Good Thing
IMPROVING MY ENVIRONMENT
Another thing which tends to go astray in busy/stressful times. And this is my heavy semester of teaching (plus the new stuff).
a) keep doing the weekly list of chores - aiming for 75% done every week to be realistic.
b) sort out new shelving in my living space - and maybe a sofa
c) clothes storage solutions (currently all my actually-in-the-rotation clothes are either in the laundry basket, on the airer, or piled on a chair or in the clean undies basket. This is not ideal).
TEACHING AND ADMIN:
Basic goal is to deliver every class as timetabled and grading on time - this is my heavy trimester, and I'm still having various burn-out-related health issues, so I don't feel like this is entirely a guarantee. Also dealing with some ISSUES with teaching team colleagues - the changes left us with several not-exactly-competent colleagues and the smaller staff numbers push me into interacting with them more often ::grumble:: But I'ma set some goals anyway. I only have familiar admin roles so nothing new there, and whilst there's a lot of reacting to smaller changes from the Centre, I don't have any big projects in mind. So only two goals for this session:
a) end each work week (Thursday) with everything set up ready to go for the following week and, if possible, have a solid start on the week after that.
b) limit working on teaching and admin issues over the weekend (let's say no more than 5 hours) and if possible ZERO
RESEARCH
I have a lot of balls in the air at the moment. I'm not sure how I feel about most of them.
a) submit multi-author paper (due 15 October) & hopefully get through to acceptance this session.
b) be on top of contributions to large project where I have a small part
c) make measurable progress with at least three other writing/data processing projects (I'll make a list now of what I'm working on)
Julie
1. Research
I am on research leave this academic year, so this should allow TLQ stuff to take priority more.
(a) Write chapters for two different edited volumes (one I have a rough draft of, the other is in the outline stage, both need reading I can't easily do here).
(b) Research trip for two weeks: use archive and library time well.
(c) Revisions to journal article when these come back in (should be this session).
(d) Work on article for Big Journal
(e) Book review (due 30th October)
(f) Follow-up conversations from workshop last June.
Teaching/Admin
1. See PhD student through viva and hopefully minor corrections.
2. Two PhD vivas (one internal, one external).
3. Keep up with mentees.
4. Plan for conference next year (last year on the committee, but it's a big centenary conference, so probably more work than usual).
Kids:
1. Steer daughter through university application process.
2. Help son with school work (this is going to be a lot of Latin)
3. Be general taxi driver, sports cheerleader, handy target for emotional teen outbursts, breathing ATM.
House/life admin:
1. Big project: clear piano and old cupboards from dining area, get new bookcase.
2. Medium project: get garden shed built.
3. Small projects: aim for one a fortnight.
4. Travel plans for next year (two significant birthdays to celebrate)
Self-care/fun stuff:
1. Reading for pleasure
2. Keep up with journaling.
3. Exercise: running, pilates, walks, maybe start some weights.
4. Buy a standing desk (for back problems).
5. Do more creative stuff.
6. See friends as much as possible.
Susan
Research:
1. Any follow up on Famous Author, or Big Collaboration
2. Get microfilms on Interlibrary Loan and scan them so I can read them on my computer; start reading them
3. Write 2 papers that I have accepted for conferences this fall
Administrivia:
1. Keep up with whatever needs to be done for the graduate program
2. The Systemwide committee I chair is at the sharp end of a major proposal from our regents that is NOT GOOD, so between now and November 10 I will be running a workgroup to have the faculty response to the whackadoodle proposal. It will be insane.
Life:
1. Keep up with exercise, 5-6 days a week (bike, yoga, weights). I've started working with a trainer on weights every few weeks, and that keeps me going. But it's a good way to deal with stress, of which there is a bit.
2. Do something fun with people every week. Like JaneB, I can become something of a hermit, especially until it cools down here and I want to spend time outside.
3. I am planning to move when I retire, so I am starting now on the de-cluttering process. By the end of this session, I want to have got rid of the teaching books I will not need, and reduced my book collection by about a third to a half. I also want to have dealt with the boxes of stuff in my extra room. And cleared the garage a bit.
LAST WEEK'S GOALS:
Daisy
People-managing issues
Student posters and presentations
Paper review
Work on co-authored paper
Dame Eleanor Hull
- swim x2 or x3, cardio x3, weights x2, yoga x5
- annual online trainings (TRQ at this point)
- at least 3 writing sessions
- revise undergrad syllabus to cut or cram in reading, work out days for final "experience" work, grade grad quiz
- more work on sample syllabus for a proposed course
- clear my own Chair of Doom (I did laundry; why won't the clothes put themselves away?
- acquire some sort of Halloween decorations: at least a pumpkin or two
heu mihi
1. Write rec for friend on the market, trying to flee her terrible state
2. Get through the rest of the week, which is now almost over
3. Begin (re?)reading something towards the essay that's due in July and that I'd like to get a little start on in January
Jane B
SELF-CARE:
a) intentional movement for at least 15 minutes three days
b) making a couple of times a week in addition to Inktober,
c) two gently social things (D&D hopefully)
d) keep up reading for pleasure
e) eye clinic appointment, book GP appointment for medication review.
IMPROVING MY ENVIRONMENT
a) 75%+ of the weekly list of chores
b) make a plan for the shelving in the living room
c) don't make clothes worse
TEACHING AND ADMIN:
a) prepare for week 7 meetings
b) week 8 materials prepare other half and start week 9 if possible (because week 7 and 8 have little time for preparation)
c) limit teaching and admin to 5 hours at weekend
d) wrap up graduate student applications postponed due to group paper
RESEARCH
a) find time to work on budget planning following a meeting two weeks ago. Grrr!
b) confirm mock viva for Junior PhD student
Julie
1. Meeting for final review conference programme.
2. Finish reading book, write and submit review.
3. At least one day research/writing.
4. Self-care: exercise, keep up with better sleep patterns, read.
5. House/life admin: renew son's passport, thank you present for guitar teacher, start planning trip away in February.
Susan
1. Finish paper/ set up slides
2. Schedule talks for spring
3. Get grad student TA assignments sorted out
4. Send out revised draft of report that we shouldn't have had to write
5. Have fun at conference
