Hi everyone,
It's a Bank Holiday weekend in the UK, and I have a bad case of the "Sunday Scaries" for the start of the academic year even though I still have a few weeks! I'll pop back in to give information about the new session, which will start mid-September, but in the meantime here's a post for anyone who needs to set some goals or share some news. In absence of any funny or sensible words, here's Bear, catching up on his rest.
Mid-August! Let's celebrate all the things we've done this summer, because we have done things. Many goals have been met. We've traveled, seen people, tried to balance life and work. Maybe there have been fun books read in place of serious reading, or time with companion animals and family in place of work, or just plain summery drifting instead of crossing off list items. Celebrate those things, too.
In fact, here's a toast to each of you: to Susan, who sent off Famous Author and spent the summer in famous libraries, with a side trip to Paris! To Julie, who got promoted and went to Iceland! To JaneB, who sets a good example in making incremental progress, taking time for creativity, and keeping a sense of humor in the face of institutional incompetence! To heu mihi, who read a lot of Italian and saw a lot of family (those things seem like they go together well)! To Daisy, whose work facilitates Real Summer goals (and who can repel bears with curry!)! To me, who did stuff even though it doesn't feel like it! We have Prosecco (rather than champagne, because of the Italian readers), we have elderflower pressé, we have gin and tonic; help yourself to a sparkling drink and some nibbles, and make yourself at home in the comments section.
First I'll list your goals from last week, and below those, the session goals as revised in week 7 or 8. As you respond to both, make sure you include your ALSO items: those things that cropped up or offered themselves, that may not have been on your radar but which you can nonetheless note having done. For session goals, I kept things that people had finished by midterm, because we are all about the celebrating the DONE this week!
Last week:
Daisy
Next major document from giant meetings
Finish up pile of work from committee
Decide on promotion, if yes, start writing
Work on student projects
Send away rest of samples
Finish really depressingly overdue review
Write one section of new paper
Keep learning new music [can I just say that I love this goal? --ed.]
Dame Eleanor Hull
- cardio x3, PT 2x/day, weights at least once
- at least one campus day, meet with grad, continue project known as 'tidying' (actually cataloguing, but it will lead to a tidier office eventually); at least two other meetings
- make time for 5 hours research on projects W and M
- plan fall teaching, complete at least one syllabus
- do something fun and summery b/c it's not over yet!
heu mihi
1. Read grad student's prospectus
2. Read other article to decide whether I want to teach it
3. Do some "for real" course prep (e.g. setting up some of the ViLE)
4. Make the anniversary book! Our anniversary is Friday!
5. Return to in-earnest exercise.
JaneB
1) Building better habits: yarn project, read, D&D, hobby things
2) improving my environment: well, let's be ambitious! sorting out the war/floor-drobe situation, progress the sofa-and-shelving ideas, get the front gutters replaced, do chores.
3) blocks: One block for the first year module - class slides and activities, handout, assessment questions. Make a revised revised block list.
4) Writing - the week after next I have multiple meetings, so I am going to set the goal of at least 1 hour on each of the projects for which I have a meeting scheduled later in August.
5) check in with all the graduate students
6) Check the timetable for trimester 1 and make SURE it meets my reasonable adjustments. Complete one CPD thing (urgent). Catch up with all email. Make appointment to have the I Have Issues/Adjustments conversation with the new interim Head of School.
Julie
1. Organise trip for kids.
2. Post-holiday email catch-up.
3. Start reading one of the two PhDs I am examining in the autumn.
4. Start some reading for chapter for second edited volume.
5. House/life admin: pay car tax, physio appointment.
6. Self-care/fun: meet up with old friend for the day, enjoy kid-free time!
Susan
1. Get over jet lag
2. Do as much admin stuff today and tomorrow so I can pivot to Famous Author when it arrives.
3. Get going on next round of revisions, which I've been promised are not huge
4. Get back into exercise regime
5. Finish organizing the odd stuff that I haven't put away yet
6. Draft syllabi. (I got as far last week as putting my classes into my calendar.)
6. See friends, enjoy myself.
Session goals (updated at midterm):
Daisy
Two new papers submitted
Revised course material for fall and winter
One defensible graduate thesis
Good experience for 3 hired undergraduates
Kayaking
Exercise
Garden improvement
Dame Eleanor Hull
* write essay due at the start of September
* plan work for summer TA and do some supervising of her
* write and deliver two conference papers, focusing most energy on the one that will be the core of a book chapter.
* plan classes for next year
* submit two course proposals
* swim 2-3 times a week:
* work in the garden 3x/week: KEEP BUT tailor to weather, and keep sessions brief, 20-30 minutes
* do 5 Life Stuff tasks, aiming for one per week
* think about conference proposals for next two years (!)
heu mihi
1. Research/writing: Complete copy-edits of book, submit revised article, submit abstract for MK, start working (idly) on research for MK, read and review book. Revise article for collection.
2. Creative: Finish green sweater, work on knit dress, make a book or two, other projects!!
3. House: Clear out storage area, fix basement doors that don't close properly, wash windows at some point
4. Family: Costa Rica album, anniversary book, vol. 2 of uncle's memoirs
5. Personal: Read Italian novel vol. 2, get outdoors as much as possible, lots of exercise
6. Misc. work: Update program website, prep new class
JaneB
Home, self and life:
1) Building better habits: more small things that bring joy, especially in terms of making stuff/doing art. More things which engage my brain and are Not Work (D&D, reading for fun). Paying attention to eating as a self-kindness not as a tool to shut up the toddler/appease the negative brain weather.
2) improving my environment: sorting out the war/floor-drobe situation, doing one big Improvement Thing (I'd like that to be getting a sofa - so would ShoutyPants!), getting the front gutters replaced, doing a big turn out of the spare bedroom/craft space/home office where I spend most of my time at home.
Academic work (the job and the work both):
3) use the block model as last summer - aiming for 24 blocks (3-4 hours of future-focused work like preparing for teaching in the following year). Aims are to get on top of teaching prep and maybe do some "just for me" research tasks (exploring future ideas).
4) I have a lot of writing projects (grant ideas and journal articles) which all involve other people therefore are not fully in my control - I'm setting the goal of substantial progress on four of them this summer.
5) supporting graduate students (it's only sort of a TLQ thing, but it is taking up a larger than normal amount of my summer, and it is important, so I'm including it).
Julie
1. Research & writing (this will be buffet style)
i) Revisions to article currently under review if necessary
ii) Outline at least, write if possible, two different chapters I've been invited to contribute to edited volumes.
iii) Organise workshop in June.
iv) Do some research on current project. Depending on outcome of grant application, work out priorities for next year.
v) book reviews
2. Teaching
i) Get all marking done.
ii) Read final final drafts for one PhD student; wait to see if other student will ever send written work (this is heading for a car crash).
iii) read added PhD drafts
3. House
i) Big project for this session: getting the garden how I want it.
ii) Small jobs as and when time allows.
4. Fun stuff/self care
i) Exercise - improve fitness.
ii) Eat healthily - this session will either be great for this or terrible.
iii) Sleep!
iv) Continue reading for pleasure.
v) Journaling, more creative stuff.
Susan (original goals, as I couldn't find an update)
1. Get Famous Author out the door (goal June 1)
2. Write short essay about recent book, theoretically due June 1
3. Write keynote address for late June workshop, preferably before I fly to the UK on June 15
4. Start poking around in archives on new project
5. Have a good vacation with my sister in Paris and with friend
6. Start preparing my head for the fall and a return to teaching.
7. Keep up with some kind of exercise/ fitness
8. Enjoy myself - museums, theatre, etc.
9. Be sociable, try to meet people
This is the last goal-setting week; next week will be the end-of-session party at which we report on session goals and congratulate ourselves and each other.
So, whether the recipes were well-chosen and all is going smoothly, or they were overly complicated and the kitchen is now a disaster area, the guests will arrive soon. Are you setting the table, uncorking the wine, and looking forward to the gathering? Chasing the cat away from spilled cheese sauce, clearing up broken glass, and praying everyone will be late? Rushing to take a shower and put on something festive (because you can always ask a guest to set the table and another one to open the wine while you do final touches in the kitchen, but you do need to be clean and present when people start to show up)?
How did you do last week? What are your plans for the week ahead?
Daisy
Work on student projects
Send away samples
Finish depressingly overdue review
Write conference abstract
Write one section of new paper
Dame Eleanor Hull
- one campus day, meet with grad, spend 30 minutes tidying my office
- swim x 3, yoga x5, cardio x 3, do PT exercises 2x/day
- identify and contact reviewers for edited volume
- finish syllabus for one to-be-proposed course AND start a syllabus for one fall course
- finish organizing the guest room closet and shelves OR start on my study (preferably both)
- make some measurable progress on 2 research projects (M and W)
- try to get Basement Cat to the vet
- reschedule the eye exam that I totally forgot about today!
heu mihi
1. Teaching prep: Read 2 articles that I may assign for upcoming course
2. Fix basement closet door??? (I would have to do this today, and I'm not sure that I want to)
3. Start on anniversary book (select pictures)
4. Read grad student's prospectus
JaneB
1) building better habits: one creative thing with the hands, keep reading for pleasure, start a new yarn project, journal, play D&D, prepare for future D&D.
2) environment: Complete Large Financial Chore, work on simple financial chores/make list for complicated ones (including planning to pay for the car repairs). do serious investigation of sofas, cat litter box furniture, and shelving for the living room, do at least three house chores, keep the kitchen immaculate (the decluttering person worked miracles...). hopefully get the car back.
3) Work - ONE THING - do email triage mid-week to pick up some researcher-issues and reduce the overwhelm when I start back
Julie
- spot whales
- figure out Icelandic supermarkets
- other holiday activities as desired/possible
Susan
1. Catch up with all the admin stuff
2. See if I can sketch the article I want to write
3. As soon as I get anything from my editor, go into revision mode.
4. See friends
5. Prepare to leave... pack, organize, etc.
I realize the UK members still have some time ahead of them, but here in the US I am very much mired in oh-shit-it's-August syndrome. So my totally self-serving request this week is for recipes (incantations, mantras, approaches) for warding off panic, avoiding thrashing, and actually tackling the to-do list instead of zoning out and refusing to do anything other than the most basic and most required tasks.
I hope the rest of you did better than I did last week! Let us know in the comments.
Daisy
Write documents resulting from giant meetings
Finish web articles
More awkward meetings
Finish much overdue newsletter
Work on student projects with all of them
Process and send away samples
Finish overdue review
Dame Eleanor Hull
- one campus day, meet with grad, spend 30 minutes tidying my office
- swim x 3, yoga x5, cardio x 3, do PT exercises 2x/day
- identify and contact reviewers for edited volume
- take more notes on articles read last month
- create syllabus for one to-be-proposed course
- finish organizing the guest room closet and shelves OR start on my study
- think about fall courses
- make some measurable progress on 2 research projects (M and W)
- do some other Life Stuff and/or tedious work tasks
heu mihi
1. FINISH uncle's memoirs. Yesterday I spent a really long time integrating all the photos, so I'm very close now. 600 pages!
2. Read book for upcoming course; work a little on syllabus
3. Figure out August travel plans, such as they are
4. Questions for student's upcoming exam
5. Dissertation defense (this morning--not optional--but I'm putting it on here anyway)
6. Pick up some supplies for beer brewing; my stash is alarmingly small!
JaneB
1) building better habits: one creative thing with the hands, keep reading for pleasure, start a new yarn project, journal, play or prepare for D&D
2) environment: Sort out post pile of doom. do simple financial chores/make list for complicated ones. book gutter fix. at least three house chores. Decluttering person at last (I hope). Car service.
Julie
On holiday!
Susan
1. Get whatever I can out of archives today
2. Try to figure out what shoes have dropped that I have to pick up re admin jobs
3. Start planning events for year
4. Finally get back to microfilm
5. Enjoy theatre, meeting with friends, etc.
6. Figure out last working week here.
Abstraction is not my greatest ability, but let's give metaphor a shot this week: do you have a "recipe" for any part of your work? A standard approach to writing an article, designing a syllabus, or planning a lecture (pick one or more, as you like)? Do you need to proceed step-by-step or can you dump all the ingredients in the same bowl and stir like mad? What "ingredients" do you need to have on hand in order to produce an article, a syllabus, a lecture? What do you vary according to the season?
And how did you do with last week's goals?
Daisy
- Accounting from trips
- Giant meetings with many committees
- Write web articles, now just annoying
- Majorly overdue review
Dame Eleanor Hull
- try to figure out some sort of "syllabus" for the rest of summer (interim due dates, etc)
- one campus day, meet with grad, spend 30 minutes tidying my office, scan essay and return book (yes, again, different book)
- swim x 2, yoga x5, cardio x 3, do PT exercises 2x/day
- identify and contact reviewers for edited volume
- take notes on articles read 3 weeks ago
- create syllabus for one to-be-proposed course
- organize the guest room closet and shelves
- think about fall courses
- make some measurable progress on 2 research projects (M and W)
heu mihi
1. Finish uncle's memoirs
2. Housework projects (clean garage and/or wash windows)
3. Finish reading research-ish book
4. Yoga retreat this weekend! Drinks with friends on Wednesday!
5. Clean up email somewhat
JaneB
1) building better habits: one creative thing with the hands, keep reading for pleasure, start a new yarn project, journal, play D&D
2) environment: do week's chores. Sort out post pile of doom
3) blocks: two teaching blocks - one sorting out the laptop, second looking at the module I am now fed up about
4) writing: do some more work on the collaborative paper with a deadline, two re-reviews for journals (sigh).
5) grad students: Only ONE meeting this week, in the diary at least. And maybe no paperwork? MAYBE?
Julie
1. Write as much of chapter as possible, ideally close to full draft.
2. Send PhD student comments.
3. Read a chapter for a colleague.
4. More bits of boring work admin.
5. House/life admin: holiday prep, nephew's birthday, reply to some emails.
6. Self-care/fun stuff: lunch with friend, find holiday reading, exercise, journal, keep going with sleep, watch more T de F.
Susan
1. Finish reading dissertation, prepare for defense tomorrow late afternoon (time zones from BST to PDT mean an 8 hour range...)
2. Try to get to the library for a few hours of microfilm tomorrow
3. Order documents for Scottish research (which has now expanded to another library to help a friend in the US).
4. Keep up with administrative stuff, keep planning events for start of semester. (This will be mostly early morning/ evening stuff)
5. Have fun! Enjoy walking, even if it does rain.
Shifting away from the kitchen this week (maybe), if you had the perfect conditions to throw any sort of party you wanted, what would it be? Tea for two, garden party, casual barbecue, formal sit-down dinner? Assume that the good fairies will come and clean up both before and after (and the bad fairies will zap any annoying neighbours who might complain about noise). Fairies will also polish the silver or stock up on paper napkins, roll the lawn or possibly even add that extension you've been considering . . . all you need to do is decide on the type of event. Feel free to consider menu and guests, if you want to!
Consider it practice for our end-of-session celebration. ;-)
And how did you do last week?
Daisy
Two office days for all the office things….
Three days in the field, plus weekend, plus first three days of next week…
Edit giant curriculum document first draft
Write web articles, short but annoying task
Grant report
Keep on top of student tasks
Dame Eleanor Hull
- try to figure out some sort of "syllabus" for the rest of summer (interim due dates, etc)
- one campus day, meet with grad, spend 30 minutes tidying my office, scan essay and return book
- swim x 3, yoga x5, cardio x 4
- identify and contact reviewers for edited volume
- take notes on articles read 2 weeks ago
- create syllabus for one to-be-proposed course
- organize the guest room closet and shelves
- think about fall courses
- make some measurable progress on 2 research projects (M and W)
- get fasting blood draw
heu mihi
1. FINISH ARTICLE REVISION (we're talking like ONE footnote here, people)
2. Next 50 pages of Italian novel
3. Make significant progress on one home/life project--probably uncle's memoirs
4. Clean some parts of the house
5. Try to keep my shit together as the fall schedule keeps hitting hiccups (mixed metaphor[s], that's fine)
JaneB
1) building better habits: one creative thing with the hands, keep reading for pleasure, start a new yarn project, journal
2) Environment: do week's chores. Sort out post pile of doom
3) blocks: two teaching blocks - one sorting out the laptop, second looking at the module I am now fed up about so I can a) regain my equilibrium and b) get going EARLY on "non-nagging nagging" the others as we are supposed to be completely changing the assessment to make it more AI-resistant which requires coordination and planning, and I want to do my share of the work before the semester starts (and now know the others won't want to, so I need to start NOW).
4) writing: do some more work on the collaborative paper with a deadline, go to a meeting about same.
5) grad students: do substantial paperwork for two students, send a couple of emails for third. Only ONE meeting this week, in the diary at least!
Julie
1. Carry on writing chapter.
2. PhD student's chapter and possibly more.
3. Add some references to my reading list.
4. Read article for a post-doc.
5. Do some boring work admin.
6. House/life admin: prep for holiday, nephew's birthday, sort out home insurance renewal.
7. Self-care/fun stuff: read, exercise, keep trying on sleep, watch Tour de France.
Susan
Read full dissertation when it arrives
ACTUALLY READ SOME MICROFILM
Plan for research trip in Scotland
Organize meeting with some people I saw at the workshop
Do fun stuff at the weekend, visit My Favorite Museum
See friends
Keep walking (this in preparation for a walking holiday that's coming up)
Happy Bastille Day!
Let's talk about what happens when something goes wrong while you're cooking: maybe the recipe is wonky, or you forgot to add an ingredient, or your stove isn't hot enough, or (much too common) you don't know what the problem is but the dish is . . . not as hoped. What do you do?
And how did you do with last week's goals? Is this recipe working? If not . . . what approach will you take this week?
Daisy
Five days in the field
Write giant curriculum document first draft
Write web articles, short but annoying task
Update organization page, send planning emails
Dame Eleanor Hull
- make weekly schedule for the rest of summer
- two campus days, meet with two grads, spend 30 minutes tidying my office, visit potential "field trip" sites
- swim x 2, yoga x5, cardio x 4
- identify and contact reviewers for edited volume (v much past due: what's more TRQ than TRQ??)
- take notes on articles read last week
- create syllabus for one to-be-proposed course
- organize the guest room closet and shelves
- get a massage or facial or something self-indulgent
- think about fall courses
heu mihi
1. Complete and send in book review
2. Complete revision of article (that will finish up all of my required academic/research-related work for the summer!)
3. Next 50 pages of Italian novel
4. Read dissertation
5. Update graduate handbook on website; reply to student
6. Make progress on one home/life goal
JaneB
1) building better habits: one creative thing with the hands, keep reading for pleasure, start a new yarn project, journal
2) Environment: do week's chores, start decluttering study etc. room
3) blocks: one teaching block
4) writing: do some work on the collaborative paper with a deadline
5) grad students: catch up on feedback to PhD students; meet with all students.
Julie
1. Inspired by JaneB, write July plan for three weeks that are left before holiday.
2. Outline the chapter!
3. Read chapter for PhD student.
4. House/life admin: SIL's birthday, update calendar, chase patio furniture, contact shed man, tidy desk, book hairdresser
5. Self-care: exercise, reading, try again on sleep, journal, enjoy hosting dinner for friends.
Susan
1. Read microfilm
2. Read essay for journal, expedited emergency read
3. Plan later summer trip to archive
4. Follow up on Famous Author
5. Enjoy various social things
6. Walk to work every day, home at least once.
7. Finish the novel I'm reading.
