Hello all...I hope you’ve had a wonderful week. I wrapped up a semester-long faculty workgroup yesterday, and our group leader asked us in closing to think about and state something that we need going forward. What is one thing you need, and what might you be able to do in order to get it? [The question is deliberately vague & fuzzy.]
Goals from last week:
Allan Wilson: 1) Exercise 5x. 2) do FS analysis. 3) finish revising FS paper. 4) one day writing whk paper.
Amstr: 1) send job app to reviewer-friend; 2) more diss progress; 3) journal re: career 2x20min; 4) exercise 3x; 5) write 2 hours per day M-Th.
Contingent Cassandra: No check in.
Daisy: 1) Send off paper 1 with nth round of revisions to supervisor. 2) Redo discussion and methods for paper 2 as per discussions at cool conference.
Der Modell Wissenschaftler: 1) Submit chapter 2/paper 1 to coauthors. 2) Update committee with progress and if appropriate, request dates for defense. 3) Fast draft of paper 2.
Earnest English: No check in.
Elizabeth Anne Mitchell: 1) Edit and polish the article--note loopholes and where the documentation is thin.
2) Work on the verdamte dossier--5 hours in the next week. 3) Continue self-care.
Good Enough Woman: 1) Walk 3x. 2) Finish draft of sabbatical proposal and send it to letter writers. 3) Read 50 pages of primary source text. 4) Find a way to take care of self or feel balanced in the face of a lot of social obligations this weekend.
humming42: No goals again.
Ivy: Same goals as last week: 1) more endless data analyses. 2) three lots of 30 mins on the Discussion of Paper 2. 3) Three lots of exercise. 4) something fun!
JaneB: 1) complete all the administrivia paperwork. 2) Go to bed before midnight every night. 3) don't pretend, inwardly or outwardly, to be capable of more than you are. 4) writing about research can be limited to reading other people's stuff, reviewing papers etc. (I currently have 2 of the former and three of the latter in the queue) - completing any one of these COUNTS. 5) Enjoy NaNoWriMo.
KJHaxton: (1) Make serious headway in TRQ stuff, no scope for TLQ at work this week, just got to get stuff done. (2) Start work on christmas crafts at home in evenings. I have a few plans for gifts but need to get started on them. (3) Eat properly, drink properly...get out into the fresh air each day...bah!
Matlida: 1) Revise the research theme of my book plan and write up the draft of that part. 2) Write for 15 minutes every day. 3) Exercise for 5 minutes every day.
Susan: No check in.
Last week: (1) Make serious headway in TRQ stuff, no scope for TLQ at work this week, just got to get stuff done. (2) Start work on christmas crafts at home in evenings. (3) Eat properly, drink properly...etc.
ReplyDeleteAchieved: yes 1 and 3 were done. 3 did involve jumping in puddles on the way to a lecture which was fun (I was soaked through anyway). Made no progress on 2 though, too tired from all of 1!
This week: (1) Finish the current pile of TRQ early in the week to free up space later. (2) block out daily writing sessions to start working on a couple of papers (3) christmas crafts, eating, drinking etc - all of the 'self-care' and having fun items.
Good question this week, what would I need in going forward? Hmmm, space of mind I think. Not peace of mind, not just time off, but the space needed to be creative with research. So doing fewer cognitively demanding tasks to free up a little more time for the ideas and inspiration needed to analyse data. Nothing spectacular, I'm not talking about needing hours of time, but just a little less of the wearing stuff.
Your post reminds me of the idea of trying to simplify life by committing to fewer things, making more of that lovely space of mind. I'd make that commitment if I could figure out how to do so.
DeleteYour "space of mind" hit a chord with me. I try to devote my early mornings to things that take the most brain power, but life sometimes intervenes. If I have to deal with something intellectually exhausting, I have a hangover from it, feeling depleted and "meh" for hours. It adds insult to injury when it is something external, rather than something I want to spend my energy pursuing.
DeleteApologies for the disappearing act. Last week kind of got away from me, for various reasons, including monitoring news of the final decline and death of an elderly relative, and the need to travel to attend her funeral. At least I'm feeling good about the decision I made to spend a weekend visiting her and her family last summer; while she was suffering from some dementia, she was still recognizably herself (and I'm pretty sure she recognized me), and I'm glad I got to see her one more time. The funeral went well, and I'm glad I went, but of course it ate up some time that had originally been allocated to other activities (mostly the garden).
ReplyDeleteSo, let's just say these were goals for the last two weeks: (1) continue progress on garden, especially replacing fence; (2) continue work on food and sleep. [yes, I'm putting off the financial stuff and the formal exercise for now, in hopes that getting the garden to a stopping point will free up time and energy for other things]
Achieved: decent progress on both fronts.
Goal for this week: continued progress on the garden, especially the fence and protecting plants for the winter (we're predicted to get an extended blast of unseasonably cold air later this week; in addition, garden plot inspections occur soon after 11/15, so I need to make visible progress on the fence, and get it to some sort of stopping point.)
Topic: It's a good question, and I'm not quite sure of the answer. I'll mull a bit, and maybe come back later with some thoughts, but I wanted to make sure that I actually checked in this week.
Sorry for the funeral, but I think having a time with her is now a good memory for you. I had a funeral last week, too, of my colleague, though I barely know him, for he had already been sick and on leave when I started working. Still, attending a funeral of a colleague, only ten years older than I, made me think deeply of my life.
DeleteOh, CC. I'm sorry about the family death. It takes both actual time, and mental time (usually) as one contemplates loss, mortality, etc.
DeleteGlad you're back! I hope the garden thrives despite the cold.
DeleteCondolences for your loss, CC. As Matilda says, memories of last summer may help, I hope.
DeleteHi all
ReplyDeleteThings went well this last week, being very productive. I have gone off the boil today though, embroiled in a trudging type of data entering goal which I am hating as it is taking far longer than expected. . .
Goals last week:
1) Exercise 5x - not sure if 5x, but walked to and from work a few times (35 minutes each way)
2) do FS analysis - not exactly. My co-author raised a question which led to my decision to explore it via another analysis, hence the trudging data entry today and one day last week as well- wow this is adding to my workload. But I think it can count towards the overall analysis goal.
3) finish revising FS paper - worked on this, hence the decision to do the extra analysis above, so a yes here even though it isn't finished
4) one day writing whk paper- and yes here too, spent several days doing this and made some real headway.
Goals this week:
Keeping the focus, so
1)exercise 5x - hopefully including two more challenging sessions at the gym or 5km
2) complete at least one FS analysis
3) do clumped rerun analysis on whk
4) finish revisions on small paper
5) prep for conference next week.
The one thing I need and want more of is time by myself. Not at work, but for sanity. Walking on the beach, for example. I need to try and apply the focus I give to my work, to upholding my 'me' goals which are the first to disappear from my life when there is too much to do.
allan wilson
I grew up near the beach and have been landlocked for a decade now, so the idea of walking on the beach brings big waves of nostalgia for me. So lovely. Does walking to work provide any of that space for sanity?
DeleteAmstr here.
ReplyDeleteGoals for the past week:
1. send job app to reviewer-friend: yes
2. more diss progress: yes
3. journal re: career 2x20min: 1x20, plus thought and talk time
4. exercise 3x: yes
5. write 2 hours per day M-Th: strong at beginning of the week, sick by Thursday
I made a lot of progress early in the week--a good thing because I was sick in bed by Thursday afternoon. I managed to make it through the weekend with lots of rest in between activities. I’m planning to take a real sick day tomorrow to recuperate.
I’ve got two more weeks to make good progress before Thanksgiving break (all week long! including in-laws and family. It will be crazy.)
Goals for the week: 1) revise job letter and application, contact references; 2) re-read at least 2 chapters of diss; 3) exercise 3x; 4) write 2 hours/day, T-F
I love the question. One thing I need: a regular way to take time off. My 9yo son told me this week after I was sick in bed for a couple days, "You're the center of our family life! We can't really do it without you, until we're like 18 or something." I tend to go through cycles where I just take a week off and shirk responsibilities, and I always pay for it the following week or two. I can schedule in days that are "mom free" to give me that freedom, maybe in smaller chunks, so I won't get so burned out on being scheduled.
What awesome wisdom and love from your son! It sounds like your family would also be very understanding of you taking some "me time" for yourself.
DeleteI didn't check in or create new goals last week, so I'm going to look at the last I had:
ReplyDelete1. Continue gardening momentum: I rocked the gardening momentum this week. We uncovered this bed of black mulch and newspaper and then my partner dug at the bed (it's clay) and then I tilled in some compost and I planted so many bulbs. Bulbs like I've always dreamed of. Like more than a hundred bulbs must've gone in there. Daffodils and irises and muscari and a few lilies. A dream come true. We'll see how they come up. I still have the garlic bed to go.
2. Take care of self with good food and good sleep. Take mental discipline seriously. I actually ate crap in the last week, though the scale is within 10 pounds of my I'll-be-satisfied-with-this weight. I've just been craving sweets. Maybe I need more protein.
3. Plan workshop early in the week instead of going crazy at the last minute. This is done. Thank goodness.
4. Work in as much homeschooling as I can while I'm home several days this week. AC and I managed a fair amount of homeschooling in the last week.
5. Start work on getting Great Class proposed to the Curriculum Committee. I opened the files and looked at them and checked Blackboard in case there was an update. That's something, right?
6. Do as many 30-minute sessions on Beloved Field as I can. Yeah. I'm doing what I can. I haven't missed a deadline yet, but I'm far from doing this daily.
This Week
1. Make Nov 15 deadline.
2. Gardening: plant the garlic bed, weather permitting?
3. Take care of self, especially food and sleep.
4. Be a good professor: get caught up and be prepared.
5. Try to get to yoga?
6. Meditate?
7. 30 min sessions?
Gardening sounds marvelous! Flowers *and* garlic!
Deletegoals:1) complete all the administrivia paperwork. 2) Go to bed before midnight every night. 3) don't pretend, inwardly or outwardly, to be capable of more than you are. 4) writing about research can be limited to reading other people's stuff, reviewing papers etc. (I currently have 2 of the former and three of the latter in the queue) - completing any one of these COUNTS. 5) Enjoy NaNoWriMo.
ReplyDeleteachieved: decided the lurgy had caught up with me Wednesday enough to both not go to work and to call off the field trip. I feel like I'm swinging the lead until I move, drink something at the wrong temperature or eat something crumby, then I cough until I want a lie down. Thank heavens this is Reading Week so I can afford to take some more time to get over it... and the being depressed/anxious which I've been suppressing for too long, lately. A few days of actually catching up on sleep and NOT worrying about work things has made me see that clearly.
1) administrivia paperwork. I've done all that I can without input from a different set of other people. Who are not replying to me. First (and biggest) report is submitted.
2) bed before midnight Complete and utter fail - but I have been getting plenty of sleep otherwise. Shifting sleep patterns are usual for me when ill or depressed...
3) don't pretend to be capable of more than you are. Since I declared myself to be sick whilst I could still get out of bed, I will call that a win!
4) writing about research But I didn't do ANY of them
5) Enjoy NaNoWriMo. why yes, I am. It fits in nicely around naps and is a good distractor from fretting about work stuff I can't address. Such as strike action, aaargh!
goals: do some work writing, enjoy NaNo, plan for a return to work next week (I had the last couple of days of this week planned as 'my time' anyway, so...)
Yay for 1, 3, and 5!!
DeleteWhat do I need? One to think about.
ReplyDeleteI need... motivation. Not sure that's quite the word, but I need to stop worrying about my research writing - will it be good enough to meet the external, poorly defined criteria? will I do enough to meet my 'KPIs'? Does it actually matter? Given that I rather think this line of work is a dead end, should I actually publish the work I've done (yes, because post-docs, collaborators and funders all need the papers - but aargh, no I have other people to worry about too)? - and just DO IT.
DeleteSo I need some of the Dame's Bugge Spray!
One can of Bugge Spray in the virtual mail... We will be cheering for the just DO IT team!
DeleteThank you! :-)
DeleteAh, reminds me how delighted I am to see Dame Eleanor blogging again!
DeleteLast week's goals:
ReplyDelete1) Send off paper 1 with nth round of revisions to supervisor. NOPE, still unopened from last time I said this.
2) Redo discussion and methods for paper 2 as per discussions at cool conference. GOOD PROGRESS, not complete but better...
This week:
1) SEND off paper 1 with nth round of revisions to supervisor.
2) FINISH discussion and methods for paper 2 and start on revised introduction and lit review.
Useless catching up week, still hungover from all the drama of the last few weeks... But, looking up, I can see my desk under the piles of stuff so it is better.
What do I need?
TIME.... time to write, time to not be in charge at home, time to go and sit down in the library for 4 hours at a stretch and think.
What can I do to get it?
Beg partner to agree that I can work one day every weekend? (Not received well...)
Wake up at 4:30 am and work early? That worked for parts of my thesis, so maybe it is worth reviving.:
What I actually want:
A writing retreat for about 3 weeks, to a cabin by the ocean, where there is a great fireplace, a well-stocked fridge, and internet only for a few hours each afternoon (for library access and skype with child etc.) with two or three other writing friends.
But I also want a unicorn to eat the dandelions off my lawn, and I'm not getting that either! Oh well, better luck next time!
Your imaginary writing retreat sounds amazing! I've been longing for one too. I'd probably settle for a weekend in a cabin with an outhouse and no heat. :)
DeleteCan I please be your writing friend??? That sounds amazing!
DeleteIn fact, can I spend my sabbatical there? I'll keep the cupboard stocked with home made cakes for the weekends when everyone else drops in, I promise...
Me, too! Me, too! Oh my goodness, that sounds perfect!
DeleteYou would all be most welcome! We can have a rotating crew of people coming and going, each will bring a bottle of wine to be let in the door :)
DeleteIn my imaginary schedule there is time for yoga or running, walks by the beach, writing blocks in the morning and afternoon, or night depending on work habits, and if you are inclined to fishing or local pub visits, there will be some of that too.
Yes, I've already picked the town in Newfoundland that will host this magical retreat, and if I win the lottery, I'm buying the cabin!
Yay, Newfoundland, lovely! Proper pubs as opposed to those wierd 'bars' in most places in North America where people mostly go to get drunk or pull rather than talk! (Also ice bergs!)
DeleteUm, I should amend that - I am aware that the climate of Newfoundland is not arctic, but it's the only place where I've actually seen a real, big iceberg live, so to speak, so that's an exciting association in my head...
DeleteDaisy, I think we could be happily married to each other. ;)
DeleteMy first unfiltered thought when I read the "what do you need" prompt was "a sister wife or two"...
DeleteApplications are being taken now :)
Yes, the iceberg watching and the good pubs were a big part of my location choice!
You all are wonderful.
DeleteLast goals:
ReplyDelete1) Revise the research theme of my book plan and write up the draft of that part.- not much. I only re-read it.
2) Write for 15 minutes every day.- 3 days.
3) Exercise for 5 minutes every day. - 1 day.
Analysis:
It was again busy week with a funeral, a meeting with a troublesome student, administrative meetings, and my daughter’s celebration. Worse, I caught a cold. Depressed by the funeral of my colleague who was still young, then feeling tired and hopeless because of the cold, last week was certainly too much for me…Well, I’m going bed though it is early for usual myself, believing tomorrow is better.
Next goals:
1) Finish the important article and work something to revise my book plan.
2) Write for at least 15 minutes every day.
3) Exercise for 5 minutes every day.
Topic:
I want to be stronger both mentally and phisycally to accomplish what I decided to do. Or, I want one day completely off - perfectly off from everything - without feeling guilty!
That sounds like a really hard week. I hope things turn around soon.
DeleteLast week's goals:
ReplyDelete1) Walk 3x--NO. Only twice.
2) Finish draft of sabbatical proposal and send it to letter writers--YES.
3) Read 50 pages of primary source text--NOT SURE. At least 25.
4) Find a way to take care of self or feel balanced in the face of a lot of social obligations this weekend. YES. Just tried to enjoy seeing people.
Goals for this week:
1) Submit sabbatical proposal by Friday.
2) Read at least 50 pages of primary source.
3) Walk 3x with dog.
4) Order MIL's b-day present.
Topic: Like everyone else, I need time. And I have done several things to work on that need:
1) I'm using banked overload time to take a course off next semester.
2) I will need to talk with spouse and family about making time for my work next semester. This will be difficult, but we need to all be on the same page.
3) I went to see my dean about starting the process to apply for several units of unpaid leave next fall so that I could teach three classes instead of four.
4) Then, while I was talking to my dean about #3, she asked if I'd thought of applying for sabbatical. I said, "No. I already had a sabbatical, so even though I'm officially eligible as of this year, I don't think the committee would award me another one yet." But a couple of days later, I decided I should at least *try*. And then, I got a really good idea for a project proposal, so I drafted a proposal for a semester leave. And, THEN, I got more ideas so I re-drafted the proposal for a two-semester leave. The proposal is due on Friday, and I'm excited. But I'm trying to prepare myself to be okay regardless of what happens. But even though the sabbatical project is different from the dissertation, it would still allow me more time to (ideally) finish the dissertation by the end of 2015. Fingers crossed.
That sounds like an exciting and productive week! Fingers crossed for the sabbatical app. Maybe we can finally mini-writing-retreat!
DeleteYour description of this process unfolding is so neat...from a quick refusal to a full proposal. Fingers cross here for sure.
DeleteOops. I completely missed last week -- for no good reason, my brain just fuzzed. This past weekend I was at a conference, and I got home at 1 AM, which was 3 AM at the conference city time. So yesterday was shot (especially as I had to drive my mother to a dr. appointment an hour away); and today I've pretty much caught up.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I did manage to finish the chapter I was working on: I think it's OK, not as good as I'd like, but OK. I'm about to start the next one (though I think tomorrow will be spent partly on finishing some niggly footnotes from the last chapter with ILL books that have now arrived.) My read tomorrow afternoon will tell me where that's going, and whether it needs as much work as I think. I've given myself November and December for it, but that includes Thanksgiving and Christmas, which makes it a short two months. I'm a little anxious right now, but I hope to become less so as I dive into the chapter.
As for the rest of my life, I've managed to walk 2-3 times a week, though my bad shoulder means that other exercise is challenging. i've been cooking at least once a week. My work on the house, especially clearing away papers, is WAYYYY behind. So I have this feeling that the rest of the TLQ stuff has pretty much fallen off the map.
What do I need? Hard to say; one of the things that my recent conferences have reminded me is that I'm lonely here, and I think that somehow I have to become less so. But friendship comes over time, and I've been burned enough that I'm slow to engage.
Also, I need to be done with this book. I suspect all the rest of my projects will be easier when I don't have this hanging over me: I will be free of my obligation, I have a bunch of other projects, but I'll be less panicked, so I can take the time it takes to deal with paper etc.
Gaols for the next week: map out the chapter and what needs to be done; ILL any needed books; and start reading. Walk at least three days. Deal with one pile of paper.
Again, I’m late to the party. I got sick as a dog Sunday--interesting expression, that. First, for the topic. Last week, I would have said I need a place to hide at the day job, preferably a place with a door and walls, instead of the veal-fattening pen. However, after complaining that I was one of two untenured faculty without an office, I got a key to a vacant office that I will share with the other untenured person, working out times that we prefer to hide and write. Score!
ReplyDeleteSo, I need a ritual to block out the world, slowing the plate-spinning of trying to keep everything going at once, so that I can use the vacant office (with walls!! and a door!) to best advantage. I am going to try a combination of meditation and a particular tea for the ritual. Wish me luck.
Last week’s goals: 1) Edit and polish the article--note loopholes and where the documentation is thin. Done!
2) Work on the verdamte dossier--5 hours in the next week. Done!
3) Continue self-care. Not so great, because I got sick on Sunday and Monday, which at least enforced self-care, I guess.
Next week’s goals: 1) Spend an hour a day filling holes and beefing up documentation. 2) 5 more hours on the dossier should get me close to done. 3) Add emotional self-care to the list.
Congratulations on the office with a DOOR and WALLS! I have a door, but it's usually open, and people stop at is a lot. I don't think of my office as a peaceful place. It's an email-, student-, and colleague-filled place. I know another faculty member at my college who has totally tricked out her office. It is the platonic ideal of offices. Maybe I will do that someday, but now, I usually just go elsewhere when I need to focus on writing, grading, or reading.
DeleteThank you, GEW. I pride myself on an open-door policy, even if I don't have a door to close, and often enjoy the interactions with my staff and colleagues. However, I am on the cusp of extrovert/introvert, and I sometimes just need to get away to recharge. Writing is also impossible when a colleague can't help but interrupt the flow, even when they are polite and ask if one has a moment. The asking itself interrupts, sadly.
Delete