With it being Solstice, halfway through Hanukkah, and Christmas and New Years around the corner, I want to take this opportunity to wish you all a joyful end of 2014. Take a good long deep breath. How was your TLQ this time? What worked well? What might you do differently next time?
And speaking of next time, our esteemed and wise guide JaneB has asked for preferences on 3 month blocks (Jan-Mar, Apr-June, Jul-Sep, Oct-Dec) or 4 month blocks (Jan-Apr, May-Aug, Sept-Dec)? Looking forward!
Last set of goals:
Allan Wilson: re-focus on health, sleep, exercise for a few weeks so I return in a much better state.
Amstr: 1) finish reading dissertation; 2) catch up on budget stuff; 3) exercise 4x.
Contingent Cassandra: 1) finish grading; 2) do some gardening; 3) at least contemplate how to fit exercise, cooking, mucking out (at least to the point where I might have a place to put a Christmas tree), financial stuff, enough rest to be restorative, and prep for next semester into the month or so I have off. 4) Also do something about Christmas presents (some done; some not).
Daisy: 1) Research travel 2) Program development writing 3) Newsletter for professional association 4) Work on Paper X
Good Enough Woman: 1. Gather articles and create bibliography related to Chapter 2 and the presentation paper I need to write based on chapter 2. 2. Take care of test and lab work for daughter. 3. Prep house for house- and pet-sitters. 4. Pack 5. Walk/run at least twice. 6. Grade final papers and exams. (I know these are more like TRQ, but even though the grades aren't due for a couple of weeks, I'd like to get them done before our trip, so in some ways, that makes the work TLQish.)
JaneB: 1) Christmas prep. 2) Do SOMETHING to one of my neglected research papers. 3) Write 1-2 300 word abstracts for next summer's big conference and submit. 4) Get a lot of sleep, drink a lot of fluids, be nice to voice!
Susan 1. Finish substantive work on chapter 2. Christmas preparations 3. Christmas cards.
*facepalm*To prove I'm not with it, I commented only a few hours ago on last week's post with this week's goals. Sheesh!
ReplyDeleteFirst, my goals from two weeks ago:
1) Revise the paper. Yes, I am doing a happy dance. Last Friday, my co-author and I submitted the article. As this was my major goal for the semester, I am feeling very proud of myself!
2) Hydrate and exercise. Yes, for hydration. Less for exercise, because my cold turned into a heated battle for control of my entire respiratory system.
3) Still inching toward holiday spirit. We are travelling tomorrow to visit our oldest daughter and her family, which will guarantee more spirit!
Next week’s goals:
1. Be kind to myself while flying, which can be difficult at the best of times.
2. Try not to worry about the work I need to do when I get back, and enjoy the time off.
I realize these are pretty minor goals, but hey, it’s my vacation. I will have tougher goals next week, I promise!
As for three or four month blocks, I sightly prefer 4-month blocks, but it is not a strong preference, and I will happily plan for 3-month blocks, if that is the preference of the group.
Happy holidays to all!
What worked well? Breaking things into weekly goals helped immensely. Although I disappeared from time to time, the accountability to this group was also helpful and I am grateful for it.
DeleteHow might I do things differently? I want to check in more, even when I am embarrassed by my lack of accomplishment. I also want to break things down into smaller pieces of goals and time,as well as add things like organization of files to the mix.
Self care is never a minor goal! I hope the holiday spirit has inched closer to you as well.
Deletegoals for the last week 1) Christmas prep. 2) Do SOMETHING to one of my neglected research papers. 3) Write 1-2 300 word abstracts for next summer's big conference and submit. 4) Get a lot of sleep, drink a lot of fluids, be nice to voice!
ReplyDeleteachieved: 1) some. I sent off all the overseas stuff and packages, and have started on cards with letters. The rest will be new years' cards, I guess. 2) no. 3) yes, but the deadline has been moved to early January, so the pressure is off and I let them go. 4) kind of. It's been an up and down week in both physical and mental health. I wish I could have a week OFF before doing all the Christmas social stuff, and might try and see if my parents would wear that in future years... my dear cousin-once-removed who died earlier this year used to insist on having the day completely to herself, spending it in her dressing gown, and having a ceremonial meal (completely against the healthy diet regime which helped manage her various chronic issues) of jacket potatoes with real butter and premium cheddar cheese and NO SALAD (neither low fat nor dairy free nor low GI) followed by hot chocolate with brandy. She said the prospect/memory gave her the strength to get through all the socialising and special kindnesses people wanted to offer to the poor lonely disabled retired spinster! I had a lot in common with her...
goals for the period: I can't even find 'em, which says it all really.
what worked, what didn't: clearly not getting sick would have been handy. As would not caring about all the politics and upheaval at work, not having had to move office, etc. etc. etc. Fine. What can I do next? Have a generous-to-me plan for my study leave, which starts February, keep reporting in here and writing out issues as they arise on my blog or in my journal, and start over. One thing I like about writing group is the way that each report-in, each week, is like a mini new year, learning from what went well and what went badly, setting new little goals towards the big ones. Very satisfying. Plus company, and the reminder each week that there are other people on the same path, and that good weeks and bad ones happen to everyone - thank you all!
length of group: I have a small preference for four month blocks, as it seems like a reasonable compromise for most of us, but whatever suits really.
I absolutely love the idea of a special meal topping off a day spent completely at my own whim. With no salad!
DeleteLast week's goals: 1) finish grading; 2) do some gardening; 3) at least contemplate how to fit exercise, cooking, mucking out (at least to the point where I might have a place to put a Christmas tree), financial stuff, enough rest to be restorative, and prep for next semester into the month or so I have off. 4) Also do something about Christmas presents (some done; some not).
ReplyDeleteAccomplished: grades in; no gardening; tree purchased and sitting in cleared space (though some of things may simply have been moved rather than cleared); some small amount of chaos-reduction achieved (but much to go); lots of church events attended/participated in (including 2 funerals, both of which fell in the supporting-others rather than person-grief category, but 2 in a row a week before Christmas is still a bit much; then I read in the longest-night Christmas-service-for-people-who-aren't-feeling Christmasy); presents purchased (including one for myself -- new mattress topper, because the old one was giving me backaches. Those have eased a bit since grades are in -- so, probably some stress involved -- but a comfortable bed is still key, so I'm happy with the purchase).
Next week/10days' goals: mostly holiday-making/resting, with as much household-organizing as I feel like, and a bit of planning at some point (or at least a decision about when I'm going to plan).
What worked/not: need to think about this. I'm still in decompression/answering student complaint emails/otherwise tying up loose ends mode, and not quite ready to contemplate the big picture yet.
I also prefer 4-month blocks, but not strongly so.
Last week’s goals:
ReplyDelete1) finish reading dissertation--YES!!!!
2) catch up on budget stuff--YES!!!!
3) exercise 4x--yes
I had an anti-procrastination week. It worked! And the house didn’t fall apart during the process.
What worked/not: Let’s start with not: my procrastination. The weeks where I had clearly quantifiable goals and scheduled time to accomplish them went well. But many, many weeks, I avoided work in certain areas (Dissertation, I’m looking at you.). I did develop some good health habits, and I kept making progress with non-academic writing. I also settled some questions about where I’m heading next in my career--one of the more important parts of my fake-sabbatical year.
Schedule: either works for me.
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ReplyDeleteAmstr here (with a Blogger account that should make it easier to add me as a co-host):
ReplyDeleteProposal for next session:
Jan 2-11: sign-ups (overall goal, first weekly goal)
Jan 16: first check in.
April 24: final check in.
That gives us a 15 week session.
Thoughts?
Susan--feel free to email me at academicamstr[at]gmail[dot]com to work out co-hosting.
Sounds good to me!
DeleteAmstr, I will email you, and that schedule works well.
DeleteThat sounds like a good schedule to me- we will barely be back at work by January 11th, but it should be doable. Allan wilson
DeleteLesson learned: it is nearly impossible to achieve goals you have not set! I don’t know why I seemed unable to routinely post my goals for this group. I do know that part of it was serious overwhelm, brought on by taking on that one-too-many project that was the tipping point for doing anything more than what was absolutely required of me with regard to teaching, service, and research (I enrolled in a course in another discipline). I’d like to put research first on that list next time around, and figure out how to actually live that.
ReplyDeleteWell, on my goals, I *almost* finished the chapter. But there were lots of interruptions, and other tasks.
ReplyDeleteI got my Christmas presents bought, shipped all the ones off that needed shipping, and also hosted a large Christmas party, for which there was a fair bit of cooking.
I have not sent a single Christmas card.
The tip off for me is that I'm posting this on Friday. Last week I scheduled myself pretty carefully, but kept being just a little bit behind. Getting ready for the party is always lots of work, and I always underestimate it. That I kept moving on the chapter was good, but getting back into the groove after my trip took longer than I expected. So. Then Saturday my sister arrived, and since then, I've basically been surrounded by family, and feeling progressively more grinch-like. I can't wait to be home and being a hermit for a bit, catching up with my own brain.
In terms of the larger goals of this group, I've realized that one of the things I'm doing on sabbatical is unscheduling myself. So lots of things I wanted to do, I haven't done yet, just because I'm not pushing myself. I need to get better at exercise, and I do need to take on some house stuff, but it's just been one more thing. Too much travel in the fall really upset my patterns, so I'm paying attention to that -- I need to travel a bit, but I think it will be more limited, just a few weekends away.
1) Research travel DONE
ReplyDelete2) Program development writing DONE (during unexpected machine meltdown in lab :)
3) Newsletter for professional association Half done
4) Work on Paper X Did some work, not sure if it was worth anything...
Overall for this block:
Get rid of all three thesis papers.
2/3 FAIL, 1/3 DONE, so not terrible, but really not good.
I did better than in previous terms, but I still do not have the answer to making enough space for writing. It is really discouraging to see small steps forward but never be satisfied that it is enough. Because, objectively, it is now. I will do a few different things in the next term.
What worked: weekly writing meetings with colleagues - that was a huge improvement. To extend that to twice a week may be a good option.
What did not work: getting partner on board with more work time for me. It didn't help that he was completely sick for a month and had to be driven everywhere. We will have to rethink, because I cannot cope with the current schedule and level of work I get to do.
Next block: It is my last chance to get thesis papers submitted before the next round of grant applications, so it is true make or break time. I doing a guest speaker tour in the winter, and have three weeks away for lab work. So it will be a busy term anyway, but the writing needs to come before anything else. Teaching will be ok, one completely new course, but well in my field so I can do that one without major panic (ask me in a month...famous last words...)
So, that is the plan! thank you to everyone in this lovely group for encouragement, comments, suggestions and general support! You are all an inspiration :)
Hi all, happy new year.
ReplyDeleteAs for the last set of goals - re-focus on health, sleep, exercise for a few weeks so I return in a much better state - I am partially there. as in, I am doing some extra sleeping which is great, have managed to move house and survive which is also great, but I still feel a bit anxious about being behind on work goals - and that's the right quadrant, let alone the left. Having said that, I did manage a bit of progress thanks to the group here, so would love to continue. I just need to be serially monogamous in my approach to prevent being overwhelmed. I am so grateful to everyone in the group for contributing- it is a real help to see how others are doing, and feel one is not alone, despite the solitude of the struggling writer. .
Best wishes for the new year
aw
Hello,
ReplyDeleteI wish everyone a very happy new year 2015!
I set goals which I thought would be manegeable this block, but some I was able to do, and some not. As weeks passed, I felt I was overwhelmed daily small tasks I had to do anyway and I put my precious TLQ things away. I would like to reset myself, and I would like to join the next writing group again!