I went to yoga with my neighbor this week. I haven't been to a yoga class in ages. Thankfully, the teacher was gentle. In the midst of all the stretching, she talked a bit about our plans for ourselves and our bodies, and she used the word "intentions." As in, "what intentions do you have for yourself this week?" It got me thinking about the terminology we use in creating habits or furthering (or adding to?) our accomplishments: goals, resolutions, intentions, etc. Are there words that you find more helpful? Less helpful? Why? Do you imagine yourself going into battle and conquering tasks? Gently coaxing a seedling habit to sprout? How do those words or images help or hinder you?
Suggested format:
- Thoughts or responses to the week's question or issue
- Report/comments on last week's goals
- Goals (intentions?) for next week
Allan Wilson:
1. finish the next spreadsheet
2. add in a couple more bits of data from the fieldwork
3. plan to exercise daily using Seinfeld chains, with no particular time limits
4. think about the questions we are using the spreadsheets for.
Amstr:
1) D2B cut and paste intro and first chapter into new sections
2) take another look at provisional TOC
3) journal 5x
4) exercise 4x; track food
5) read a couple chapters on writing a book proposal
Contingent Cassandra:
--Continue work on establishing exercise/sleep routines
--cook/freeze another pot of soup
--finish DH syllabus & calendar; create prep/testing exercises for first major reading/module; make substantial progress on figuring out DH tool & crafting assignment(s) using it.
--dismember Christmas tree; transport to garden for use as mulch/bulb cover; other apartment/garden work as possible.
Daisy:
1) Draft of paper B
2) Fix figure on paper A and send to readers
3) Get classes a bit more caught up and plan a week ahead.
Earnest English:
-write often and get something onto the computer
-1 hour at least on scholarship
-get ahead on teaching matters
-eat/make good food (at least one good thing a week)
-do Artist's Date on Wednesday
-maintain limits about my time
-yoga at least 1 time this week
Elizabeth Ann Mitchell:
1) I will return to writing an hour at least five mornings out of seven.
2) I will spend at least one hour every day dealing with my email, which is still bloated from the holidays.
3) I need to schedule three doctors’ appointments.
Good Enough Woman:
1) Stock up on good food and make at least one good meal using farm box goodies.
2) Help daughter with presentation preparation.
3) Spend 7 hours on Chapter 2 research and writing
4) Add at least 1000 words to Chapter 2
Humming42:
1. Go through yoga DVD once a week. 2. Finish article with vague deadline. 3. Make substantial progress on article due at the end of the month. 4. Submit rejected creative piece to other journal.
JaneB:
1) aquire or print out a calendar page and some coloured stickers, post them where I can see and use them to record my chain efforts
2) 5 minutes every day of house related stuff
3) 5 minutes every day of some kind of exercise
4) 2 lots of 30 minutes on Crunchier
Kjhaxton:
(1) get the fabric cut for the 40 bags I have to make and buy the thread.
(2) make some progress on transcribing the paper.
(3) get back into the habit of writing each day.
Matilda:
1) Week 2 of Belcher's book.
2) The 3 articles and review one important book.
3) A progress report.
4) To exercise for 5 minutes everyday.
5) 3 no-snack-days this week. I will try it again.
Susan:
1. Map out the next chapter, and begin reading frightening amount of secondary literature. . .
2. Plan trip to lovely research library - this will help the chapter, but it also will get my mother to a dr appointment far far away.
3. Walk three days.
4. 5 minutes daily on scary piles of mail or garden stuff
Hmm. . .I'm definitely not a battler/fighter/competition person; even sports-ish terminology like "striving for a personal best" doesn't work well for me. I do like intentions, or goals, or plans (not fond of resolutions -- too judgey/suggestive of right/wrong/good/bad thinking, which is probably an odd thing for someone who self-identifies as a member of the Calvinist tradition to say, except I'm more in the "we all fall short and are in need of grace" version of that tradition). I definitely think language matters (I guess I had better; I'm an English Ph.d. who teaches rhet/comp, after all), and I like words that acknowledge the messiness of our strivings, and the value of striving anyway -- so, yes, I like "intentions.'
ReplyDeleteLast week's goals:
--Continue work on establishing exercise/sleep routines
--cook/freeze another pot of soup
--finish DH syllabus & calendar; create prep/testing exercises for first major reading/module; make substantial progress on figuring out DH tool & crafting assignment(s) using it.
--dismember Christmas tree; transport to garden for use as mulch/bulb cover; other apartment/garden work as possible.
Accomplished: 3 walks and pretty good sleep except the night before the semester began; no soup made (but a good deal eaten and haven't run out quite yet); syllabus, calendar, and one exercise for DH class created (but need to work on additional early exercises, and return to fiddling/familiarizing myself with DH tool); tree partially dismembered (and all parts still in apartment); no work in garden; a very small amount of organizing work in apartment.
And goals for next week:
Delete--Continue exercising (add weights); try to keep to regular sleep schedule
--Cook/freeze a pot or two of soup
--Figure out exactly what I need to do when for DH class; create 2 more exercises; begin work on demonstration items/exhibits and assignments.
--Submit proposal for talk on DH class if it's not too late.
--Finish dismembering tree & remove from apt.; other apt/garden work as possible.
--At least some work on finances.
That sounds quite good -- especially the sleep. I'm always anxious before the semester starts. Good luck with the next week, and maybe more soup!
DeleteCC, You might have talked about the DH work before, but, if so, I missed it (I was very negligent of TLQ in fall). I'm going to be working on DH training and development throughout the next year. Right now, I know next to nothing. I'll be interested in your progress!
DeleteHmmm. I've always wondered about the word "intention" in yoga class: what's you're intention for this class? Well, to have a good practice! Do you need more? I like thinking about plans more than intentions - somehow intention seems more like I'm in control, and I am often not. I see plans as things that take into account where the intentions get de-railed.
ReplyDeleteLast week's goals:
1. Map out the next chapter, and begin reading frightening amount of secondary literature. . .
2. Plan trip to lovely research library - this will help the chapter, but it also will get my mother to a dr appointment far far away.
3. Walk three days.
4. 5 minutes daily on scary piles of mail or garden stuff
Well, the chapter is not mapped out, because I decided I have to read through things before I map it. But I made progress.
I started planning the trip to lovely research library, but must reserve a room there! I will need to sleep. . .
I walked three days (four if you include this morning). I use an app on my phone, and I've also managed to increase my speed, which is (I think) good.
I made progress on the piles -- in fact there is no longer a pile of mail on my kitchen counter. There are things that need to disappear, but not mail. YAY! The weather's been "meh" -- overcast and chilly -- so no garden work. But it's good to see progress on the piles. And I read and recycled three journals...
Next week's goals:
1. Undertake quick review of secondary literature, just to get a sense of what's there.
2. Review primary source notes for new chapter
3. Read two plays for new chapter
4. Finish reading articles for article prize competition
5. Walk or other exercise 5 days
6. Continue 5 minutes daily on either clutter or garden
7. Tax stuff - file foreign taxes, get started on local ones.
It looks like a lot, but I've separated out all the different pieces of my academic work, and hope that helps me!
It does look helpful to separate academic work into small points - it is good to know what you need to do practically.
DeleteLike Matilda, I think breaking the academic work into small bits will help me immensely.
DeleteTopic: Hmm... are there any words which make me feel motivated? I like 'plan', maybe. With this word I am thinking of my future, near or far away, and this word does not seem to press me too much. I am the person who make the plan and when it does not go well, then, I can amend it. Well, this is the good point but the bad point as well, actually. I get easily satisfied with making a plan, and not reflect it when I cannot proceed as the plan says, but just re-plan...
ReplyDeleteLast goals:
1) Week 2 of Belcher's book. - Done, but in a rush.
2) The 3 articles and review one important book. - only one.
3) A progress report. - done, though full of excuse...
4) To exercise for 5 minutes everyday. - 3 days. I should have done more.
5) 3 no-snack-days this week. I will try it again. - only 1 day.
A progress report was done and sent, so I am waiting for the comments. In terms of excercise and no-snack-day, I did poorly, so my Week 2 is not full of accomplishments, but it is somewhat cheering to finish writing something, even it is short and just an informal report.
Next goals:
1) Week 3- 1 of Belcher's book. I will take 3 weeks for Chapter 3.
2) Review one important book.
3) Start to write the review article.
4) To exercise for 5 minutes everyday.
5) 3 no-snack-days this week.
Have a happy week, everyone!
When I'm stuck, getting *anything* done is a way toget going, so maybe finishing the progress report will have a cascading effect.
DeleteThanks, Susan. Yes, it is a small step but it is a step forward.
DeleteMatilda, small steps add up eventually. :)
DeleteI don't have a lot of time at the moment, so I'll think on this week's pondering and get back to y'all.
ReplyDeleteLast week
-write often and get something onto the computer: I didn't write that often (am working on this) but I did get something on the computer
-1 hour at least on scholarship: hubby was sick so I didn't get this
-get ahead on teaching matters: still doing mainly okay with this
-eat/make good food (at least one good thing a week): made lots of good food this week
-do Artist's Date on Wednesday: didn't do this (hubby was sick)
-maintain limits about my time: mostly
-yoga at least 1 time this week: nope
I also didn't get much unpacked this week. But I did finally order seeds, so that's major.
Upcoming Week
-write often and get something onto the computer
-1 hour at least on scholarship
-get ahead on teaching matters
-eat/make good food, especially dinner
-do Artist's Date on Wednesday
-maintain limits about my time
-work on unpacking boxes
-yoga/meditation at least once this week!
Illness in the household is one of those times when TRQ really does take over, isn't it?
DeleteI hope he is better now...
DeleteIt's great that you made a lot of good food! That often goes right out the window for me when things get crazy. Hello take-out! I hope hubby is better.
DeleteI have a close friend that I lost touch with and found again, and she is an incredibly wise human being. She talks about living an intentional life in ways that make me rethink how I habitually take what the universe throws at me instead of deliberately charting my own course. Intention could be about living my life in the ways that I want, and aligning myself with those things. But: I don’t know how to carry all of that over to yoga.
ReplyDeleteThis morning I was journaling about a bunch of adminstrivia I have to take care of and found myself using language like “push it out the door” when I stopped and thought I would much rather handle these tasks lovingly and gently. As Cassandra says, the language we use matters.
Last week’s goals:
1. Go through yoga DVD once a week: no yoga. 2. Finish article with vague deadline: no work on that. 3. Make substantial progress on article due at the end of the month: actually working on that. 4. Submit rejected creative piece to other journal: have not made time for this.
This week has a bunch of deadlines related to teaching, service, and research, so 1. get it all done. 2. finish and submit end of month article. 3. submit creative piece. A short list, because of get it all done, but these things are basically at TRQ now, except for #3. Will do what we can!
I think living an intentional life makes sense - it has to be with how you want to live in the world, and what you want to do. I also like reframing administrivia; I try to remember that there are people who actually need the stuff I put in that box in order to do their work.
DeleteI love the idea of living an intentional life. this makes sense to me. Here intentional seems to be about choosing a way of being, whereas goals seem more like smaller bits that can be marked out that contribute towards the intentional life. . .allan wilson
DeleteThoughts on the topic: The words used to frame goals are very important for me. I prefer intentions or goals to resolutions (which sound too legalistic) in the hopes that I will meet them better than New Year resolutions, which I rarely fulfill. I also have a negative reaction to “should” and “ought” words. The slightest hint of guilt will put me off a goal more quickly than anything else. I like the image of nurturing a seedling along, because I tend to accomplish more with small goals than with large (often unrealistic) ones. I was struck with JaneB’s five minute goals, which fit my moving toward new habits in baby steps. I overreached, for example, with last week’s goals, because the minute something impinged on my sacrosanct hour, I was lost.
ReplyDeleteLast week’s goals: 1) I will return to writing an hour at least five mornings out of seven. Nope. Several projects ran into odd and unexpected roadblocks, and the resultant tap-dancing on the edge of disaster robbed me of energy. Insomnia would lift in the half-hour before the alarm, making me a very difficult colleague and family member. I slept for thirteen hours Friday night. Total fail.
2) I will spend at least one hour every day dealing with my email, which is still bloated from the holidays. Yes, I did manage this winnowing, since I could manage it without any brain power whatever.
3) I need to schedule three doctors’ appointments. Nope. See above for hell week.
Next week’s goals: 1) Write 100 words at least 3 times during the week.
2) pack and prepare car for conference that begins Friday
3) prepare my moderator script for Saturday, by writing the bio for one speaker on Monday, another on Tuesday, another on Wednesday, and the last on Thursday
4) Monday, call to schedule one doctor’s appointment; Tuesday, call for another one; and on Wednesday, call for a third.
Sounds like a difficult week. I hope this coming week is smoother.
DeleteI too find that small achievable goals are key. It sounds like you're on the right track with daily assigned tasks that are manageable. I hope the conference goes well!
Maybe we should all think about our projects in terms of the kind of thinking involved - I know when I suffer from insomnia, I really don't concentrate well.
DeleteEffective use of time snippets seems key to productivity. I need to figure out the best ways to value these snippets as well as longer blocks (the latter of which I sometimes fritter away if I'm not totally pressed for time). I like your idea of writing 100 words at a time.
DeleteAmstr, thank you. I am trying to learn not to overreach, and not to beat myself up for baby steps.
DeleteSusan, I have a list of tasks for when I am completely put out of whack by insomnia. They aren't earth-shattering (actually they are quite boring), but they get done when I'm too tired to be bored by them.
GEW, it does take some trickery for me to use those snippets well. I usually stop writing in the middle of a paragraph, or even a sentence, so the time to get back into pace isn't as hard. If I have stopped at the end of a section, I write a handful of key words for the next section. I fritter away less time when I don't have to reread to figure out where I was.
I like the to-do list approach (colour coded for urgency levels). Goals sometimes feel too aspirational and I can't always make myself take them seriously. So calling it a Must-Do and colouring it with orange or whatever my high-priority colour of the week is makes it much more tangible. And it has to be visible, so I am not allowed to hid my list under office clutter, it has to be looking at me every time I want to faff around doing something else in the office.
ReplyDeleteI cannot do anything motivating with the word "intention"... It has too much baggage in the sense of the road to hell being paved with good ones... To me the intentions matter very little if the results are not good. Don't know if that is Calvinist upbringing or just me...
Plans or expectations or goals work better for me.
1) Draft of paper B - NOT DONE
2) Fix figure on paper A and send to readers - Fixed but not sent, so mostly DONE
3) Get classes a bit more caught up and plan a week ahead. DONE
I'm a little less behind than I was last week, I'll take that as a win! Did a major grant application (the huge long-shot kind) and managed to catch up on teaching stuff so I'm starting the week a little better off than the last few.
This week:
1) Send paper A (easy goal for positive reinforcement)
2) Draft B
I love the idea of your Must-Do list looking at you. Congrats on some good progress this week!
DeleteI'm not sure I even have an answer to my own question. I think I do like being intentional about my work. I tend to rush and move quickly from one thing to another, so being intentional is a good way to slow myself down. Goals are great, as long as they're achievable ones.
ReplyDelete1) D2B cut and paste intro and first chapter into new sections--started, maybe halfway done.
2) take another look at provisional TOC--decided to wait until preliminary mess is made.
3) journal 5x--4x so almost
4) exercise 4x; track food--yes to exercise; not at all for tracking food.
5) read a couple chapters on writing a book proposal--I did get a book, so miniscule progress.
**Do any of you have recommendations for resources about writing academic book proposals?** I feel like I need to learn yet another genre of writing.
I got sick partway through the week, so my plans got thrown off. I did get discouraged at being overcommitted, so I'm going to spend a bit of time this week reprioritizing and finding things to save until later or quit altogether. This next week I'll be solo parenting for 4 days, so that might throw a wrench in plans as well.
For next week:
1) re-organize weekly schedule to reflect real constraints
2) 3 hours of work on cutting and pasting
3) 1/2 hour on TOC revision/brainstorming
4) 1 hour on comp research or book proposal
5) exercise 4x
I like your item 1 - I think perhaps my issue with "intention" is that often it is divorced from our realities. So while it's good to be intentional, the question of how intentions cross with realities is an interesting one.
DeleteI've never heard of a guide to writing a book proposal, though perhaps William Germano's From Dissertation to Book would help? It came out after my first book came out, so I didn't read it, but everyone says it's useful. I think one challenge is that the proposal has these sub-parts, like discussions of the market and competition, and those are different from the "what this book does" section.
I've read Germano, and it's helpful for the revision process. He doesn't talk much about what to do with it after it's ready to send out.
DeleteI've found some helpful websites, and I'm sure my advisors will give great advice, but I'd love to know if others have favorite resources.
Amstr, it might be worthwhile to try some of the generic non-fiction book proposal guides (Michael Larsen's How to Write a Book Proposal, for example). You have to parse through the non-academic stuff, but it is pretty helpful, I've found.
DeleteThanks, EAM! I'll check it out!
DeleteI like the word "intentions," and I even take my cue on that word from the yoga context. When I attend a yoga class, which is not often, it's always helpful for me when the teachers suggests we set our intentions. In that context, I think of it as a "priority," as in if-all-else-collapses-at-least-I-am-focused-on-that-thing. Sometimes it's breathing. Sometimes it's being present. Sometimes it's "sticking through the discomfort" or some such thing. And, for me, this connects back to Amstr's reference to the Passion Planner. I took a look at it, and I like the way it begins by encouraging the user to set goals or challenges that will then take priority when it comes to planning and time management. This, for me, is being intentional. In the end, I decided to make my own planner, but I really like the Passion Planner theory. When I made my own planner, I foregrounded the intentions that I want to guide my work. I guess is like saying "priorities" or "goals," but, for me, "intentions" suggests mindfulness. Oh, and I put a "TLQ Goals" section in my planner!
ReplyDeleteLast week's goals:
1) Stock up on good food and make at least one good meal using farm box goodies.--Yes, at least one, but I still have a lot of food left from the box.
2) Help daughter with presentation preparation.--Yes, but there is much more to do.
3) Spend 7 hours on Chapter 2 research and writing--No, more like four hours, during which I futzed around a lot.
4) Add at least 1000 words to Chapter 2--No way. Maybe 200.
This week's goals:
1)Track water, exercise, and spending.
2) Help daughter with presentation.
3) 5 hours on Chapter 2 and/or conference paper
4) Figure out how to best celebrate hubby on his b-day
Mindfulness--that is the perfect word. I hate to end a day by realizing I have been spinning like the Tasmanian Devil, but just crashing through life, not approaching my priorities or intentions.
DeleteWhen I futz, it's a clear sign I'm not ready for whatever I'm trying to do. Carving off a chunk, as Susan does above, sometimes helps, but sometimes I just have to do something else,
Four hours is way better than no hours! I hope Chapter 2 comes into clearer focus this week.
DeleteI'm switching to time allotments for academic work too. It makes the work seem more possible when I'm not sure what I'm doing.
Like Elizabeth Ann Mitchell, I too futz when I am not ready to write, but I've also learned that the futzing time can also include processing in the backgound, so that I can turn back to the project and say, that's what I should do!
DeleteAllan Wilson:
ReplyDeleteLast weeks goals: 1. finish the next spreadsheet -YES. Three spreadsheets to go.
2. add in a couple more bits of data from the fieldwork - YES. That was fun even. It reminded me of how much fun fieldwork can be.
3. plan to exercise daily using Seinfeld chains, with no particular time limits. MORE OR LESS. I am getting much more focused about exercise which is great.
4. think about the questions we are using the spreadsheets for. NO. This was an epic fail- and a bit of a worry. I realise I am so burned out that as soon as I start juggling tasks and feeling the pressure of multiple things piling up, I lose both the time and energy to think deeply. So, I have two simple goals this week that are both high priority.
This week's goals:
1. Walk up hills four times this week.
2. Think about the project (ie the questions behind the spreadsheets).
I don't worry so much about terminology- goals are fine by me. I think though if I said I had intentions, I would achieve less as somehow it seems less active. I have had many intentions in my life that I have not followed through on. Ditto I guess for goals mind you, but to me it seems to imply an active effort to reach something. But, I am not a yoga person, or an arts person, so maybe the harder 'goals' suits a less philosophical sciency type. On the other hand, maybe 'intentions' are better to avoid burnout and stay within what's real and possible.
allan wilson
Congratulations on good and FUN progress this week!
DeleteYour goals this week seem to go hand in hand. I always do my best thinking walking up hills.