Hello everyone, I hope you've all had good and productive weeks, and have been able to practice at least something from the rejuvenation strategies we discussed last time.
Cassandra and I mostly left you to talk to each other last week, and it seems like everyone was reporting in in a tired state, feeling a bit demoralised one way or another. I can't be the only person who woke up this morning, realised it was August, and had a brief "where the [expletive of your choice] is summer going?!" strop, but the time will pass regardless of small private tantrums (or even large public ones), so I'm working on thinking positive. That comes through in some of the goals people are setting, too - allan wilson sums it up most pithily by having "enjoy my life" as a goal, but several others have mentioned gratitude journals or other kinds of positive practices.
I do prefer Autumn as a season, myself - I'm looking forward to the justification to buy new stationary supplies, to new beginnings (all these years in education make the new academic year my annual 'fresh start'; midwinter is more about survival and grading!), fresher weather, and all things apple, pumpkin and cinnamon. Our southern hemisphere members are presumably beginning to look towards spring, with longer days and new growth. But this is only the first day of August - so this week, let's talk about what we might to do to make the most of the last bit of summer. That could include summer indulgences you haven't had time for yet (a trip to the shore, an outdoors ice-cream, an afternoon in a pub garden or a dark and air-conditioned cinema (or rainy day by the fire with hot drinks for the southerners!)), things that will set you up for Autumn (sorting out your wardrobe, your syllabi, or your work bag in advance), or a final work-sprint to get your TLQ tasks into their best shape. Is it time to shake up your routine, or re-commit to a habit that works, or to do triage? How are you going to fit some enjoyment and satisfaction into the last few weeks of this writing group iteration?
Last week's goals:
allan wilson
1. the ethics app - now pretty much urgent
2.exercise 4 times
3. work on any one paper that I WANT to work on, that is not immediately urgent, for 2 hours.
4. write emails to friends JB, LA and AH
Amstr
1) nightly check in (food, to do list, daily celebration ["celebration" sounds so much better than "assessment"])
2) write daily (practice, drafts, exercises, whatever)
3) declutter two boxes from room
4) menu plan/grocery shop
5) progress on writing down tasks (try new programs)
Contingent Cassandra (from week 10)
Overall, get grades done and other activities at a stopping-point to allow for a week or so's vacation, including:
(1) get basics working on new phone
(2) make sure necessary bills are paid
(3) move (exercise/garden) at least a bit
(4) plan rest of summer
Daisy (in the field for four weeks)
Elizabeth
Try again on one more article for the literature review.
Declutter the living room, for clearer thinking.
GEW
(Goals from Week 9)
1) Walk to and from institute location whenever it's safe enough to do so (i.e., not dark).
2) Write for at least 30 minutes per day on chapter draft.
3) Say no to socializing if I really don't want to do it.
4) Be a good listener during the training. Don't raise hands to make too many comments or questions.
5) Each evening, write lists of "intentions" for the following day so that I'm not just spinning wheels during any open times.
6) Enjoy and be grateful for this week of time during which I get to work on things that interest me.
humming42
1. stay relatively current with grading and comments on student assignments
2. write book review
3. make progress on Upcoming Article
4. enjoy my life
iwantzcatbocl (from week 10)
1. Exercise daily.
2. Make list of things to do.
3. Don’t dawdle with household chores.
JaneB
1) an hour of work on the grant application draft
2) another unit of
crochet on the afghan (it's being made in a slightly polished cotton
yarn so not too hot to work with in summer) since Amstr has reminded me
of the importance of handwork, again...
3) some decluttering
4)
some planning-of-rejuvenation, e.g. looking into and maybe booking
places to stay for my trip in September, perhaps a writing evening on
Wednesday etc.
Karenh (from week 10)
1. Make a planned routine of work time for the semester that gives
realistic space for teaching and supervision, but also dedicated TLQ
slots.
2. Read/notetake one article for Embodied article.
3. Make contact about P1 site permissions
4. Set up meeting with P1 collaborators.
kjhaxton (from week 10)
a) Scary project: continue re-analysing data for conference
presentation and read new literature on project. Draft presentation and
research tool for phase 2.
(b) Gemstone Paper: play around with data, write the next 1000 words and finish the figures
(c) continue list making and cross off some small items from the various lists.
Let's Do This
(goals from week 7)
1. Finish the article that I wanted to finish last week. Email it before
I leave town for the holiday weekend. This gives me three days, ACK!.
2.Do the dreaded bills.
3.
Fix the captioning and the video summaries on the two videos that have
been uploaded thus far. This will ease me into finishing, uploading, and
captioning the remaining videos next week, so I can get started on that
article before my parents arrive on the 10th.
4. Pack for the weekend trip. Something I love to put on the list because then I can cross it off later!
5. Enjoy extra time with my daughter, who has a break from the gym this
week.
Matilda
1) To continue to revise Chapter 1, part 2.
2) To exercise for 3 minutes at least three times a day.
3) To have good sleep.
Mercy
a. read 1 HA-related article per day every workday
b. freewrite for 15 minutes each day
c. 1 fun/excercise thing w/kids each day
d. 1 home/yard task each day (kids can help)
Susan
1. Get through first three chapters, and maybe chapter 4.
2. Book proposal
3. Exercise -- something -- daily
Topic: How to make the most of now. I have had a pretty tough summer so far, as you know. It has not let up, as reported below. However, my DH (the philosophy major) has gotten me reading the Stoics, Seneca in particular. I had several misconceptions about the Stoics--and DH knows me well enough to know that research is soothing on its own merits, with the added benefits of gleaning a better outlook on life.
ReplyDeleteThe other thing I have starting doing is to think about one thing I am grateful for before meditating in the morning. It is sometimes hard to find something, but the exercise is helping.
Last week’s goals:
Try again on one more article for the literature review. No.
Declutter the living room, for clearer thinking. About half done, but I’m happy about the progress.
Analysis:
Much as I tire of reporting tough days, I’m afraid I have more to report. We ended up having to euthanize our Weimaraner on Friday morning. For several months, he had been doing better, giving us hope, but he declined quickly Thursday morning to the point of being unable to eat or walk. We have had him for seven years, so we are all very upset.
Also, I had to say goodbye to him very early Friday morning, without even knowing if the vet would recommend euthanasia. I had an appointment with a gastroenterologist in Manhattan on Friday that took several weeks to schedule, so i could not reschedule. After many hours of testing, the diagnosis is gallstones. I have to call a surgeon tomorrow to schedule surgery. The diagnosis is unwelcome, but not unexpected, and it does help to have an end in sight.
On a positive note, I stayed in New York overnight so that Saturday I could help out a friend who had a table in the exhibit area at the Writer’s Digest conference. It was a delight to meet her in person, and to have her spinning plots for my next, oh, four or five books or so! I also saw another writer friend with whom I’ve spoken on the phone so many times, but had never met in person. I had a lot of fun, even as tired as I was. I was too late to register for the conference, but I plan to do so next year.
Next week’s goals:
Read for an hour three times for the literature review.
Schedule surgery.
One positive thought/thought of gratitude every morning.
I'm so sorry to hear about more hard things this summer.
DeleteI'm glad Saturday had an unexpectedly welcome surprise in it--a little rejuvenation in the midst of difficulty.
So sorry for your loss - four-legged companions worm their way so completely into your life and heart, don't they? But at least you got to say goodbye... and glad to hear SOMETHING went OK, as well
DeleteSending you the best possible wishes, especially for health in every regard.
DeleteOh, how very sad. . .
DeleteThank you, Amstr, JaneB, humming, and Susan. The summer has been bittersweet in so many ways--although my father passed away, I forged closer bonds with my middle sister, and although I had to say goodbye to my Weim, I connected with one writer I've known for almost four years, and another for three. As wonderful as online friends are, it is lovely to connect in person as well.
DeleteOh, dear. I'm very sorry (but glad there were some bright spots as well).
DeleteFor whatever it's worth, I know several people who've had gallbladder surgery, and it seems to be one of those operations that makes most people feel considerably better than they did before the surgery within a week or two. So that's another potential bright spot.
Still, what a summer. I'd be feeling completely wrung out.
I kind of feel like the work portion of my summer is finally getting started. All the various stressful kid things are over, they'll be in camp this week, and even though they don't start school until September, we've got some fun things planned (that will sometimes allow me time to work/write). I also have a weekend away planned just for myself (and maybe a couple writerly friends).
ReplyDeleteThis week I need to not plan on accomplishing so much that I'm frustrated with slow progress, but enough that I can get things moving at a nice clip.
My other conundrum this week is teaching related. The university where I'll be teaching an 8-week online class in the fall offered me a second section (max. 20 students). I'm planning to say yes, but I have a feeling is a really dumb decision. Teaching the same prep seems like a no-brainer to my adjunct-y brain, but Oct-Dec is a very-busy-life time with school events and holidays. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I can plan enough ahead to swing the second section. On the other hand, I really need to exercise my "saying no" muscles. I have a week or so to look over the course materials and decide.
Last week:
1) nightly check in (food, to do list, daily celebration)--almost every day
2) write daily (practice, drafts, exercises, whatever)--almost every day
3) declutter two boxes from room--yes!
4) menu plan/grocery shop--sort of, decided to eat through fridge
5) progress on writing down tasks (try new programs)--Yes!
The nightly check-in was key for me getting through the week with some amount of grace. And I set up a new to-do list system (Firetask) which I really like so far.
This week's goals:
1) nightly check in (food, to do list, daily celebration)
2) write daily
3) finish cleaning out clothes + reorg clothes portion of closet
4) menu planning/grocery shopping
5) progress on WGWLS (study questions for a book, chapter by chapter)
A nightly check-in sounds like a neat idea - hmm, I might try that out in the semester, when 'stopping' for the day is always a challenge for me.
DeleteI like the nightly check-in also, as a way of winding down and being ready to start right the next day.
DeleteKarenh
I also very much like the idea of a nightly check-in. Clearing the plate for the next day, and figuring out what is on deck (baseball nomenclature for those of you not familiar with the sport), sounds very organized and promoting of peaceful rest!
DeleteBest wishes to you as you're deciding whether or not to take on the 2nd section for teaching; it sounds as though you're leaning towards a Yes, but I can definitely see the reasons for No, too, so I'd be curious as to what you decide.
DeleteWeighting in (better late than never? though you've probably already made a decision) on the 2nd-section question: when making this sort of decision, I think one really has to think very hard about why one is taking adjunct work at all. It can make sense as a way to stay connected with one part of academic professional life, to keep one's hand in with teaching and/or gain new experience/skills, or possibly for the fringe benefits (e.g. library privileges, having an institutional affiliation). It rarely makes sense on an economic basis; there's almost always something one could do that would pay better. Of course, once one is already teaching one section, a second does involve somewhat less effort (but only somewhat). Still, I'm inclined to argue that it makes sense to minimize adjunct teaching, and pretty much never to do it primarily for the money (because the money just isn't good enough). The only other consideration I can think of is that some departments may not want a teacher who only wants one section, so I suppose there's a relationship building/maintaining aspect.
DeleteAt least this is a decision you get to make, for better or for worse, repeatedly, so whatever you decide this time, you can always decide differently another semester.
Like Amstr, I finally feel like the work portion of the summer might be beginning. Whilst yes, it's August, cue "where did summer go?" feelings, I was reminded whilst checking work emails that my university changed it's year-counting recently: although the 1st of August is still the start of the new university financial year, the academic calendar now starts with the first week of September, so "week 1" for 2015-16 is still 4 weeks away (OK so students now return in week 5, and the department still counts THAT as week 1, and generally week numbering is an incoherent trap for the unwary...). Funny how that tiny and meaningless shift in an administrative system can have a positive psychological effect, isn't it? But it has.
ReplyDeletetopic: making the most of what's left of summer. Hmmm. Well, I'm trying to take things day by day. I guess the most summer-enjoying thing I want to do more of is eat fresh and where possible local fruits - raspberries, strawberries... yum! And, nerdishly, take advantage of the ability to write when I feel like it...
last week's goals:
1) an hour of work on the grant application draft pretty much, though I spent a lot of it fighting with a web site
2) another unit of crochet on the afghan half or one depending on how you count. I will count 12 rows as one unit (the pattern repeats over 24 rows, but comes in two halves) so I can write DONE here
3) some decluttering a very small start has been made. It feels good!
4) some planning-of-rejuvenation, e.g. looking into and maybe booking places to stay for my trip in September, perhaps a writing evening on Wednesday etc.did not go for a writing evening - the car cost more than expected and I just didn't get my act together. Regretting it now, of course. Other things, also no
analysis/planning:
A busy first half of the week somehow led to a particularly idle second half, in which I ate badly, fed my brain much junk reading, slept on a wierd schedule and generally rather enjoyed myself. Over the weekend I actually started to feel a little, tiny bit bored with those things, which I haven't felt for, oooh, ages, probably not since last summmer. Maybe not even then. Anyway, I'm hoping this signals a productive week to come...
goals for this week:
1) ten hours of TLQ research writing
2) five hours of TLQ teaching preparation
3) another unit of crochet on the afghan
4) some decluttering
5) some planning-of-rejuvenation - September trip
Hurrah for a schedule which makes the summer just a bit longer (an unusually late Labor Day is having that effect in the U.S., which I'm appreciating now, though I know we'll pay in December, when exams will end closer to Christmas than usual), and for feeling a bit bored; that seems like a good measure that at least a bit of rejuvenation may indeed be taking place. Hope that those two factors, together, have, indeed, made for a productive week.
DeleteI've had two lovely most of now moments recently - a trip for the day by myself to the nearest big city for a concert (so good) and a morning trip out to play in snow with the kids today (interspersed with a week of late-night cooking because I - in hindsight, rather stupidly - volunteered to cater the major fundraiser for my board organisation. Anyway, having survived that...
ReplyDeleteGoals from Week 10:
1. Make a planned routine of work time for the semester that gives realistic space for teaching and supervision, but also dedicated TLQ slots.
Yes! And started trying to implement it.
2. Read/notetake one article for Embodied article.
No.
3. Make contact about P1 site permissions
DONE! But do need to follow up.
4. Set up meeting with P1 collaborators.
Met with one.
This week is looking a bit teaching heavy, but I've been taking the very helpful practices of accountability from this group into face-to-face space and have set up a weekly check in with some local people as well. This week I will:
1. P1 logistics - met collaborator, send email about grant and data to overseas person, chase up access permissions.
2. Do 2 hours on research training thingy
3. One article for P2
4. Try night check-in against new weekly schedule/todo/tada.
Karenh
Snow! This is why internet groups are cool--to remind one of snow in the winter, yes! Sounds like you had some good Now moments!
Deletemmmm, snow....
DeleteHope the local accountability is useful!
I've been on the road for three weeks without much wifi. I'll check and catch up this coming weekend.
ReplyDeleteHope the trips went well and the resulting laundry mountain is not too overwhelming!
DeleteI too had a small panic over August being here and then decided that it will be the deadline that inspires. Not only are most of my current projects due by 1 September, but classes start on 31 August so everything changes at the end of the month. I do feel wistful about some leisure things I didn’t get around to, like a semi-planned trip to meet a friend at a museum in another town. But I did some work around the house, read novels, made progress on projects. I won’t look back painfully at this summer wishing it were different, but I do still marvel at some of the simple and important things I managed to avoid doing all these weeks. Maybe there will be time.
ReplyDeleteLast week:
1. stay relatively current with grading and comments on student assignments: yes.
2. write book review: almost done.
3. make progress on Upcoming Article: teeny tiny.
4. enjoy my life: why yes, in fact, I did.
I’ve been a little distracted by back to school shopping for myself. I am still shopping for a new planner, a new bag, and a new PC. I have a computer picked up but have been waiting all summer long for back to school deals to see if I can get a better price or a better system.
Week ahead:
1. finish book review 1
2. make significant progress on Upcoming Article
3. read book for book review 2
4. organize home office
Looks like you're in pretty good shape work-wise, and it's great that you got to answer YES for "enjoy my life"!
Delete"simple and important things I managed to avoid doing all these weeks" - ah, there are so many of those bouncing around here...
DeleteYay for enjoyment!
Well, this summer has definitely been one of "don't plan too much". I've joked with friends that if we could just erase July, I would be happy. So I'm just trying to get through it. I've begun to be able to plan things -- a weekend in a different city (for a memorial service, but I'll see friends too, and eat well, and NOT VISIT MY MOTHER FOR THREE DAYS! I'm also trying to reschedule my lost research trip. And I've decided to invite a friend to visit later this month -- she is willing to help me pack up my mother's house, but we'll also go up to my local park for a day of hiking.
ReplyDeleteGoals for last week:
1. Get through first three chapters, and maybe chapter 4. NO -- got into chapter 2, but that was it
2. Book proposal: Who are you kidding?
3. Exercise -- something -- daily: YES!
Analysis: I said my goals might be optimistic, and I was right. Partly stuff related to my work issues kept coming up (though I met with a VIP on campus who was, for the first time, KIND to me), and took actual time and emotional time. Then this whole process with my mother is taking lots of time -- it's been great having my sister, but we've been sorting out stuff, and I've hardly had time to think. (As a solitary person now, having someone in my house for 6 days is hard. She has her own patterns and needs...I'm trying to be patient.)
My mother moves to her new place next Tuesday, so there's lots of work right now to get her set up.
SO: I don't think I'll do serious work until Thursday of this week, so my goals are:
1. Chaps 2 and start 3
2. Get back to prospectus
3. Keep walking or doing something daily
I'm not surprised that things like these take actual time as well as emotional time, and I'm glad to see that you're hanging in there, having a support system around in, and setting small goals. Wishing you all the best for your mom's continued recovery.
DeleteWhat a summer! You are really doing very well to keep any goals moving at all, I am impressed...
DeleteI hope the move goes/went well, and I'm glad the friend's visit involves both help *and* a break. That sounds like a good combination.
Delete1. Making the most of NOW: like others, I, too, feel as though summer TLQ time is only starting NOW, so this indeed seems a good time to make the best of it. (Case in point: I finally did my last comments on a final MA thesis draft this weekend, and only today did I send a grade report for another thesis, marking the end of the past semester) It's pretty obvious that I won't be able to reach my two main summer goals for writing, but there's definitely time to get into a good writing habit for the summer, and to get some real writing done on HA article so I can finish it over the fall semester.
ReplyDelete2. last week's goals and progress:
a. read 1 HA-related article per day every workday--> did 3
b. freewrite for 15 minutes each day --> NO
c. 1 fun/excercise thing w/kids each day --> NO, maybe 2
d. 1 home/yard task each day (kids can help) --> Yes
3. Analysis: the job search/situation was to blame for most of the distraction last week, but things look cautiously optimistic on this front now, and in any case, there's nothing for me to do about things now, so I might as well focus on other things, like TLQ stuff.
4. Planning: IF I can stop stressing out about job-related stuff this week, I could definitely make the most of NOW and make some good progress, as my week looks good in terms of other commitments. My plan is to plug along with the same modest goals as I've had before (but the end of the article pile is now in sight!)
5. This week's goals (again!):
a. read 1 HA-related article per day every workday (starting Tuesday)
b. freewrite for 15 minutes each day (starting Tuesday)
c. 1 fun/excercise thing w/kids each day (starting Tuesday)
d. 1 home/yard task each day (starting Tuesday)
It's always hard to keep anxiety about a job possibility in check. . . especially if it's a job that solves other problems!
DeleteHope you manage to enjoy the week and ignore the things-you-can't-affect
DeleteObviously, I'm a bit behind on the whole check-in thing, even more so because my home internet went out just before the beginning of my planned internet-free staycation (and also just before the final check-in I'd planned), and I decided that dealing with tech support was *not* a good way to begin a vacation. Somehow, it's Thursday of the week *after* vacation,and I still haven't gotten around to dealing with the problem (though I finally got around to accessing a public wifi connection and looking for solutions that don't require dealing with tech support. I've got the pages open in my browser, and will soon return to my apartment to see if they work; if not, I'll come back here to create the check-in tomorrow).
ReplyDeleteSo, let's see. Here were the Week 10 goals:
Overall, get grades done and other activities at a stopping-point to allow for a week or so's vacation, including:
(1) get basics working on new phone
(2) make sure necessary bills are paid
(3) move (exercise/garden) at least a bit
(4) plan rest of summer
I pretty much got that done, and also more or less accomplished my goal for Week 11, which was to take a break/rejuvenate (hence the topic for that week; I'm looking forward to actually going back and reading the posts). I *was* reminded that going straight from grading to vacation is not the best idea; I really need a week, or at least a few days, after the end of a term to catch up on general household/logistical stuff before a vacation, especially if it's a staycation (which, for me, means mostly staying home, because I like being at home, but that also means cohabiting with any un-done projects). So, I did a bit more household work than the ideal vacation would include, and I spent more time working on the garden, which is an ongoing project/preoccupation, in part because it actually needs attention, and in part because I'm never quite sure when the garden plot coordinator will inspect, and want to see "progress"/activity, by her definition of same, which isn't quite the same as mine (she wants to see things growing; I'm trying to create conditions in which things can grow, despite recurrent flooding problems, by building raised beds, which involves a certain amount of digging things up and moving things around and composting, none of which apparently look like "gardening" to her). So I'm contemplating whether I should take another, shorter staycation with more emphasis on purely relaxing, or at least sticking closer to home/away from the garden (and maybe getting in the pool a bit more; that's been the main casualty of the focus on the garden this summer, mostly because, although the *idea* of going from gardening to swimming is pleasant, it actually requires a fairly thorough shower to get clean enough to go swimming, plus the second shower after swimming, which adds up to a lot of time-consuming transition activities -- not good for someone who has always tended to dawdle over transitions).
DeleteAnyway, so here I am more than halfway through week 12. The focus of this week was *supposed* to be financial matters, plus some housekeeping stuff. I've done some housekeeping stuff (though not exactly the stuff I planned), but haven't done the financial stuff because it requires an internet connection, and I've been procrastinating over getting that fixed. I'd also planned some exercise, and have done a bit of that, but less than I'd planned. And I need to readjust plans for the next few weeks in light of (1) the thought that I might benefit from a second staycation (the other argument in favor of this plan is the originally-planned 10-day vacation got abbreviated to 5 by grading/other wrap-up taking longer than planned at one end and needing to sing at a memorial service -- for the woman for whom we sang hymns a month or so ago, so that was definitely time well spent -- at the other end, which spilled over into agreeing to do several things on the Sunday following because I was in town and many other people weren't and so on) and (2) the effects of the internet outage on the plans I'd made even with the 2nd-vacation/2nd-half-of-vacation plan in mind.
So, here are some goals for the second half of Week 12, mostly aimed at getting back on track:
1) get home internet connection working
2) figure out refill system on phone (which has been ably serving as a backup for the internet connection, but now I've used up most of my monthly allotment, and my low-cost provider's refill process is not as transparent as would, perhaps, be ideal).
3) make at least some progress on financial/household tasks originally planned for this week.
4) re-plan rest of summer