the grid

the grid

Sunday 29 November 2015

Week Eleven: Gratitude

Greetings, fellow TLQers. I'm so sorry that I was MIA for the group comments this past week. I went on a writing retreat, and I so enjoyed focusing only on the writing and the me-time that I just couldn't pull myself out of it very well. Then I got home and company arrived.

Anyhoo, I enjoyed reading all of your comments, and there seems to be some real progress with some of the stubborn goals. Reading your responses to last week's topic was also interesting, and it seemed that, for a lot of you, the best response (as opposed to reaction) has been to disengage. Most of you talked about stepping out of debates, not managing the chaos, spending less time at the office, etc. This was very interesting to me, and these responses all seem like great ways to have more TLQ time.

As as U.S. participant in this group, I have been celebrating Thanksgiving (a holiday with a fraught history, of course), but the giving thanks part is something I value. So, in keeping with not being very original, I want to invite you to mention something from this past week for which you are grateful. (perhaps, especially, something related to your TLQ goals). I am certainly grateful for all of you.

And I want to put out a little cheer for JaneB and those last 8,000 words! Good luck!



allan wilson
1. Finalise CR draft 
2. Finalise other draft and send around to co-authors
3. Eat purposefully
4. Do not overwork beyond my work hours.
5. Say no to at least two things.

Amster
1) TRQ teaching stuff
2) nightly check-ins
3) exercise 5x, bunny hutch 2x
4) write down what I eat

Contingent Cassandra
1) conference follow-up, and also follow-up on a new professional project that began this week
2) make use of Thanksgiving break to catch up on sleep and perhaps exercise a bit
3) cook a bit if time (Thanksgiving is at a restaurant, so I don't need to cook for that, but my soup stores could use replenishing)
4) catch up with neglected household chores
5) deal w/ most urgent financial tasks, and plan when to tackle more TLQ-ish ones


Daisy
1) Run 3 times (Ongoing goal)
2) Program development editing that has sat on back-burner for 2 weeks
3) Professional organization writing and editing that has sat right next to 2 above...
4) Make travel arrangement for lab visits

Earnest English
1. Have a nice Thanksgiving with Absurdist Family.
2. Call dealership to schedule tires, etc.
3. Call cardiologist and get that scheduled.
4. Grade a significant amount and hopefully get mostly caught up on two classes.
5. Continue some reading for Big Project.
6. Address next step for Little Project.
7. Finish Tiny Article.
8. Get Big Service Thing ready for Monday.
9. Move like water. Smile and laugh.

Elizabeth Anne Mitchell
Write for 30 minutes 4x on creative writing or blogging. Still using the manicure as a carrot!
Walk midmorning 7x, and mid afternoon 5x. 
File the stuff left over from decluttering my desk for 20 minutes 5x. 
Organize my next day 7x. 
I hope everyone has a productive, calm, responsive and not reactive week!

GEW
1) By Wednesday, insert all notes/quotes into chapter, and get footnote citations in order since I won't be able to take ALL of my books with me on the writing retreat.
2) Exercise 3x, including yoga while binge writing.
3) Make Christmas gift list.
4) Find checks/call bank.
5) Make persimmon bread.


humming42
Do something research/writing related every day
Print out first chapter of revised book project and determine its status
Finish the book review, finally
Read two chapters/essays for book project
Catch up on grading

JaneB
1) be reasonably nice to me, sleep, accept done as good enough
2) Write 50000 words of NaNoNovel by the end of the month (I'm cross with it right now but I know I'll feel bad if I don't finish and the exercise of writing it is therapeutic and makes a nice transition from work at the end of the day - and I only have 8k to go)
3) Spend an hour revisiting my paper list, setting some small goals, and picking One Thing to work on in December (I already have the PERFECT thing to do over Christmas - I've been asked to write a book review for a fancy Beach Studies journal of a 'general audience' book in a field I teach occasionally, took a specialist course in as a grad student, and find very interesting, but which is not my research area - and it has lovely arty photographs of coastlines in it. It's due 1st Feb, so reading it over Christmas will be my 'conscience box' (as we used to call it in grad school - the box of work you lugged around with you whenever you went away, to work on 'if you had time')).
4) recommit to 5 portions of fruit & veg a day (that's slipped some days, when I get... lazy isn't the word. There isn't really a word for finding the thought of actually chopping up a carrot insurmountably arduous, and daunting, but it happens. It's sort of part of being depressed?).
5) go to the gym once.
6) not be too jealous of US-ians getting Thanksgiving off!


KJHaxton
1. Finish and submit gemstone paper
2. Write next tool for house project (needed for next week so need to get a move on)
3. Tackle the plan to finish acronym report.

Susan
1. Work on footnotes, plan work for trip to UK
2. Send off prospectus
3. Submit grant for internal thingie
4. Start work for surprise external application that will take a lot of time.

54 comments:

  1. Topic: Gratitude, especially for something to do with TLQ. I had Thursday off, as I work in the US, and spent some time talking with my sister about my father. I am grateful to my father for many lessons he taught me about TLQ, without even knowing the term. He always encouraged me to concentrate on what was important in life, not on the petty woes and maelstroms that tried to distract one’s attention. He was impatient with procrastination, and would be proud to see that I am finally better about just doing what I dread. He loved to write, and imbued my sister and me with that love of communicating through paper and hand. We found his journals from several trips to Ireland when we were going through his papers last summer. We had not known that he had written about those trips and treasure those remembrances.

    Last week’s goals:
    Write for 30 minutes 4x on creative writing or blogging. Still using the manicure as a carrot!
    Yes--I just managed it, but I did. I planned, plotted, and wrote for at least 30 minutes.

    Walk mid-morning 7x, and mid-afternoon 5x. Yes!

    File the stuff left over from decluttering my desk for 20 minutes 5x. Not quite, only 3x. I hate filing with a passion, and when I ran out of file folders, I quit.

    Organize my next day 7x. Yes. I find myself very dependent on planning the next day before I leave work, so that I don’t take my work worries home with me.

    Analysis: The break on Thursday was very helpful. It was a small gathering, just DH and No. 1 and No. 2 sons. We talked, we cooked, we ate in company (not the usual thing, with us all on different schedules). I basked in gratitude for good food and company.
    Friday was very quiet at work--only 5 out of 35 people were in the office, so I could get some work writing done. It has been a quiet weekend, as DH is visiting No. 2 daughter several states away. I have been reading, writing, catching up on some writing books, and knitting like a madwoman.

    Next week’s goals:
    I have an online writing class that I have neglected, and I plan to catch up on the first week’s lessons.

    Polish and publish 2 blog posts.

    Final edits on DH’s paper.

    Call all the doctors listed on Monday’s schedule for questions and plans.

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    Replies
    1. 'Basking' sounds like such a treasured and blissful experience - it;s these kind of evocative words that make writing (as well as living) such a pleasure.

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    2. I love what you wrote about your Dad. That's a beautiful tribute.

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    3. Thank you for sharing about your dad. It stirred many emotions for me about my own parents. aw

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    4. It sounds like a productive week with a great quality time on Thursday. Family, reading, writing, knitting--all great things.

      And, really, congrats on the productivity (and I was going to say that it's weird you had to go in on Friday, but I guess university libraries are rarely closed).

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    5. Your writing about your father is so lovely. My father loved writing (he was a terrific book editor) but he actually always struggled with writing, because he was never as good as his best authors. He finally appreciated my work as a scholar when he saw me as a writer. I realize now -- this compliment was difficult when he gave it -- that it mattered to him because he recognized he was NOT a writer. Anyway, it's lovely to hear your gratitude.

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    6. Thank you all for your kind words. I've been thinking and writing a lot about my family this season.

      GEW, librarians are "essential personnel" at my university--we are expected to show up along with the guys snowplowing the campus sidewalks and roads when everything else is closed. It strikes me as strange, but I sort of like how central we are to the place.

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  2. Gratitude: for a bit of a break (which is really all I made of the time; see below), and for spending some time with family. The family situation is complicated, mostly due to my widowed father's remarriage -- almost 25 years ago, so it's not a new situation, but it remains a difficult one, especially as he ages, and he has very visibly aged in the last few years -- and partly due to the usual vagaries and changes that come along with life, and various members of 3 generations reaching and wrestling with new life stages, though the latest bumps thanks to that seem to be working themselves out. So I'm grateful for that, and for the fact that we all were able to gather around a table and have a pleasant time for a few hours, while I'm also left with concern for my father, and what the next few years will bring for him, and whether I can be of any help, even if it's only moral support, given the complicated family dynamics.

    Goals for last week:


    Contingent Cassandra
    1) conference follow-up, and also follow-up on a new professional project that began this week
    2) make use of Thanksgiving break to catch up on sleep and perhaps exercise a bit
    3) cook a bit if time (Thanksgiving is at a restaurant, so I don't need to cook for that, but my soup stores could use replenishing)
    4) catch up with neglected household chores
    5) deal w/ most urgent financial tasks, and plan when to tackle more TLQ-ish ones

    Accomplished: well, it's easier to say what I did do, which is keep to a reasonably good sleep schedule most nights (but not Thanksgiving night, thanks to some combination of unfamiliar eating schedule and waking up in the middle of the night processing the interactions of the day, and last night, which was just plain staying up too late), do a few household chores (with some vital ones -- laundry! -- still to be done), and get to the grocery store for ready-made meals (not as good as cooking, but serves some of the same purposes).

    Analysis: I think I need to accept that this time of year is not prime TLQ time, and plan accordingly. I could probably keep up habits and routines that I'd started to some degree, but it's not a good time to start new ones. I also need to plan for the emotional effects of family holidays: the anticipatory anxiety and after-holiday processing time that can be just as taxing, though in a different and in some ways more difficult way, than handling the logistics of cooking, other prep, and cleanup (which I did for about a decade, but haven't for some time now). So, in that spirit:


    Contingent Cassandra
    1) follow-up on a new professional project (at least the most urgent bits) and conference follow-up as possible (the latter is postponable)
    2) continue to try to get regular sleep
    3) complete urgent cooking chores (mostly processing fresh food/last garden produce before it goes bad)
    4) complete most urgent household chores (especially laundry)
    5) deal w/ most urgent financial tasks, and plan when to tackle more TLQ-ish ones

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I seem to have pasted my name in a few unnecessary times, but I think the post makes enough sense to leave it as-is. The list at the end is, of course, my goals for this week.

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    2. I had decades of emotional fallout from family Thanksgivings, so I can sympathize completely.

      I also think it is smart to hang on to the habits that have become somewhat routine, but not to try new ones. The holiday season is rife with stress and negative emotions for me, so keeping the boat steady is often the best course.

      Here's to regular sleep!

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    3. These sound like very sensible goals!

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    4. Planning for the emotional effects of the holidays...such good wisdom there.

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    5. Thanksgiving through New Years is a terribly difficult time for academic TLQ goals. Maybe it's good to cherry pick the most important/realistic TLQ goals for the holidays, such as health and balance habits (and to focus on maintenance, as you and Elizabeth suggest).

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  3. I am grateful for so many things this past week. I got in a little reading, ate some wonderful food, spent time with my family, watched a bunch of shows, and got some stuff done, like going through Child's clothes and making laundry soap. What allowed all this? Absurdist Partner, in great part. And health (thanks at least in part to my diligent and regular taking of a ridiculous number of supplements and engaging in preventative care the second I sniffle). I'm grateful for both.

    Last Week's Goals

    1. Have a nice Thanksgiving with Absurdist Family. YES!
    2. Call dealership to schedule tires, etc. YES
    3. Call cardiologist and get that scheduled. YES
    4. Grade a significant amount and hopefully get mostly caught up on two classes. I did what I could
    5. Continue some reading for Big Project. YES
    6. Address next step for Little Project. No
    7. Finish Tiny Article. YES
    8. Get Big Service Thing ready for Monday. YES
    9. Move like water. Smile and laugh. Got a little freaky at times, especially when working on Big Service Thing. Wow I get unglued. I need more work on Relaxation.

    It's relatively easy to have a good week during Thanksgiving. Now we come back and have to race to the end in three weeks.

    This Week's Goals

    1. Take ridiculously good care of self with lots of relaxation because of Big Service Event taking place this week and next.
    2. Grade regularly.
    3. Continue sneaking in some reading.
    4. Smile. Move like water. It's almost over now.

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    1. Sorry to be absent from comments last week - away conferencing with limited wifi, and now I'm having a brief day and a half at home before hitting to road again.

      I admit to forgetting about Thanksgiving last week, but I have been appreciating things in my life I am grateful for: colleagues (including postgrads who count as colleagues) that you can go out drinking with and have a lovely time, a supportive spouse who is also a great cook and editor, sweet children, sunshine but no humidity (I melted at the subtropical conference).

      Can't remember what my last list was, but in the past two weeks I've knocked off one conference paper, one artwork, a concert and a few life things. Yay! Now the focus is on trying to wrap up the year as productively as possible so as not to have too much work when on leave. (Oh, and I'm not thinking about what that sentence says about academia).

      This week's goals:
      1. Set up pre-break meetings with all postgrads with a focus on having a clear sense of their direction for the next month.
      2. Wrap up remaining writing commitment.
      3. Set up meeting for next year's online unit planning.
      4. Self care by focusing on filling up on nutritionally-dense food and 3x online yoga class/self-directed practice.

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    2. EE, it sounds like you had a great week! So productive and fantastic. And I've heard from several people lately (from this group and elsewhere) who recently have benefitted from non-work-related reading.

      Some enjoyable shows do wonders for me, too. I hope the next week is good, too.

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    3. Karen, I hope the conference was good (even though hot and humid). And it sounds like you have much to be grateful for.

      And congrats on the all the work you've finished! Good luck on clearing the decks for break.

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  4. I don’t think I can adequately say how grateful I am for the TLQ group. This is a space of compassion, empathy, kindness, and support that is really an extraordinary thing to have in my life. So thank you. I practice gratitude, but realize I seldom actually express it.

    Last week:
    Do something research/writing related every day: maybe, but I didn’t keep track
    Print out first chapter of revised book project and determine its status: no, but I know what I need to do
    Finish the book review, finally: no
    Read two chapters/essays for book project: read one chapter
    Catch up on grading: mostly

    Analysis: I can’t feel too much guilt for resting over the break. It’s also that point in the semester for me, with just two more weeks of classes, that I can see more time for research and writing when there will be less time devoted to teaching and grading. So I think I’m coasting a bit, but then also really enjoyed getting back in touch with revised book project.

    This week:
    Do something research/writing related every day and keep track of it
    Finish the book review
    Work on abstract due mid-month

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    Replies
    1. I'm glad you got to rest over the break. I find that really resting in natural breaks makes me more able to buckle down in the non-break times.

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    2. I used to automatically get sick every holiday break because I didn't know how to let myself rest. Life is so much better when there's balance and self-care.

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    3. Glad you enjoyed digging back into the book project. I hope you'll have more time for that (along with relaxation) over the upcoming break.

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  5. Gratitude: I'm grateful for the time and space to figure out how I want my work life to look. I'm grateful for my uber-supportive husband. And I'm grateful to have my second book article published! When I got home from Thanksgiving, I got to open the package with the actual book in it!

    To return to our "motivations" conversation a couple weeks ago, I just got through the Rewards and Treats sections of Gretchen Rubin's "Better Than Before" (which I highly recommend). According to Rubin, research shows that rewards are especially ineffective in creating habits (they can be great for one-off goals), but that making sure you have room for treats in your life can help you gain more self-command and can support habits. I realized in reading these sections that I've moved to this model over time. She does say that it can be helpful to think of the intrinsic rewards (e.g., instead of "when I reduce my take-out habit to once a week, I'll buy an iPad" [reward], think "when I reduce my take-out habit to once a week, I'll be saving lots of money, so after a while I'll be able to choose how to spend some of that money on something I've really wanted").

    One idea she discusses that has really worked for me is "pairing"--piggybacking a new habit onto an existing habit. My exercise-bunny hutch cleaning habit is an example of a pairing. I have gym appointments every Monday and Thursday, so I decided that before I can take my shower after working out, I'll clean the bunny hutch. The new habit has the benefit of being tied to the regular habit (one that has external accountability) and of getting rid of the excuse of not wanting to clean the bunny hutch after I've showered and staying covered in bunny fur all day.

    Last week:
    1) TRQ teaching stuff--yes.
    2) nightly check-ins--yes.
    3) exercise 5x, bunny hutch 2x--yes.
    4) write down what I eat--not as formally as I want to, but I had a good start.

    This week was bookended by family trips--mostly good--but I ended up grading a lot and neglecting the family part. I'm done with the first round of essays, so now I have a manageable load until the holiday break when I'll have more papers and exams and more papers. One of the downsides of teaching a course-in-a-box is I don't get to set due dates and manage my workload. But I am grateful to have the opportunity to try out teaching again after so long away.

    Goals:
    1) write 5x
    2) nightly check-ins
    3) exercise 5x, bunny hutch 2x
    4) write down what I eat

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    Replies
    1. I'll have to take another look at Rubin's book, which I own, and have at least partially read. The useful parts you point out ring true for me (and I remember reading them), but I found something in her overall attitude offputting/anxiety-inducing. I think it was a bit like encountering a younger, more perfectionist version of myself, and not wanting to go back there. But, as I've mentioned before, I more than occasionally worry that I've swung too far in the other direction, so I should probably take another look at the book (which is conveniently located in a very large pile not far from the head of my bed).

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    2. That Upholder personality definitely comes through and at times reads as a bit more smug than I think she hopes for. I have a couple over very close friends who are Upholders, so I tend to read the self-righteous-sounding parts with a generous eye.

      There is an overall sense of weight, too, to the expectation of constantly improving. I tend to interpret it that we are all changing all the time, and I can use some tricks to point some of that changing in a more beneficial direction than I might otherwise. (And with all pop non-fiction, I tend to take what's useful and leave the rest.)

      I've actually found it really helpful to acknowledge and accept my Obliger ways. In the past month or so of reading the book, I've beaten myself up a lot less for not being self-disciplined (for things that I want to do that don't matter to the outside world).

      All that to say, I can understand your reaction to the book.

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    3. Sound like the week was productive, and I hope the familiar was accepting of your need to get some things done during their vacation.

      Maybe I will get Rubin's book from the library so that I can take what I need. I started her Happiness book, and I was a bit put off. It's nice that you are generous in spirit to Upholder friends (I had to Google "Upholder Personality").

      Having designated appointments at the gym seems like a great way to make sure you do it! As for the bunny hutch, I have a similar pairing with the kitty litter box (cleaning it after I walk the dog but before the shower).

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  6. Gratitude: Here, we are coming into summer and the days are finally turning warm and bright. Every day when I get up I eat my breakfast looking out to sea, and I am immeasurably grateful for that moment. Because my best friend died this year, I am also immeasurably grateful to be alive. She was someone who packed a great deal into her life, both giving to others, and making an intellectual contribution, all with humour. Thinking of her reminds me to try and make the most of my time too, and not waste it on the small petty things that Elizabeth Ann also mentions. I've had a few moments when I have felt really down about stupid things, and I remember that if she had had the chance to be alive today, she would have grabbed life with both hands, without hesitation. It's a great motivator to refocus and try to use my time well.
    Last week's goals
    1. Finalise CR draft - MOSTLY. I did some work on it, sent it to my collaborator, but still want to do a final check of the data in two of the figures
    2. Finalise other draft and send around to co-authors -NO. Had to wait for a Figure for that, got it yesterday afternoon.
    3. Eat purposefully -SOMETIMES
    4. Do not overwork beyond my work hours -YES. And I even took my work email off my phone, which was a big step, but I decided I need to separate myself from work to reduce my stress, which is pretty high at the moment.
    5. Say no to at least two things - once.

    This week's goals - a rather shockingly long list for this time of year!
    1. Do final check of CR data, then send to senior manager for comment
    2. Finalise other draft this week and send around to co-authors
    3. Submit other draft
    4. roughly draft proposal submission for new funding
    5. Email collaborator SN about long overdue paper and when we might do it
    6. Email request to 4 archives
    allan wilson

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    Replies
    1. Congrats on saying no to something! I find it really difficult to say no.
      And it sounds like removing work email from your phone was a big and healthy step.

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    2. Your friend sounds wonderful (and I'm sorry for your loss). And yes, deaths that seem too early can be an inspiration/reminder to make the best use of the time we have now. I know I'm very aware of being almost a decade older than my mother ever was (and sometimes wonder whether she would have made better use of the extra nine years than I have, but she had her struggles as well, and made good use of the time she had given the circumstances, so that's probably not a very good question).

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    3. CC and I were, I think, writing at the same time, with much the same thought. I was moved by your remembrance of your friend, and of the way her death has focused you. I had much the same experience two years ago (almost exactly) when a college roommate died: it became really clear that people mattered.

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    4. Thank you for your thoughts. It is wonderful to have the space in TLQ to think about these things - and what we can do, and choose to do, with the time we have. aw

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    5. I think I might also want to take my email off of my phone. It could reduce "mission creep" and also it could ensure I don't "forget" emails. Sometimes I see a work email while I'm waiting in line at the coffee shop or getting ready to go to bed. I put off replying (because I hate typing on my phone), and then when I'm actually working through my inbox, I'll forget about the ones I've already read.

      How wonderful that you have a morning view of the sea. I am also fortunate to be very close to the sea, but I can't see it with my morning tea.

      I'm glad you are motivated to embrace joy (even though I'm sure the most existentially enlightened of us still have down times).

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  7. I have not checked in for several weeks because I have been very under the weather and working. So, the topic of this week, "gratitude," is a good one for me. We had Wed through today off for the holidays. This meant that I spent most of the time sleeping, which is good because I needed it. I'm still not a hundred percent, but hopefully I am on the mend.

    Last goals posted:

    1) Finish the 4 grading projects--YES
    2) take the notes I have and apply to revamped intro--NO--didn't even touch
    3) Go to bed earlier--that was definitely doable even though I had a couple of nights of insomnia

    This week's goals:
    1) Grade assignments that are way post due
    2) Spend an hour a day on my own work
    3) Rearrange living room/office area to eliminate chaos

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    1. Hope you continue to feel better!

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    2. I, too, hope the recovery continues quickly. And I hope the room rearrangement goes well. I used to LOVE to rearrange my stuff. It's harder now because it's not just MY stuff.

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  8. Gratitude: I have much to be grateful for in life: a reasonably sane family (both of birth and my step-kids), some amazing friends, good health, and work I care about and mostly enjoy. And, like humming42, I'm very grateful for this group: it's helped me focus through some difficult times in the past year, and that has been a real gift.

    Goals from last week:
    1. Work on footnotes, plan work for trip to UK YES
    2. Send off prospectus YES
    3. Submit grant for internal thingie YES
    4. Start work for surprise external application that will take a lot of time. A little bit - I've set up a bunch of meetings for later this week.

    I also did OK on the exercise (not having set that as a goal) -- my sister-in law took me to a class at her gym on THanksgiving morning that really pushed me! I slowed down a bit over the weekend because I got another cold.

    In any case, tomorrow evening I get on a plane, and I'll be in a place where what I need to do is finish working on footnotes. And it will be important that I'm not at home. (That's clear to me.)

    Goals for the coming week:
    1. Keep making progress on references
    2. Work on big deal thing - draft letter

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    1. Congrats on a productive week. I hope you have a smooth flight and that your destination provides what you need!

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  9. Gratitude: This week I am grateful to two excellently constructive reviewers who accepted a paper with very detailed revision requirements so I have a road map and a light at the end of the tunnel. I'm also grateful to the reviewer of another paper, who instead of futzing around with it, gave it a reject and resubmit very quickly, again with excellent suggestions and good arguments. That light is more of an oncoming train, but I know what to do with it :) Harsh, but well reasoned and ultimately productive. (Remind me I said this when I'm crying about this in a few weeks when I actually have to fix it!)

    And insanely grateful for friends - all kinds everywhere!

    My goals for this week:
    Survive end of classes, get all the things done before going away for lab work.

    Last week's goals: Failure on all counts. I don't even know what happened. Chaos everywhere, and stressed out beyond all sense. Got the worst parent award twice - first one for failing to record Girl Guide ceremony, second for missing the Santa parade because the route changed from last year and it wasn't announced until the afternoon, so all we saw was the ass end of the sleigh, and then we cried on the sidewalk for a while... Poor kid, didn't deserve that! Perked up with hot chocolate and friend rescuing the evening with a gingerbread house *and Baileys for the adults!
    1) Run 3 times (Ongoing goal) FAIL
    2) Program development editing that has sat on back-burner for 2 weeks FAIL
    3) Professional organization writing and editing that has sat right next to 2 above... FAIL
    4) Make travel arrangement for lab visits FAIL

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    Replies
    1. Well, I think you are in good company with the worst parent award- I swear EVERY parent has had a few fails!
      Did you actually make it to the girl guide ceremony that you didn't record? This is interesting for me, as where I live, mostly no-one records anything, we just go along, clap a lot, smile at our kids, talk to the other parents, and go home. It's all a bit simpler! aw

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    2. I totally forgot to take my kids to their 4-H achievement night two weeks ago. The entire meeting/ceremony slipped my mind. Fortunately, they weren't too upset about it. Now I will need to call someone to get their various pins and badges.

      I hope this week gets a little bit better for you!

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    3. I made it to the ceremony, but 5 seconds into the video the camera batteries died (I checked them that morning, really I did!) and then the whole camera shut down so I got nothing. Mom next to me managed to get a couple of iphone shots fortunately, so far-away Dad will have something to look at :) Thank heaven for friends! (even better when they provide Baileys!)

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    4. Yes yay for friends and baileys! aw

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  10. I am very grateful that my family let me go to my writing retreat and that my good friend opened her home to me while she and her family were on vacation. While there, I realized that the camper van idea was not a very good one. It would have been kind of miserable. As it was, the environment was perfect, and I was very productive.

    I am also grateful for the high engagement in the TLQ group this week! I love all of the responses.

    So my writing retreat was very productive, but then I got feedback from my PhD supervisor on a chapter I had sent to her. The good news is that she is getting a sense of the thesis overall, and she recognizes that I'm making an original argument. The bad news is that she thinks I need to do a lot of restructuring of the chapter (and, thus, other chapters). But then the other good news is that she thinks I might not need a brand new theory/context chapter. She thinks that a hefty introduction might be sufficient. So this week has been a dance of several steps forward, then back, then forward again.

    Goals from two weeks ago:
    1) By Wednesday, insert all notes/quotes into chapter, and get footnote citations in order since I won't be able to take ALL of my books with me on the writing retreat. NO, but now I'm glad I didn't knock myself out over the details (since I have all of the restructuring to do).
    2) Exercise 3x, including yoga while binge writing. WELL, I've had several good exercise sessions over the past TWO weeks, including yoga, swimming, and a tough hike.
    3) Make Christmas gift list. NO, but I have made some shopping progress.
    4) Find checks/call bank. YES! Apparently, I had used all of my checks so I ordered more.
    5) Make persimmon bread. YES. Delicious.

    Analysis: I think before I start restructuring chapters or writing the intro, I will do a bit of research necessary for chapter 3. Doing so will give me a better sense of what all to put in the intro, I think. Plus, if I can get a basic revision done to chapter three before we leave for vacation on the 18th, I'll feel good. I also need to do some teaching prep things. I am so sad that sabbatical is ending. It was wonderful to anticipate the sabbatical all last spring and summer and then to enjoy it this fall. Now, I'm anticipating the year from hell with a full teaching load and a PhD thesis to finish.

    Goals this week:
    1) Complete Christmas list and shopping (ambitious!)
    2) Get new debit card
    3) Make hair appointment
    4) Make at least one doctor/dentist appointment.
    5) Submit book order forms which are way past due.
    6) Read important secondary source book, along with an additional article or chapter or two.
    7) Make cookies for 4-H event and remember to attend said event.

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    Replies
    1. I've almost gotten to the stage of mini writing retreats - I work at home if my schedule allows then allow half of the day for uninterrupted tea-drinking-writing-time. I find I can catch up on the rest of the urgent stuff in the other half day and I feel more productive. I do long for a longer writing retreat - have some serious projects looming and a half day wont cut it.

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  11. Last Week:
    1. Finish and submit gemstone paper
    2. Write next tool for house project (needed for next week so need to get a move on)
    3. Tackle the plan to finish acronym report.

    Still working on 1 but hopefully down to the final polish of the gemstone! Two was done, deployed and data analysed! 3 has been avoided (again). But I did take a weekend off and we went to a hotel with nice food and it rained a lot which was good because I could just read a book. A non-work book.

    This week:
    1. final push - gemstone paper will be submitted
    2. christmas crafts - I have a lot of stocking shapes to cut out!
    3. acronym report - need a plan!

    Gratitude - it took effort but I am grateful for being able to take a weekend off. And for the rain because I got to jump in puddles.

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    Replies
    1. Isn't it great when it rains and you get to do something you like doing! sounds like a good weekend. aw.

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    2. Ah, glorious rain. And a weekend off to read while listening to the rain? With nice food? Perfect. So glad you had that time.

      Great job on goal #2 from last week. Now time to polish that gemstone and send it off!

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  12. Grateful - for TLQ group. For it being December so soon the teaching part of the semester, and the year, will be done with. For the nice people among my colleagues.

    last week's goals
    1) be reasonably nice to me, sleep, accept done as good enough ish. Took Saturday nearly off. Regretted it the last three days as I tried to get enough work done Sunday & Monday to be able to teach Monday and Tuesday. Sigh!
    2) Write 50000 words of NaNoNovel by the end of the month (I'm cross with it right now but I know I'll feel bad if I don't finish and the exercise of writing it is therapeutic and makes a nice transition from work at the end of the day - and I only have 8k to go) yes! This got done! It's absolutely pants, as the students would say, but I did something non-work and didn't let work take priority over it, so go me
    3) Spend an hour revisiting my paper list, setting some small goals, and picking One Thing to work on in December NO
    4) recommit to 5 portions of fruit & veg a day mostly, I think? I don't remember
    5) go to the gym once. no
    6) not be too jealous of US-ians getting Thanksgiving off! yeah - we started teaching here at the end of September, you guys have had a longer slog to this point (although when you all start 'summer' in May I will be back to feeling hard done by!!)

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    Replies
    1. Congrats on Nanowrimo! That's amazing number of words. Go you, indeed!

      I hope you are recovering from the Sunday-Monday crush of work and that those days didn't set back your health.

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  13. goals:
    1) Survive week with teaching and grading done on time
    2) Wrap some Christmas presents
    3) Make up mind about whether to pull out of the upcoming conference.

    If only one could teleport to conferences. it's the travel and the exposure to more 'germs' and stress that is causing me concern, not the conference itself (I managed to give 45 minute lectures yesterday. Croakily, and not without some discomfort, but audibly. So I can at that most basic of levels go to the conference. Also, the temp office staff between them never got around to booking my travel, so I have to pay for a higher-priced ticket, and fill out multiple extra forms (I am not allowed to book my own ticket if I want to have any chance of getting it reimbersed. I am so tired of not being trusted to do stuff myself on occasion AND not having trustworthy systems to delegate to).

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    Replies
    1. Conferences would be so much easier if you could teleport. You could duck in and out as you wanted, sleep in your own bed at night and eat your own food. We need to invent this technology really quick :) I hope the conference goes OK and that the travel is uneventful.

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    2. Yes, what KJHaxton said. But if you decide to go, I hope you get a ticket and have a smooth trip.

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  14. I missed two weeks check-ins.

    1. Topic
    Gratitude. It is so lovely to have read all of your posts and comments on them. Each comment I find your sincere, true feelings. I have never met any of you, but I feel as if I actually knew a part of you.
    I have been facing a problem to solve for two weeks (this will require some more work) and this has occupied my mind. However, trying to find a solution - this is nothing to do with life or financial aspect of me but I need to decide what to do, I have realised what I appreciate is that I have find so many people around me trying to help me with this.

    2. Last goals:
    1) Again, finish the first draft of the article. - not yet. I have been working hard, struggling to construct the conclusion.
    2) Do three minute-exercise three times a day. - not much. I only try to do some short exercise when I find time.
    3) Think of working hard, and taking care of my health at the same time. - well, I take good sleep for a few days, while taking only very short sleep other days.

    3. Analysis:
    My paper is not going well. I find materials, but I cannot organize them yet. I have been afraid of receiving e-mail from the editor asking me ‘when will you submit the paper?’
    While I need to concentrate on my paper, my mind is stuck on the problem.

    4. Planning:
    I need to be work calmly on the paper. Next week is also busy one, for the students are finishing their big projects and I need to support them in their final stages. I hope everyone do their best.

    5. Next goals:
    Same as this week:
    1) Finish the draft of the paper.
    2) Do three minute-exercise three times a day.

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    Replies
    1. I wish wisdom for you as you try to solve the problem that is occupying your mind. And I hope you'll be able to make progress on your TLQ goals this week, despite being preoccupied.

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    2. Thank you for your warm comment, GEW. I cannot think of working on my TLQ last week, but there can be some development in a few days, so I just wait it now.

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