the grid

the grid

Friday 17 June 2016

Week 7: getting some distance

I've been conferencing (or rather workshopping - smaller and more talking with rather than talking at than a typical conference) this week, so not around in the comments here, but I've carried on thinking about the questions posed last week.  One thing I did notice was how much easier it was to think about those questions with some distance from all the day-to-day noise, from people, from place, from context - and so I wonder if anyone has tips on how to get that sort of perspective, of distance, on issues when there isn't a handy workshop in another country that needs attending?  Is it possible?  

 We've talked before about trying to bottle all the Good Stuff of conferencing, the enthusiasm, the sense of possibility and excitement, and I'm sure we've talked about the Bad Stuff (Career Envy, Mentor Envy, relapses into Imposter Syndrome, Exhaustion, Job Not Stopping Whilst We Conference etc.), but this week I'd like to talk about this one specific aspect, the distance from the hurly-burly without taking a complete break from work which sometimes opens up new perspectives on problems that seem intractable, and is particularly useful for helping to recalibrate priorities.  or is that something other people don't experience?



Allan Wilson
1. Exercise every day
2. Redo methods, and tweak significance, so I can finally resubmit Whk
3. 2 hours on revisions CR
4. 2 hours on ppw
5. 2 hours on ms for MR

Contingent Cassandra (from week 5)
1. Keep moving; add at least walking and swimming to gardening (at least one most days), maybe weight-lifting
2. Initiate or follow up on friend/family connections/reconnections (need to do more of this)
3. Continue computer work (get backup computer ready to serve as main computer; organize main computer & gather supplies/info in prep for upgrades)
4. Do initial planning/organizing for summer class (will be TRQ, but isn't yet; I want to allow time for both computer upgrade and taking some time off before start of summer term)
5. Long-form reading, chaos-reduction, and/or minor repairs as time allows

Daisy: still doing fieldwork!

Dame Eleanor Hull
1. Keep 9-1 office hours MWThF
3. Restore/maintain working sleep schedule.
4. Make progress on Revision #1.
5. 2 or more hours' worth of Administrivia, mainly personal or involving travel plans.
6. Another round of weeding nasty invasive species that spread via roots.
7. Two hours basement sorting.
8. 30-60 minutes a day of translation work.
9. Return more books.

Earnest English
Try to remember who you are at a deep level even when the shit starts rising high. Take supplements. Do fortifying things.
Farmstead: I'm starting to see that the farmstead stuff is integral to my health, fortifying. Keep it up.
Family: Be mellow as much as possible. The work is almost over and then there'll be summer.
Work planning: I haven't even figured out what days I'll be at work this week because this is one of those odd weeks. I'm just not getting it together. I'm so tired after grading and doing committee work over the weekend. I didn't finish but I just can't do anymore, and there's some time in the morning. Must do something else!!!

Elizabeth Anne Mitchell
Plan the rest of the Pierpont article--schedule and outline
Plan the Prudence book--revise outline and schedule
½ hour walking x 7
½ hour WWII novella x 7

Good Enough Woman
1) Thesis first. Finish intro draft. Tidy up chaps one and two. Let go of getting chapter three redrafted?
2) Plan clearly for a few things related to family so I can do a little bit and be present, but then don't go beyond those plans, and don't feel guilty. It's okay if kids are bored or playing video games while I work this week, right? Next week they'll be hiking and fishing and the mountains.
3) Pack for trip, but don't over prepare.
4) Open bank account for the kids.
5) Pay bills.

Heu mihi
1) Write 2000 words
2) Read at least 3 things relevant to current chapter
3) Think up, write, and send in conference proposal (!!)
4) Get through son's birthday circus intact

Humming42
1 Read parts 3-4 for Mars
2 Type notes from Mars book
3 Begin revision on Chapter 1 of RBP
4 Read peer articles from Mercury journal
5 Map out approach to space for Mercury
6 Celebrate birthday (instead of ignoring it)

Jane B
1) enjoy the workshop without wearng myself out, and if that means spending evenings in my hostel room staring at the ceiling instead of sociably eating out, that is what I will do.
2) try not to eat All The Things - eat one of the tasty things slowly and with enjoyment, ignore the rest.
3) work on staying in the moment and ignoring anything that might be happening elsewhere or in my email.

karen
1. Breath. Move like water.
2. Hold the space for people that need it. Include myself in the people that get that extension of kindness and patience.
3. Read one thing that isn't to do with an imminent deadline.
4. 5 minutes of freewriting x 4

KJHaxton (from week 5)
Meetings
Marking

Matilda
1) Set the time to write, and keep it.
2) Continue to work on Chapter 2. Revise the revision plan.
3) Writing exercise 4 of Goodson’s revised book.
5) 5 minute short exercise three times a day.
6) No snacks at night, just a good cup of milk, tea or coffee, instead.

Susan
1. Finish Intro, start conclusion
2. Read for fun
3. Walk at least twice in addition to 3x class.
4. Make progress on the garden
5. Start clearing stuff for travel over July, and get ready for sister's visit. (My sister is very orderly, so I'm trying to get through the junk piles before she comes!)
6. Make last arrangements (car rentals) for July trip.

Waffles
1. Analyses for support paper
2. Research strategy
3. Edits to other pieces of F32

46 comments:

  1. Hello! I can't think of anything to write about the prompt yet, so I'll just do my regular check-in:

    Last week:
    1) Write 2000 words (WROTE 2706)
    2) Read at least 3 things relevant to current chapter (YES, SORT OF, ALTHOUGH ONE ISN'T THAT RELEVANT)
    3) Think up, write, and send in conference proposal (!!) (YES)
    4) Get through son's birthday circus intact (IF I MAKE IT THROUGH THIS MORNING....)

    I write fast. This does not mean that I write fast *well*. One of the possible issues with this chapter is that I'm trying to write it while I research, rather than after; I'm doing this because I feel much better about everything if I'm visibly moving forward on a project, especially during the summer! This means that I already have thousands of words and have read exactly three articles on my primary source. I'll let you know how it goes.

    NEXT WEEK:
    1) Write 2500 words? Possibly too ambitious.
    2) Significant progress on revisions due 7/1
    3) Review article for journal
    4) Read three things

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Progress, yay!

      I also write fast, with a lot of rewriting needed - I've come to accept it as just part of my process. I like writing WHILST reading, as it helps me read more mindfully and process what I read in the context of my topic, more so that note-taking alone does (in fact, I don't take many notes any more - but that's partly a field thing, I guess, since I'm in an overwhelmingly journal-article-dominated field and do approach books (as opposed to book CHAPTERS) somewhat differently). Makes word count goals a bit 'cheating' for me though, so I try to go for time spent, since my production of 5000 words may be only 5 hours of work, and equivalent to someone else's careful and near-ready-to-use production of 500 words in the same time. I look forward to hearing how it works out over this summer for you!

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    2. I have only recently started writing while researching. It's just marvelous to finish reading something and have a solid set of ideas and maybe even a paragraph or two. For the reading I've done this summer, I have not been doing the "doing-while-doing" and am grateful for the reminder.

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    3. When I started the PhD (lo, these many years ago), my supervisor said, "Start writing now. Don't wait until you feel like you know anything." I'm so grateful that she gave me that advice. I took her advice even though I knew NOTHING. I wrote out of a place of ignorance, but I'm glad I did it! Otherwise, I would have probably gotten six years into the process with nothing written down, having forgotten everything I read. The result is that I've written some things in a fair amount of ignorance (such as the chapter I'm getting ready to revise that I drafted about fiver years ago), but these things can be fixed, and there is a surprising amount of continuity between the work I've done over time.

      Anyway, I'll be curious to hear how it goes for you!

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  2. Allan Wilson
    Hi all,
    nice to be here early instead of late for a change! Recalibration is something I need to do fairly regularly, as my homelife is pretty hectic. I end up travelling a lot one way or another in my job (not conferencing, just work), and now I use this time to get a birds eye view of issues/ work as well. Often on the plane trip itself, I use my phone to review goals lists, to do lists and long term goals, all in the notes section, and then assess progress and revise these. My phone is invaluable for this- easy, accessible, not too bulky, doesn't require any effort to remember. I don't seem to find time to do this when I am in the office, so it is really helpful, Then, when I am away, I use the evenings as 'quiet time' to catch up on TLQ type work, and think. Definitely not so easy to do in my at home work environment.
    Last week
    1. Exercise every day - mostly, but short walks.
    2. Redo methods, and tweak significance, so I can finally resubmit Whk. YES. Just waiting to push the button now - will do tomorrow.
    3. 2 hours on revisions CR - NOT REALLY
    4. 2 hours on ppw - YES, and made some palpable progress. I feel much more positive about this now
    5. 2 hours on ms for MR - YES. And finished it! So happy about this.

    Overall, a much more positive week. I am feeling much more energised. Long may this continue.
    This week's goals:
    1. Exercise every day- slightly longer walks
    2. Limit chocolate to three days
    3. Work on revisions for CR for at least 4 hours
    4. Work on ppw for at least 2 hours.

    allan wilson

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad to hear things are looking up! Long may it continue indeed!

      Travel is a good way to get some distance, for sure. My travel tends to be quite concentrated, partly because I deliberately aim to minimise travel in teaching time (because it's costly in "spoons" and because the conditions involved increase the chances of me picking up the kind of virus that triggers my laryngitis, plus because I hate the timetable chaos it can cause and I'm even less keen on travelling now than I was...). I'm trying to think about how to effectively get the distance without the travel!

      "Sunday meeting" type approaches have some value, but I find the proximity of "Monday mornings" makes it hard to get enough detachment... But oh, yes, the pleasure of 'away evenings'...

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    2. So glad you had a good week that you feel good about!

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  3. topic:
    I think I didn't frame it very well - which is what happens when I try and write anything at the end of a travelling day! But... perspective is, I find, something very hard to obtain in the midst of the day to day non-routine of academe, especially with people involved, and with being an intravert and an anxious, Highly Sensitive type (both of which frequently function as serious flaws in modern universities, I find). Self-care at a pretty basic level occupies a lot of time - distance of the sort I'm considering here typically requires that all the basic stuff is taken care of, hence the value of travel since it REMOVES a lot of 'noise' and creates time for reflection within a part of the day when one's need for sleep, food etc. is generally met (when one is usually TOO BUSY). I love the sense of suspension-between-worlds and freedom from demands that comes with travelling even when I am in the mood to hate everything else about it!

    I guess one approach is to make or find a space with that same sense of distance about it, since the physical assists the mental. I might explore the top floor of the library on campus as a potential bolt-hole for a bit of cogitation, since I used to get a lot of Big Thinking done in the dead periodicals section of the library stacks as a student (lots of solitude and an aerial view of the city, which creates a feeling of remoteness that is conducive to thought. Main draw-back - since the books there weren't much used, the floor was also a popular in-library make-out zone and occasionally I interrupted things I'd rather not know about!).

    last week:
    1) enjoy the workshop without wearng myself out, and if that means spending evenings in my hostel room staring at the ceiling instead of sociably eating out, that is what I will do. yes, and it did, but hey, it worked. Mind you, I added several items to my to do list...
    2) try not to eat All The Things - eat one of the tasty things slowly and with enjoyment, ignore the rest. not SO great. But the workshop was in a country with excellent bread and cheeses, and the shop near the hostel had this amazing quality milk chocolate covered whole salted roast almonds... I did the enjoyment bit though!
    3) work on staying in the moment and ignoring anything that might be happening elsewhere or in my email. not all the time. Promotion announcements were made, and Very Difficult Colleague got promoted, and will now a) be an insufferable arse for months and b) is now in line to be my manager :-( >:-( etc. But, I didn't REPLY to any of the provocative or distracting emails, & that counts, right?

    the coming week:
    Well, I've spent the weekend in a mix of recovery mode and work mode, as I had external examining which had become TRQ (essentially moderating the marking of a LOT of modules for another university, as part of quality assurance - worthy but time consuming). And SHOULD kick back into simulations mode next week at full speed, although I doubt that will really happen... Anyway, I should finish the TRQ report by around lunch time tomorrow, then move into catch-up-from-last-week mode. We have a day of meetings in Thursday which will not be fun, and Tuesday and Wednesday should be mostly devoted to Problem Child and to preparing my parts of the meetings. So, most of the time is scheduled if not exactly TRQ...

    goals for next week:
    1) restore good habits following travel - mindful eating, bed times, exercise at least a couple of times
    2) Make measurable progress with Problem Child
    3) Do at least 500 words of writing on Special Issue Paper
    4) Take at least 2 slots of half an hour to organise notes from Gallimaufrey meeting that I just attended, to free-write about some of the ideas that came up there, and to process materials
    5) write a blog post for Gallimaufrey site about the workshop

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So glad you met your conferencing goals and enjoyed the food delights in moderation. Yes, we highly sensitive types need serious downtime to do conferencing successfully. I really have limited my travel schedule significantly and while I miss the interaction, it's also been good for my well being.

      I'm sorry to hear about Very Difficult Colleague. My similar colleague, who has been tagged Nemesis, has once again been given more than I or any of my colleagues have and I have been trying to figure out how to tactfully tell my chair how very irritated I am by this. Why I am afraid to offer up a negative critique, even when it is well deserved?

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    2. I read this after I posted a colleague to humming42 about getting physical distance by going to the library. I think it's a great idea (if you can avoid the canoodlers.) Good luck with this week's re-entry!

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    3. Posted a "colleague"? I meant "posted a comment." That was a weird brain substitution. I think I must have had "very difficult colleague" in mind as I was writing.

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  4. I’ve been thinking a lot about this topic and the idea of distance from the day-to-day. I don’t know that I often get that kind of distance, but maybe look for or create those opportunities to sneak off for some clarity. It’s been a surprise that there are places in our student center that are seldom used and get little foot traffic, but I usually use those spaces for reading. So I’m still considering how I might get good perspective/distance and what it might look like for me.

    Last week
    1 Read parts 3-4 for Mars: yes
    2 Type notes from Mars book: yes
    3 Begin revision on Chapter 1 of RBP: no
    4 Read peer articles from Mercury journal: read one
    5 Map out approach to space for Mercury: no
    6 Celebrate birthday (instead of ignoring it): kind of

    Analysis
    One of those weeks when everything that got done happened mostly on Sunday, which happens more often when classes are fully in session rather than while on a summer course load. Life is pretty well balanced, but I need to tip the scales in favor of writing in order to get all of my summer projects done. With hope, the week ahead will skew in my favor.

    Week ahead
    1 Begin revision on Chapter 1 of RBP
    2 Read peer articles from Mercury journal
    3 Map out approach to space for Mercury
    4 Read parts 6-8 for Mars
    5 Read through Mars conference presentation
    6 Set dates for fieldwork
    7 Attend faculty writing retreat

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Going to a different place on campus is a good idea! A few years ago, I tried spending an hour in the library twice a week. It was hard to maintain, but it gave a literal difference of perspective as well as a general change of mind.

      I hope you had a good b-day and that you have a good retreat this week!

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    2. Have a great retreat! My real life writing group is planning to have write-ins this summer - we'll book a meeting room on campus, and mix writing bursts with social coffee and cake breaks, and probably get a huge amount done!

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  5. Results:

    1. Keep 9-1 office hours MWThF. [3/4, I think.]
    3. Restore/maintain working sleep schedule. [Yes.]
    4. Make progress on Revision #1. [Yes---minimal, however.]
    5. 2 or more hours' worth of Administrivia, mainly personal or involving travel plans. [Yes.]
    6. Another round of weeding nasty invasive species that spread via roots. [Two rounds.]
    7. Two hours basement sorting. [No.]
    8. 30-60 minutes a day of translation work. [Yes.]
    9. Return more books. [Yes.]
    10. Proofs! [Yes, this morning.]

    Analysis: Looks like I did more than I thought. The travel arrangements ate the better part of a day, and I was . . . well, I'll just fall back on OBE (Overcome By Events; Another Damned Medievalist's formulation, I believe). Clearly at the moment I'm more interested in the garden than in the basement. There is progress, but I've now dug the same patch three times over, getting more roots out each time. I may have to write a post about creeping bellflower.

    I'm about to get some hands-on experience with distance, as I leave this week for a two-week mostly-research trip Elsewhere. I don't think I have any good ideas about getting emotional distance without physical distance. But I'm a big believer in physical distance. You can't run away forever, but there's nothing wrong with getting a good head start (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIH_ModkYwk).

    This week's goals:
    1. Do All The Things that have to happen before I leave for the airport.
    2. Get myself to my destination.
    3. Meet with translation team; work based on decisions made in our discussions.

    I think I'll be able to check in next week, even though I'll be traveling. But should I not make it, I'll certainly be with you again in two weeks.

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    Replies
    1. I am always grateful for looking back at the done list and seeing that I was more productive than I had thought. Wishes for a low stress and highly satisfying Elsewhere.

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    2. Hope the physical distance works well, and the cats forget themselves enough to show themselves to be briefly pleased when you return...

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  6. What an interesting question. I think the way I get perspective on my current situation is by trying to explain it to friend/colleagues. In the process of doing so, I often see things that help me move forward. Also, driving is good -- I think a lot while driving (also while walking) so I start to think through life/work etc. I'm slowly focusing on "What do I want to do with the last 8-10 years of my career?" Which has lots of different answers...

    Last weeks goals
    1. Finish Intro, start conclusion YES
    2. Read for fun A LITTLE
    3. Walk at least twice in addition to 3x class. NO
    4. Make progress on the garden A VERY VERY LITTLE
    5. Start clearing stuff for travel over July, and get ready for sister's visit. (My sister is very orderly, so I'm trying to get through the junk piles before she comes!) A LITTLE
    6. Make last arrangements (car rentals) for July trip. NO

    Analysis: Stuff happens/happened. And so. . . but I'll be close to my goal by the time I leave in (choke) 10 days, so not too bad. I did get the book contract, and so I've started on stuff related to the book project that is a slight tangent. And I drove my mother down to visit my brother (adding in a day of research at Favorite Library) over the weekend, so. . .

    Goals for the week:
    1. Finish revisions to conclusion
    2. Go through ILL books to get footnotes checked and finished, so I can start returning ILL books.
    3. (Really TRQ, but. . .) Pack up office to prepare for office move next week
    4. Do car rentals
    5. Do more pleasure reading
    6. Get through some more piles of junk
    7. Walk 2x along with 3x morning class

    So yes, our offices are moving to a new building next week. I met with the poor person who is "coordinating" our move to see how the office layout had to change to accommodate all my bookcases. Now we just keep our fingers crossed that they will actually change the furniture layout! (This can only be done by the company that provides our furniture and they are both slow and incompetent, so I am not holding my breath.) Otherwise, the next 10 days are really nose to the grindstone. The reward is vacation!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Congratulations on your book contract! That is fantastic news. I hope all of the other pieces fall into place--you have a lot underway.

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    2. And a second "congratulations" -- and enjoy the vacation when you get to it. At least there's light at the end of the grindstone-tunnel.

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    3. Yay for the book contract, approaching vacation, and possibility of bookshelf space in the new office (I've been in my 'new' office for nearly 2 years and I still have books in boxes. Facilities apparently don't understand that 'but the floor area is larger' doesn't translate into 'there are more feet of usable book shelf' (all our shelves have to be fixed to the walls, so I can't just get a cheap bookcase from a charity shop). Hope yours do better!

      "What do I want to do with the last 8-10 years of my career?" A very interesting question. I'm trying to gear up to asking myself "do I really want to spend the remaining 20-25 years of my working life doing THIS, HERE? If not, then what?" which I think is partly why I want some distance, that question is becoming noisier but I can't deal with it sensibly...

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  7. I think right now the way I get perspective is through input - either the input of my mentor or others, or input through reading the literature. But then, I've been in the weeds with my research to an intense degree since like November - so I don't have any experience with taking a break and shifting my perspective.

    Last week's goals:
    Waffles
    1. Analyses for support paper -- MESSY BUT GETTING THERE
    2. Research strategy - GETTING THERE TOO!
    3. Edits to other pieces of F32 - IN GOOD SHAPE!

    I didn't finish anything yet, but I am pleased with my progress. I have to draft 8 letters of rec and support for this damnable grant app. That has been pretty painful, but the more I draft letters, the better I get at it. That said, I don't really have any examples of LOR for my current level, so I am shooting in the dark.

    Goals for this week:
    1. Finish drafting research strategy
    2. Finish support analyses
    3. Send off components of grant to various and sundry people for feedback
    4. Analyses for religion paper
    5. Try to get back to relations paper

    Have a great and productive week everyone!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good solid progress can sometimes be more satisfying than finishing things. I think I really enjoy that feeling of being deeply engaged by a research project.

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    2. Yay for progress! Drafting things for grants is always hard because its so easy to second and third and fourth guess yourself, but hopefully you'll get some useful feedback this week

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  8. During and immediately after sabbatical, I had a great sense of distance. Even when I first went back, I felt above the fray. I used my fringe moments wisely, and I felt more mindful in general. This, however, did not last long. One thing that helped though was that I did not do much service. My colleagues accepted me flying under the radar because I've done a LOT in the past, and they know I'm trying to finish the PhD. But it was great not to be in the belly of the college beast. I do, however, need some better strategies to use on a regular basis. I'll have to think about it when the PhD is finished.

    Last week's goals:
    1) Thesis first. Finish intro draft. Tidy up chaps one and two. Let go of getting chapter three redrafted? DONE. I have a decent first draft of the intro. Chapters 1 and 2 aren't totally polished (lots of rough footnotes that say, "cite so-and-so here" or, worse, "cite some people here." But the drafts are complete and decent. I did let go of the chapter 3 revision. But I sent off about 130 pages to my supervisors on Saturday! Woo hoo!
    2) Plan clearly for a few things related to family so I can do a little bit and be present, but then don't go beyond those plans, and don't feel guilty. It's okay if kids are bored or playing video games while I work this week, right? Next week they'll be hiking and fishing and the mountains. DONE. I think I struck a good balance!
    3) Pack for trip, but don't over prepare. DONE.
    4) Open bank account for the kids. WELL, we went to the bank, but I found out that I might as well just keep the custodial accounts I already have for them, so I can check this off the list. We got them LIBRARY CARDS instead!!!!
    5) Pay bills. DONE.

    Wow! It was a pretty good week for me. :) And my husband was very supportive.

    This next week I won't get much done. We're on road trip to a cabin in Colorado where my dad will be meeting us for the week. Then, for the two weeks after that, we'll be on the road seeing hubby's family and friends. But I don't want to come to a stand still. I need to keep the thesis "hot" in my mind and be ready to hit the chapter 3 revision when I get back. So . . .

    This week's goals:
    1) Be present with family at the cabin. Enjoy the river and the mountains!
    2) Move like water while spending time with my dad. He is lovely, but sometimes I feel very "on" and it's hard to get quiet time, and it's hard for me not to have quiet time.
    3) Read two articles or chapters.
    4) Read 50 pages of primary source material.
    5) Start making a bibliography from citations in the footnotes: Put in 20 sources.


    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I like your plan to make your bibliography while you're traveling - it's both boring and time consuming, so doing it in short bursts is good. And it doesn't take huge mental energy. My hunch is that when I'm on vacation, I'll still have the formatting of notes and bibliography to finish, and I've decided I can do that in 20-30 minute chunks so that I get it done and don't get bored out of my tree!

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    2. Susan, thanks for the affirmation! 20-30 minute chunks is exactly what I was thinking. I'll think of your when I'm working on my notes and bib! *fist bump*

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    3. Sounds like the diss. is really coming together.

      And yes, tedious citation work sounds like just the ticket while you're traveling: it needs to be done, it's bearable in short bursts but deadly in long stretches, and you don't want to leave it to the end (because it's really deadly, and hard, when you're exhausted).

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    4. And think how great you'll feel when you come back from vacation with even a few of those tedious chunks handled! it's very humid here this week - just the words 'rivers and mountains' sound cool and pleasant. Hope you all have a lot of fun!

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  9. Topic: Getting distance without physical distance
    Just some quick thoughts, as I am so late getting this written! Psychic distance is pretty hard for me, so I insist on what physical distance I can manage, For example, home is my refuge from “work.” I don’t include all research and writing in that, but once I start to hate a project, I stop working on it at home. If I have committee work to do that has to be done on a weekend, for example, I either go to campus, or to a non-favorite coffee shop (even my favorite coffee shops are sacrosanct for writing). So far, that works for me.

    Also, my writing rituals help draw the line. And by the way, CC, I have followed your advice and moved to nonflammable candles--a great suggestion!

    Last week’s goals:
    Plan the rest of the Pierpont article--schedule and outline. NOPE
    Plan the Prudence book--revise outline and schedule NOPE
    ½ hour walking x 7 YES
    ½ hour WWII novella x 7 YES

    Analysis: Work intervened with administrative tasks that had to be done by the end of June--the dreaded Faculty Activity Report for me and all my reports. Sigh. I did get some walking in every day, which was suggested (by GEW, I think) as a stress reliever, and which definitely helped.
    And I wrote on the novella every day as well, which is also a lovely break from admin speak.

    Added to that I spent a couple of hours every evening sorting and packing, with 6-8 hours every weekend day moving boxes into storage spaces. I leave at the crack of dawn tomorrow morning for a conference, and return around 11 pm Monday night. Tuesday we should have the closing and we will spend Tuesday and Wednesday moving, Thursday cleaning the old place, and Friday recovering!

    Next week’s goals:
    Finish packing the house
    Pack for the conference
    Try to relax and enjoy the conference

    Have a good week everyone! I will probably be late reporting next week, but I’ll try to make an appearance.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad the candle is working. I don't usually like fake/artificial versions of things, but the current crop of candles is pretty effective.

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    2. And good luck with the move! At least the end (beginning?) is in sight.

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    3. 'psychic distance', that's a good phrase for what I'm looking for, thank you!

      Hope the packing goes well and the conference is fun and rewarding!

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    4. Thank you, CC and JaneB! Packing is done, and the conference is going well.

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  10. Apologies for the missed (and late) check-in(s). I seem to have reached that point in the summer when I get frustrated and discouraged by how little time I have, and how many things (including just stop for a while) I need/want to do (and yes, telling which is which is a problem). This summer's schedule is also particularly difficult, through no real fault of my own: the times when I might otherwise at least have detached from email I've had to stay connected to keep the grant project on track, and now that the planning stages of the grant project are almost done, and members of the group can work independently for a while, I have a class to teach. So it goes. The topic is a useful reminder that I really should plan to go away for a week or so in August. Also that I need to practice detaching from the computer/internet on a regular basis for short periods, even when that's where most of the work of the day takes place (which tends to lead to breaks being devoted to web-surfing rather than things like gardening or taking a walk or even cleaning up the apartment).

    Anyway, here are the goals for the week before last, which bled over into last week:

    1. Keep moving; add at least walking and swimming to gardening (at least one most days), maybe weight-lifting
    2. Initiate or follow up on friend/family connections/reconnections (need to do more of this)
    3. Continue computer work (get backup computer ready to serve as main computer; organize main computer & gather supplies/info in prep for upgrades)
    4. Do initial planning/organizing for summer class (will be TRQ, but isn't yet; I want to allow time for both computer upgrade and taking some time off before start of summer term)
    5. Long-form reading, chaos-reduction, and/or minor repairs as time allows

    Accomplished:
    1. No
    2. A bit
    3. A good deal (but still need to do the actual transition)
    4. Yes (more than initial planning; I'm probably more than halfway through producing the materials I need to have ready for the first day of the term, and the most fiddly/detailed work -- the course schedule -- is done, as of today).
    5. A bit of reading and a bit of chaos reduction.

    Analysis: as tends to happen, I'm taking unplanned breaks (i.e. lost or semi-lost days) rather than the more solid, sustained break I'd like to take, and which would be far more restorative. I know the solution to this -- take a break first -- and am usually pretty good at implementing it, but, as mentioned above, the logistics of this summer are tough. At least it's in a good cause; I do believe in the grant project. But I'm still tired, and frustrated.

    So, goals for (what remains of) this week:
    1. Finish preparing for summer term class (begins next Monday, so TRQ at this point)
    2. Finish computer update (including adding memory to backup computer, just in case the update takes longer than planned; I'm cutting it a bit close at this point)
    3. Try to take at least a day off (maybe 2?)
    4. Get moving at least a bit (a walk? a swim?)
    5. Reading and chaos-reduction as time allows.

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    1. 6. make progress on connecting with family and friends
      7. begin planning real break for after summer term (these two are probably connected, and may not actually happen until next week, but at least I'll have the reminder).

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  11. 8. Finish my contributions to prep work stage of grant project (that day off is looking less and less likely, but at least I'll be able to include it in the "done" list!)

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    1. Sometimes GETTING a grant is just the start of the struggle... hope you get a bit more time to enjoy the season this week

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    2. I hope you can manage a day or more off, CC. Academia is like some kind of goo that spreads everywhere, taking up all the time you give it, and more.

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  12. Topic - I normally find that disengaging from specific tasks entirely for a while helps with distance and perspective. Putting a paper aside for a week before revising the first draft, working at home for a day to avoid getting caught in the politics when I need to do stuff. Attending one day meetings that involve train travel - sitting for a couple of hours is wonderful space to think.

    Goals from week 5
    Meetings - the meetings are over for the time being
    Marking - the marking is done for the time being

    Goals for this week which is a little long and a bit bitty but I'm missing the satisfaction of meeting goals.
    1. survive yet more meetings
    2. prepare for and run two outreach activities
    3. leave office in tidy state despite outreach activities
    4. submit draft application for consideration
    5. submit paperwork for new degree programme
    6. plan blanket for new wool and start it [I have rainbow yarn, http://www.thehomemakery.co.uk/dusky-rainbow-yarn-pack-stylecraft-special-dk because I need some easy knitting. I can't follow patterns at the moment because I'm too tired. So nice easy colour block blanket]
    7. review summer students' work and get other 3 summer students started (and sort out their payment)

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    1. Trains are good!

      And with regard to your number 6, I've got a 'mile a minute' crochet afgahn I'm working on at work and home for those moments - basically I'm making a bunch of scarves which will get sewn together to make a blanket later on, using a simple pattern (two stitches, alternating, 1,2,1,2, for every row - not even a turning stitch needed) which makes a nice texture and the sort of multi-dyed yarn which makes the finished piece colourful and interesting without any particular effort. I basically bought 4 balls of all the colour ways I liked in a sale, am making a 4-ball-long strip of each colourway, then will decide if I need to make some plain strips for in between or just leave it. Sometimes the production of fabric - especially from rainbow yarn! - is very soothing...)

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    2. Karen, train trips are wonderful for my thinking. I work through all kinds of personal and professional problems that way.

      Knitting or other needlework is part of my stress reduction therapy. In fact, I don't have anything to work on this week, and I'm suffering greatly. I will be digging through the craft boxes the minute they come out of the truck.

      I like your phrasing, JaneB, "the production of fabric. " It is supremely satisfying.

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  13. Hello, everyone,
    Late checking-in, again.

    Topic:
    Do I think my situation from distance? When did I try to do so last time? I don’t know, but when I need to think about my situation from some objective perspective, perhaps I try to write anything down on my notebook, then read it and think. It seems that I have anything to think, I just work it on my notebook.

    Last goals:
    1) Set the time to write, and keep it.- The first half of the week was ok, I wrote or do my TLQ. The later half was…
    2) Continue to work on Chapter 2. Revise the revision plan. - I worked, without much progress, though.
    3) Writing exercise 4 of Goodson’s revised book. - I read the part and did some, but not continuously.
    5) 5 minute short exercise three times a day. - Three days.
    6) No snacks at night, just a good cup of milk, tea or coffee, instead. - No. I had lots on Wednesday, somehow I wanted to eat.

    Next goals:
    1) Set the time to write, and keep it.
    2) Continue to work on Chapter 2. Revise the revision plan.
    3) Writing exercise 5 of Goodson’s revised book.
    4) 5 minute short exercise more than three times a day.
    6) No snacks at night, just tea or coffee, instead. Or healthy snack.

    Have a good week, everyone!

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    1. At least part of last week went well!

      Writing, getting stuff out of your head onto paper, definitely helps with the distance thing, thanks for the reminder.

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    2. Thank you for your comment, JaneB!
      Thinking 'part of last week went well' consoled me.

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    3. I agree with JaneB, concentrating on the positive helps.

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