The title of this post really just refers to the fact that I can't think of an interesting prompt (or a prompt of any kind), but it might also describe how I'm feeling about the endlessly cold weather, the return to classes (and meetings) this week, etc....
So as to stop my whining, however, I'll turn it around (and add the slash to the title) and ask you how you keep yourself going when the inspiration itself just seems to flag?
Bardiac:
1. Make some plans for spring break (including a guest dog and a friend coming to do a reading when classes begin again).
2. Start writing the section of my project that I worked so hard on at the British Library.
Dame Eleanor Hull:
Self: stretch twice daily, cardio or a walk 6x, weights 3x, do some fun reading.
Research: finish and upload a chunk of translation.
Teaching: give points to some in-class writing, do post-break planning including writing or finishing two assignments.
House/Life stuff: tax prep; final de-cluttering of house; call plumber and electrician (or delegate calls).
Good Enough Woman:
1) Grade a medium stack Wed-Sun (7-10 essays each day).
2) Walk 2x, Yoga 1x.
3) Write/brainstorm for novel 90 minutes.
4) Spend hour on article.
5) Pay bills.
6) Help son get oriented for PSAT.
7) Help daughter with costume.
8) Get mammo and ultrasounds done. (I'm cheating b/c I already did this today!! But I want credit.)
heu mihi:
1. Write 10 hours. (My major spring break task.)
2. Read a lot, mostly fun-teaching things.
3. Meditate more than last week.
4. Query a press for novel.
5. Start next batch of beer.
6. Misc. school stuff: grade 2 stragglers, rec letter, clean up email, evaluate proposal.
humming42:
1 grade like a madwoman
2 prep for conference organizing next week
3 write to Snow editor
4 work on Jewel article
5 check in with book editor
6 work on Happy Music abstract
For the past two weeks, I have felt somewhat inspired by an idea for a novel, so that has given my wings some lift, but now I'm facing a LOT of grading and a busy weekend because of my daughter's musical at school. For inspiration, I'm looking ahead to spring break (the week after Easter). Having spring break on the horizon will inspire me to get the grading done now so that I can do some writing and reading over break. I won't be able to get too much done because I'll be on kid duty, but I'll have some time to relax if I don't put things off.
ReplyDeleteThis group keeps me inspired, too. :)
Last week's goals:
1) Grade a medium stack Wed-Sun (7-10 essays each day). Not quite, but close to it.
2) Walk 2x, Yoga 1x. Walked once.
3) Write/brainstorm for novel 90 minutes. DONE
4) Spend hour on article. NOT DONE. (No surprise there.)
5) Pay bills. NOT DONE. But I'm planning to do them today.
6) Help son get oriented for PSAT. DONE
7) Help daughter with costume. NOT DONE. Must do it today.
8) Get mammo and ultrasounds done. (I'm cheating b/c I already did this today!! But I want credit.) DONE!
This week will be mostly grading and helping my daughter through the middle school drama performance, so I'll have modest goals.
This week's goals:
1) Pay bills.
2) Some minor sewing for daughter's costume.
3) Write/brainstorm on novel for one hour.
4) Start taxes.
5) Finish comp essays by Thursday.
6) Exercise twice.
I'm realizing that a couple of my goals feel more TRQish than TLQish. They are pushing the edge anyway. I need to think about this since the point of TRQ is to make sure that TRQ gets prioritized.
Good for you for prioritizing the novel this week! That sounds fun. Here's to preparing yourself for a good spring break!
DeleteAnd I totally put my TRQ goals on my list every week. This doesn't mean that it's not in some kind of violation of the group's code, but at least you have company! Yet I hear you, and worry that sometimes I allow myself to pretend that TRQ is TLQ.... I do draw the line at putting "prep this week's classes" on my TLQ list, though.
I'm with you both on the TRQ...when I come back to look at my goals and can't figure out why I didn't get the TLQ stuff done, sometimes it's because of overwhelm from things beyond my control.
DeleteI would guess too that there are often session goals that end up in TRQ at some point in the process. That they have become urgent doesn't mean they're not part of the larger TLQ scheme.
For me, it all depends on sleep. When I'm well rested, everything seems inspiring, or at least manageable. When I'm tired, it's all hard, boring, complicated, etc.
ReplyDeleteHow I Did:
Self: stretch twice daily, cardio or a walk 6x, weights 3x, do some fun reading. MOSTLY, allowing for a couple of days when I felt too awful to do any sort of exercise. Quite a bit of fun reading.
Research: finish and upload a chunk of translation. YES: TWO chunks. Woot! This was my secret goal for the week, and I met it.
Teaching: give points to some in-class writing, do post-break planning including writing or finishing two assignments. NO. A whole big fat series of NO. Winging it is a perfectly good plan for the rest of the term, right?
House/Life stuff: tax prep; final de-cluttering of house; call plumber and electrician (or delegate calls). Another series of NO. But the basement now looks pretty good!
New Goals:
Self: resume calendar use; stretch twice daily, cardio or a walk 6x, weights 3x.
Research: finish and upload a chunk of translation; scholarly reading at least 3x.
Teaching: catch up with writing assignments; plan ahead.
House/Life: get tax stuff sorted and to accountant; keep plugging away at the sorting and tidying.
I’m hoping to corral my professorial labors on campus days so that I can use home days to make real progress on the house. The process has dragged on for so long now. I know that's for a variety of good reasons, including two full-time jobs, my travel last summer, 2 unexpected trips to visit family this winter, my health/energy problems, etc. But I want to list the house and move on!
I hear you. My new pillow is still the font of all my bliss.
DeleteI'm just yearning for temperatures over 40 degrees. Hell, over 33 would be nice. Inspiration will follow....
ReplyDeleteLast week:
1. Write 10 hours. (My major spring break task.) YES!
2. Read a lot, mostly fun-teaching things. YES--I only got slightly over half of my planned reading done, but that was still quite a lot.
3. Meditate more than last week. TWICE.
4. Query a press for novel. DONE! Sent it in on Monday morning because I forgot to take it with me to town on Saturday.
5. Start next batch of beer. DONE
6. Misc. school stuff: grade 2 stragglers (NO), rec letter (YES--two, in fact!), clean up email (MOSTLY), evaluate proposal (YES, but apparently I had two to do, so I did the second one this evening).
This week:
1. Write 4 hours (on Wonder); contact writing group about Silence
2. Get organized for professional society task
3. Read grad student's essay/spend 2-3 hours on grad student writing
4. Meditate some amount
WOOT! on press query, writing, reading, and meditating! Especially the press query, which requires good courage and confidence.
DeleteIt was unpleasantly in the 80s here today, but we'll be back in the 60s tomorrow. Winter is pretty much over. Will do my best to ring in the spring equinox tomorrow with cheer and hope.
Thinking of you (and other TLQers) as I'm guessing more cold weather has come your way.
DeleteInspiration: warmth would help. And having less chaos in the house from painting. (But I'm REALLY liking the colors!)
ReplyDeleteHow I did last week:
1. Make some plans for spring break (including a guest dog and a friend coming to do a reading when classes begin again).
2. Start writing the section of my project that I worked so hard on at the British Library.
I got the planning for break done!
This week:
Draft the paper. Period. (Everything else is to some extent or another more urgent for someone.)
Great goal!
DeleteHeadache and some stressful event planning...I will try to get back tomorrow to post some half-week goals.
ReplyDelete