the grid

the grid

Sunday 28 July 2019

Summer-north, Winter-south Week 10: Focus

Hello everyone! Thank you for your forbearance as I disappeared last week; and many thanks to DEH for picking up the slack. I was away on my Family Beach Week, and, while I planned to do a quick and promptless post last Sunday, I promptly forgot. So here we are.

It's about 5 weeks until I go back to teaching, and we'll be away for one of those weeks. The time is closing in. So, for this week's theme, I propose Focus: remembering those things that really need to be done. (I refrained from saying "what's really important," because then we get into things like relaxation and restoration and whatnot, and what I really mean is the stuff on your research / teaching / goal lists that you're going to be kicking yourself if you neglect altogether this summer.)

What will your focus (or foci) be for the next few weeks? What might you allow to fall by the wayside?

Looking forward to catching up with you all!

Dame Eleanor Hull:
1, gym/walk/swim x6, stretch x6, usual low-FODMAP cooking.
2, gardening, make an appointment for maintenance.
3, complete conference paper draft; touch R&R so I remember what I'm doing with it.
4, translation proofing.
5, continue planning courses, ~ 2 hours.
6, drill grammar or vocabulary x 4 in one language.


Elizabeth Anne Mitchell:
One hour x 6 on Prudence apparatus. 
One hour x 5 hours on file cabinet. 
Three hours on the writing course.
Meditate x 5.


Good Enough Woman (carried over):
1) Write 5x
2) Exercise 5x (and get at least 5000 steps most days)
3) Take daughter to waterpark on Tuesday
4) Enjoy anniversary celebration. Try to relax and not worry about what's happening with kids, chores, academic tasks, etc.
5) Check in with son to see if he wants to go on any special outings
6) Find one good plant-based meal to try
7) Get 201B and 201C syllabus work mostly done. Write two sets of study questions for new texts.


heu mihi (carried over):
1. 5-10 hours on edits for monograph
2. 2-4 hours on Wonder
3. Read 30 pages of Proust (finish Sodome et Gomorrhe)
4. Read another monograph
5. Read grad student's chapter
6. Do all the beach prep (which is considerable, as I like to prepare for trips as I might prepare for death)
7. Exercise x5, language x5, sit x??


humming42:
1 Write and submit a book review
2 Keep up with grading and comments
3 Write and submit panel abstract
4 Write something every day


JaneB:
(Pre-conference:) make sure I prioritise self-care over what I "ought" to do or owe the faculty for part-paying-for the trip
(At the conference:) every day, attend one session's worth of talks, read one poster, talk to one person about science who isn't involved in FlatProject (so that can be a current collaborator or a science friend or a new person), and drink at least 2l of water! And that is ENOUGH.

oceangirl101:
1) finish Ch 3 writing, start edits
2) choose books for fall, course planning
3) read two diss chapters for students
4) do some organization work to prepare for postdoc starting in the fall
5) meet with illustrator on figures for book
6) exercise x 4
7) fun x 2


Susan (carried over):
1. Finish edits on text of Memorial. (I got comments from the editor, which were "BE BOLD", so . . .)
2. Start working on footnotes for Memorial (There are a lot of placeholder ones)
3. Keep walking
4. Enjoy London
5. Keep reading for fun


Waffles:
1. Diss paper R&R
2. Revise and re-submit to a different journal rejected F32 paper
3. Start reshaping victimization paper #1
4. Get some articles for victimization paper #3



18 comments:

  1. I'm trying to focus on the things my Future Self will be really grateful to me for having done, like sorting/filing/tossing papers, getting the semester set up, the sorts of things Elizabeth so kindly praised me for getting done (in comments last week). I have one week at home before the craziness of August starts. The key dates were planned by other people, and I did not/could not have had input into them, but in terms of my energy and anxiety, I'd rather do my traveling early in the summer and be at home more toward the end of it. Oh well.

    How I did:
    1, gym/walk/swim x6, stretch x6, usual low-FODMAP cooking. YES (or close enough!).
    2, gardening, make an appointment for maintenance. YES, NO.
    3, complete conference paper draft; touch R&R so I remember what I'm doing with it. NEARLY THERE, NO.
    4, translation proofing. YES! DONE! GONE!
    5, continue planning courses, ~ 2 hours. YES.
    6, drill grammar or vocabulary x 4 in one language. x3.

    New goals:
    1, gym/walk/swim x6, stretch x6, usual low-FODMAP cooking.
    2, gardening, paper-sorting etc.
    3, complete conference paper draft; finish R&R (may be a stretch goal but let's try!).
    4, finish syllaboi.
    5, drill grammar or vocabulary x 4 in one language.
    6, trip arrangements.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. How I love the term syllaboi. And yes, it is about time to start work on them here too.

      Delete
    2. The preliminaries of research are often difficult, since they range from the boring (sorting papers) to the rabbit holes of something that is "almost, but not quite" on target, but fascinating. I am one of those people who cannot work amidst chaos, so I have to file/sort/toss as a preliminary step. Then I have to step carefully around the rabbit holes in the next step, before finally settling into the research itself.
      Is there any joy to be found in having to get things done before traveling, so that you can relax for a bit when you return?

      Delete
  2. I didn't do a great job on my goals last week because it turns out I had multiple reviews on which I was late and because I had to write a teaching statement for my academic faculty job bootcamp. And that took FOREVER!!!

    I really need to focus on papers that are central to my program of research - and I have been saying essentially this same thing since I joined this group! I keep thinking, "once I get x project done, then I will have time" but I don’t. To be frank, I'd like to have another manuscript in my area at least in good shape if not under review by the time I start applying for faculty positions. So, okay -I am going to set a goal to focus on that on Thursday morning of this week.

    Last week:
    1. Diss paper R&R - ALMOST DONE
    2. Revise and re-submit to a different journal rejected F32 paper - STARTED
    3. Start reshaping victimization paper #1 - NOT STARTED, but have a plan
    4. Get some articles for victimization paper #3 - NOT STARTED


    This week
    1. Get diss R&R done and resubmitted
    2. Start re-shaping victimization paper #1
    3. Apply to 2-3 faculty positions (eek!)
    Interracial/interethnic paper (my focus project!)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Teaching statement--gah! How is it that something one likes to do can be so dificult to write about?
      A hard lesson I learned is that one has to put oneself and one's interests first. It is far too easy for colleagues and mentors to talk one into doing things for all sorts of reasons, when it is rarely in one's interest, but far more in theirs. Sorry for the cynicism!
      Good for you on making that a goal--keep doing that.

      Delete
  3. Like DEH, I plan to focus on the things that Future Me will be happiest about. I don't care too deeply whether Wonder is in re-submittable shape by the end of the summer (I don't care too deeply about it at all, unfortunately), so I plan to keep that in the rotation but not to make it my top priority.

    I remembered yesterday or thereabouts that I have a conference paper to give in November. It shouldn't be too hard to pull together--it's based on the scraps that didn't fit into Death--but I do need to give it some thought, and it would be delightful to have a rough draft by the end of August.

    Copy-edits are due on Friday, and I should be able to make that deadline--I just have a few things to double-check, from books that are all in my office, and I want to rework my acknowledgements (again).

    Last week: I was at the beach, and it was glorious. We went whale-watching (first time for all of us) and saw finbacks, humpbacks, and feeding minkes. It was glorious. The weather was mostly excellent, but we did get one rainy night and day (actually, there were tornadoes nearby, but we were okay) and saw spectacular lightning over the ocean (from indoors, once the storm had passed us over!). The kids (mine + my brother's) had a blast, as did the adults. I'm glad that we live close enough to family to do this.

    Week before last:
    1. 5-10 hours on edits for monograph -- 9 hours
    2. 2-4 hours on Wonder -- 2.5 hours
    3. Read 30 pages of Proust (finish Sodome et Gomorrhe) -- DONE!
    4. Read another monograph - Done
    5. Read grad student's chapter - No
    6. Do all the beach prep (which is considerable, as I like to prepare for trips as I might prepare for death) - Done
    7. Exercise x5 - x4, language x5 - x2, sit x?? - x2

    This week:
    1. Write x5: Kzoo proposal; organize Nov. paper; work on Wonder
    2. Finish copy-edits
    3. Grad student work (1)
    4. Sit x?, language x?
    5. Read a monograph and read for fun
    6. Finish syllabi

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I laughed out loud at your preparing for trips as one might prepare for death. Your time at the beach sounds lovely, indeed; having family within reach, when all the adults and kids get along, is so wonderful.

      Delete
  4. My Future Self will be happy to meet all of the remaining, now TRQ deadlines. I have a curriculum project from summer 2018 that really needs to see daylight before September. Checking in with myself right now, I don’t feel like I didn’t have a productive summer. And I notice I didn’t say that I have had a productive summer. One of my projects this year is to remember that productivity is not my end goal. I’m reminded of James Wright’s poem Lying in a Hammock at William Duffy's Farm in Pine Island, which is a link if you’re not familiar with it. I think I’m finally old enough for this poem to truly resonate for me.

    Last week:
    1 Write and submit a book review: no, but in progress
    2 Keep up with grading and comments: no
    3 Write and submit panel abstract: yes
    4 Write something every day: 4/7 and that’s ok

    This week:
    1 Write and submit two book reviews
    2 Keep up with grading and comments
    3 Write something every day
    4 Consider writing Time abstract
    5 Send comments to independent study student

    Wishing you a magnificent week ahead.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47734/lying-in-a-hammock-at-william-duffys-farm-in-pine-island-minnesota

      Delete
    2. "Productivity is not my end goal."

      I may need to adopt this as a new mantra.

      Delete
    3. What a wonderful poem--thank you for the link! And, like heu mihi, I find "productivity is not my end goal" resonates with me.
      Writing 4 out of 7 days is great! For me, the point of "writing every day" is more about keeping things on one's plate, and not shelved, which is all too easy for me to do when I don't touch it often enough.

      Delete
  5. My goal is to get into the best pattern of writing, exercising, food, etc. so that I can keep these going during the semester. This is going to mean prioritizing the book research/writing until sort of the last minute, and then diving into teaching prep the last week before school starts. But I also am going to take one last trip to enjoy myself- 50th bday party where I and a bunch of high school friends will celebrate together.

    Last week:
    1) finish Ch 3 writing, start edits Yes, No
    2) choose books for fall, course planning Yes, No
    3) read two diss chapters for students One
    4) do some organization work to prepare for postdoc starting in the fall No
    5) meet with illustrator on figures for book Yes
    6) exercise x 4 No, x3
    7) fun x 2 Yes
    This week
    1) edit Ch 3, cut lots and lots and lots of pages if you can
    2) Admin work to prepare for postdoc
    3) Meet with collaborators on GIS paper
    4) ongoing illustration work with drafter
    5) exercise x 4
    6) long weekend with friends

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The pundits say that it can take several weeks to create a habit; if that is true, you should have some time to get them mortared in before the fall semester starts.
      Good for you taking a trip for pure enjoyment. It sounds like a wonderful time.

      Delete
  6. Topic: My foci the next few days is renovating the framework for Prudence and creating the frameworks for the next two projects, tentatively named Illumination and Dial. I have let other people take my foci from me, and Future Self will kick me soundly for it.

    Last week’s goals:
    One hour x 6 on Prudence apparatus. No
    One hour x 5 hours on file cabinet. No
    Three hours on the writing course. No
    Meditate x 5. Yes

    Analysis: It was one more week of the other shoe dropping. I was able to do some meditating, which was very helpful in grounding myself, keeping what I want in mind, and not letting the “mean girls” get to me.

    Next few days’ goals:
    One hour x 3 on framework and schedule for Prudence apparatus.
    One hour x 3 on framework and schedule for Illumination.
    One hour x 3 on framwork and schedule for Dial.
    Put in next 5 ILL requests.
    Meditate x 5.

    Here’s to not letting anyone grind one down. Float like mist, everyone.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You meditated x5! I am so hugely impressed! And envious! Maybe one week I should make that my ONLY goal, just to work on the habit formation....

      Delete
    2. Thank you, but to be honest, it was a week of such monumental administrative incompetence, I had to meditate so as not to lose my mind, or my temper, or both.
      That said, it is the only goal I met last week, so maybe you're onto something.

      Delete
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