TLQ Session 3 Week 8

Hello everyone!

Goal-review week is always a bit of a surprise for me, I’m sure I’m not the only one who looks at my 7-week’s-ago-self with puzzlement and a mix of sympathy and exasperation… For me the hardest part is keeping the longer-term goals in my mind when the rest of life is dead set on making itself the only important thing!

But, as always, we adjust and move right along! The exercise of deciding what to keep and toss made me think of the choices we make to say yes or no to things, either in work or in life. Earlier this year I said “no” to a really great field trip related to my research, because out of three of us here that should have gone, someone had to stay behind to cover the travelers’ classes and keep work going, and career-stage wise, I will almost certainly get another shot at that destination. So my two colleagues went, I covered their stuff, they had a great (but also challenging time), and everyone was happy with the decision. But, saying no to that one enabled me to say yes to the musical run which turned out to be an absolute joy all the way. To say yes to that one I did have to say no to another field trip (local) but instead of sending me I sent two students. This weekend I had said yes to a concert with a major youth ensemble my kid plays in, so that is fabulous that we get to play together (she may be more skeptical as teenager but whatevs), but it meant saying no to attending a student awards banquet where one of my students won an award… So, for every yes there is a no, but for every no there is also a yes…

 

What are you saying yes to these days, and what do you have to say no to in order to enjoy the yesses? How do you decide what should be yes or no? Does yes or no impact personal things more than work? How can we be more intentional about our yes and no decisions to make them work for us?

 

Goals from last week:

 

Daisy

Guest talk abstract/title/prep
Finish popular article on research topic
Finish reference writing
Finish department newsletter (bane of existence for months)
Finish thesis comments/rewrites

 

DEH
- provide lap for Basement Cat as often as he wants
- 20 minutes x3 on Alms or its larger project
- read at least one chapter in one scholarly book
- finish taking notes on another book
- start grading next set of undergrad papers
- comment on next grad submission
- reading/prep for grad class
- write a letter of recommendation (becoming urgent)
- read dissertation materials for student A, advise on restructure
- cardio + weights x2, swim at least x2, yoga x4
- walk with friend on Friday, weather permitting; alternative activity = take car for emissions check
- watch weather, apply weedkiller either Wednesday or delay a little longer
- look up some Greek for a novelist's spell (oh, what the hell, leave it and try to find time)
- some fun activities: at least reading, maybe a chair massage

 

heu mihi

1. Prep for RR workshop
2. Send out teaching schedules
3. Give away old car to colleague
4. Start review of F25 schedule
5. Read diss chapter
6. Grade batch of papers
7. Full slate of workouts

 

JaneB

1 SELF-CARE. Remember I'm still recovering from burnout and be kind to myself.
(i) do at least one mildly creative-with-the-hands thing
(ii) read most days
(iii) play D&D with nibling (group has a week off) and prepare a one off Hallowe'en game...
(iv) three days of stretchy/bendy type intentional movement for at least 15 minutes

2 HOUSE-LIFE ADMIN
i) at least 75% of regular chore list
ii) wash all the towels

3 TEACHING AND ADMIN
i) one teaching block (3-4 hours) on non-urgent teaching prep (non-urgent = happening AFTER next week)
ii) do all the needed things to be ready for next week's teaching
iii) mark lab reports
iv) another chapter for grad student

4 RESEARCH
i) at least one hour integrating other people's comments into the consultancy paper, sigh, not a job I like.
ii) referee paper - now urgent!
iii) do preparation for local seminar - now urgent! Sigh.

 

Julie

1. Allocate accepted conference proposals to sessions.

2. Teaching prep, try to keep minimal again.

3. Work out remaining budget and what to do with it.

4. Complete form for annual progression review.

5. Read, exercise, try to eat healthily.

6. Book haircuts.

 

Susan

1. Keep working on paper for November
2. Sort out endowed chair funds stuff
3. Draft letter of rec for colleague (Why a senior position requires a letter at the start of the process is a mystery, down to the HR rules that shape our lives.)
4. Get better. Maybe work out
5. Read, sleep, pack

TLQ 2024 session 3, week 7

Half-way through! Back in September, we said "fourteen goal-setting weeks," so here we are at midterm check-ins already. So instead of a prompt this week, take a look at your session goals and see if you want to adjust them (delete something? or congratulate yourself on already meeting one or more of them?).

Session goals first, and last week's goals below them. As often happens, I am having trouble with formatting; what's worse, when I select chunks of text to fix the formatting, CoPilot offers to rewrite the text for me. I am trying to refuse its "help," but if anyone's goals don't look quite the way you originally wrote them, that's why. Anyway, apologies, and I hope this will do!

SESSION

Contingent Cassandra

--plan and to the extent possible make progress on the study leave project (which has multiple aspects)

Daisy

Get back into a consistent exercise habit
Get half-done paper into decent shape
Revise 80% done paper
Do actual real work on coastal project
Organize my samples and lab space properly
Get student through thesis and defense

Dame Eleanor Hull

- Draft an essay due at the end of January
- tinker with what was supposed to be my sabbatical project
- grade All The Things in a timely manner and
- provide helpful feedback for students
- keep up with reading/notes for the new course
- read All The Things for the major committee I'm on
- continue to indulge my exercise addiction and refuse to feel guilty about the time I spend in the pool/at the gym
- complete at least three House/Life Things from my very long list

heu mihi

1. Deadlines: Last-minute tenure letter due Oct. 1, short weird experimental essay due Oct. 13.
2. Research: a) Submit book manuscript!!!!! b) Start planning essay due in April (which I think I'm also supposed to give a talk on next semester...maybe try to get out of the talk, that would also be good). c) Submit proposal for festschrift.
3. Enjoy Italian! Remind myself (when, as last weekend, I'm spending hours on my homework) that I'm learning and it's great!
4. Exercise: I exercised a lot this summer, and it felt great, so I really want to make this my priority. Possibly join a gym (with a pool!) when it gets too dark to run in the morning (so, like, next week).
5. Graduate students: Get X defended and out; support G; work with R towards spring defense; others as they arise. (Just putting this here so that I can check it off at the end of the session--it's such time-consuming work and I want to record it.)

JaneB

1 SELF-CARE. Remember I'm still recovering from burnout and be kind to myself.
(i) do at least one mildly creative-with-the-hands thing each week (draw, diamond painting, colour, paint, knit, crochet)
(ii) read three non-fiction books this session and at least three novels
(iii) at least one social/creative-with-words thing each week (playing D&D, writing for fun, talking to people on the phone or a proper chat online, writing a social letter)
(iv) journalling through a "self-care for autistic adults" book.
(v) building a more solid exercise habit
2 HOUSE-LIFE ADMIN
i) working on getting better at the regular chores
ii) at least one additional care-for-home-environment thing every week
iii) working on financial things that both bore and scare me
3 TEACHING AND ADMIN
i) successful teaching delivery (TRQ)
ii) prepare the rest of this trimester and for next trimester (one-two teaching blocks a week which are not about the immediate needs of the week)
iii) stay in my lane given my changed responsibilities
iv) support my senior grad student to submission of her thesis at the end of December
4 RESEARCH
i) make measurable progress on at least three papers
ii) write a fairly small grant application to buy out some of my time
iii) find out my committments within small cog project and meet them.

Julie

From 1st October, I go down to working four days a week, so part of this session will be working out how to set boundaries and make sure work doesn't spill into 5 days and that there is still time for TLQ stuff. I'll use last session's headings, which I think I stole from Jane B.
1. Teaching/admin
(i) Revise second-year module to a new format, but keep manageable.
(ii) Keep on top of first-year module and try to maintain energy/enthusiasm without setting myself impossible standards (I co-teach with someone who is a bundle of energy so I always feel students are comparing us unfavourably).
(iii) Three PhD students: one submitting in December, so a lot of drafts to read; one seems to be worryingly AWOL when he should be writing; one about a year from submission.
2. Research (TLQ!):
(i) If grant application gets through first round, write longer version. If it doesn't, put Plan B on hold until next session.
(ii) Write journal article for January deadline. This is the most important session goal.
(iii) Work on call for papers for possible collaborative workshop.
3. Kids
(i) Work out new routines, be as present with them as possible and as much as they will tolerate!
4. House/life admin
(i) One big project: new bathrooms.
(ii) Decluttering & small to medium projects.
5. Self-care
(i) Reading
(ii) Exercise: improve fitness
(iii) Healthy eating & more sleep.
(iv) Fun stuff - see friends, try to do more creative stuff.

Susan

Research:
1. Make progress of Rest of Life (RoL) project, or at least phase 1 of it.
2. If the press takes Famous Author, I will need to add some words. Do it.
3. Do any last work on Big Collaboration that needs doing.

Life:
1. Figure out an exercise routine that makes sense and is manageable.
2. Try to not work weekends and evenings
3. Read books for fun
4. Keep up with tapestry projects
5. Buy new car (maybe new used car)

LAST WEEK'S GOALS

Contingent Cassandra (held over)

--Write two emails having to do with the study leave and the October program (this is not done but really needs to get done tomorrow, so good timing).
--At least begin listing and prioritizing the things I could, should, or must do before the October program and beyond to advance the study leave project

Daisy

Production files for accepted paper
Galley proofs for in-press paper
Popular article on research topic
Book Covid and flu shots
Reference writing
Department newsletter (bane of existence for months)
Curriculum stuff
Thesis comments/rewrites

Dame Eleanor Hull

- provide lap for Basement Cat as often as he wants
- 20 minutes x3 on Alms or its larger project
- read at least one chapter in one scholarly book; finish taking notes on another
- grade a set of undergrad papers
- file reports on a couple of students who aren't showing up
- do the 3 mandatory annual trainings
- finish off grad comments, post them
- reading/prep for grad class
- write a letter of recommendation
- cardio + weights x2, swim at least x2, yoga x4
- another walk with friend on Friday, weather permitting
- check another store for weed-killer
- look up some Greek for a novelist's spell

heu mihi

1. Review article
2. Read chapter 4 of dissertation R
3. Keep up with workouts: run x 3, swim x 2, yoga x 1
4. Work out grad students' spring teaching schedules
5. Prep for RR workshop (read & comment on one submission; start reading other submissions)

JaneB

1 SELF-CARE. Remember I'm still recovering from burnout and be kind to myself.
(i) do at least one mildly creative-with-the-hands thing
(ii) read most days
(iii) play D&D with group or with nibling
(iv) three days of stretchy/bendy type intentional movement for at least 15 minutes

2 HOUSE-LIFE ADMIN
i) at least 75% of regular chore list
ii) do more sums/plan summarising related to latest voluntary redundancy scheme, make decision.
iii) wash all the towels (as well as clothes laundry) (I'm down to the odd colours/nearly worn out towels now...)

3 TEACHING AND ADMIN
i) two teaching blocks (3-4 hours) on non-urgent teaching prep (non-urgent = happening AFTER next week)
ii) do all the needed things to be ready for next week's teaching - quite light this week
iii) another chapter for grad student

4 RESEARCH
i) decision about grant idea. If yes, at least two hours on the text.
ii) at least one hour doing my tasks for the consultancy paper (I'm also waiting on others)
iii) referee paper - now urgent!

Julie

1. Prep teaching - none of it new, so should be minimal.
2. Read a dissertation proposal.
3. Read PhD chapter.
4. Research: work out remaining budget from small grant and what to do with it.
5. Use one of the short bits of time to read an article for research.
6. Book flu jab
7. Daughter's trip
8. Eat healthily, try to get some walks in, go to bed reasonable time.
9. Read new book.

Susan

1. Keep going on the paper / research
2. Finish task I should have finished before I went on sabbatical, a revision of our policies
3. Start writing letter of rec for colleague
4. Write report on use of endowed chair funds
5. Enjoy conference on Friday-Saturday
6. Schedule flu shot
7. Walk to work 1 day, do workout with trainer, follow up.
8. Keep reading, figure out what to read when I finish this book tonight.

TLQ Season 3 Week 6

 

Welcome to week 6! The Fall has arrived in earnest in my area this week, the leaves have turned brilliant colours, it is blowing a gale, and every roadside farm stand is overflowing with apples and pumpkins. It is beautiful…

For this week’s prompt, how do you feel about seasons? Actual seasons, different seasons of life, seasonal workflows, anything goes! How do you manage the changes that come with seasons, both pleasant changes and the less enjoyable ones?

 

Have a great week everyone!

 

Contingent Cassandra (held over)

--Write two emails having to do with the study leave and the October program (this is not done but really needs to get done tomorrow, so good timing).
--At least begin listing and prioritizing the things I could, should, or must do before the October program and beyond to advance the study leave project

 

Dame Eleanor

- provide lap for Basement Cat as often as he wants
- 20 minutes x3 on Alms or its larger project
- read at least one chapter in each of two scholarly books
- start grading another set of undergrad papers
- check 2 grad assignments (one from last week, one due this week)
- reading/prep for grad class
- cardio + weights x2, swim at least x2, yoga x4
- power-wash north side of house, maybe the deck as well
- walk with friend on Friday
- get weed-killer on lawn before first frost

 

Daisy

Enjoy show run!
Sleep when not playing!
Volunteer at local race and cheer on people who exercise!
Try not to feel bad about not exercising!
Keep work stuff going but don’t add new things!

 

 

heu mihi

1. Check in on festschrift. We meant to send in the proposal in August, but apparently we just stopped working on it at some point.
2. Finish and submit RR essay
3. Read ch. 1 and 2 of Dissertation R (because I'm expecting K to come in any day now...)
4. Revise ch. 5 and send the new version to friend who has promised to read it
5. Shop for a new car, because the 20-year-old Jetta has started to make a terrible noise.
6. Keep going with the workouts: run x 3, swim x 2, yoga x 1

 

JaneB

1 SELF-CARE. Remember I'm still recovering from burnout and be kind to myself.
(i) do at least one mildly creative-with-the-hands thing
(ii) read most days
(iii) play D&D with group or with nibling
(iv) three days of stretchy/bendy type intentional movement for at least 15 minutes
(v) go to dentist (do not get overwhelmed and reschedule)

2 HOUSE-LIFE ADMIN
i) at least 75% of regular chore list
ii) do more sums/plan summarising related to latest voluntary redundancy scheme
iii) take 5 minutes daily to keep the kitchen looking great

3 TEACHING AND ADMIN
i) at least one teaching block (3-4 hours) on non-urgent teaching prep (non-urgent = happening AFTER next week)
ii) do all the needed things to be ready for next week's teaching - a light load this week
iii) finish chapter for grad student
iv) edit and submit funding application for other grad student (deadline this week & has to go in in my name...)

4 RESEARCH
i) at least two hours on my grant idea plus setting up the online approvals form
ii) at least two hours on part 3 of discussion for consultancy paper - we have a meet pencilled in end of week so it's urgent now
iii) if time, referee paper. Not due until next week.

 

 

Julie

1. Prep introductory sessions for both modules.
2. Finish adding materials to VLE.
3. Read chapters for two PhD students.
4. Research: work out remaining budget from small grant and what to do with it.
5. Sort tiles (URGENT!)
6. Organise daughter's trip.
7. Book flu jab
8. Enjoy talks at book festival this weekend!

 

Susan

1. Keep going on the paper, keep up the momentum
2. Clean the apartment. I have not done a serious clean for too long.
3. Figure out which book I want to read. I have a pile of pleasure reading, and nothing currently inspires me. :(
4. Have a good time with my SIL and niece on Saturday
5. Get COVID shot. (Dame Eleanor has convinced me not to do the double.)
6. Contact trainer to get going at the gym
7. Figure out how to charge the car.
8. Pick up threads on podcast plan.