It's been COLD this week in the UK - scraping ice off the car, some spells of freezing rain, snow showers and snow lying where I am. Several modules had assignment deadlines so the students were feeling hard-done-by and skipping class, and Shoutypants spent most of the week either under the heated clothes airer (below, where accidental sock placement makes it look like he's feeling festive) or under my fleece dressing gown. Sadly, I still had to work. But there are only three weeks of teaching left...
Today in terms of stationary let's talk about binders (and binder clips). I used to use ring binders (and paper folders and envelope folders and box files) for just about everything in my efforts to stay organised, but as more and more things moved on line, that's much less of a thing - the most used ring binder in my office now is repurposed to be a door stop! But I still make a lot of use of binder clips (or bulldog clips or whatever you call them). How do you keep your papers together and organised? Has it changed? Do you kind of miss picking out just the right design of binder for a project, or occasionally being 'bitten' by a binder's rings?m or the pleasure of opening a new packet of pre-printed dividers to put into the binder?
<b>LAST WEEK'S GOALS:</b>
Daisy
Data for new/old paper
Sample processing
Two reviews now urgent
Review committee homework
Sample processing
Two reviews now urgent
Review committee homework
Dame Eleanor Hull
- swim x3, cardio x3, weights x2, yoga x5
- at least 4 writing sessions
- finish grading undergrad papers; finish prep of objects for a special class; write two more assignments
- finish sample syllabus for a proposed course
- put new sticker on licence plate
- at least 4 writing sessions
- finish grading undergrad papers; finish prep of objects for a special class; write two more assignments
- finish sample syllabus for a proposed course
- put new sticker on licence plate
heu mihi
no goals set
JaneB
SELF-CARE:
a) intentional movement for at least 15 minutes three days
b) making a couple of times a week
c) two gently social things (D&D hopefully)
d) keep up reading for pleasure
IMPROVING MY ENVIRONMENT
a) 75%+ of the weekly list of chores
b) make a plan for the shelving in the living room
c) don't make clothes worse
TEACHING AND ADMIN:
a) finish week 10 and prepare week 11 materials
b) limit teaching and admin to 5 hours at weekend (I have an online PhD defense to do on my non working day...)
c) do at least one more piece of graduate student writing (both MSc by thesis students submitted drafts of stuff last week)
RESEARCH
a) finish very long lasting multi-author paper resubmission
b) if possible read revised manuscript from last autumn's visiting post-doc.
a) intentional movement for at least 15 minutes three days
b) making a couple of times a week
c) two gently social things (D&D hopefully)
d) keep up reading for pleasure
IMPROVING MY ENVIRONMENT
a) 75%+ of the weekly list of chores
b) make a plan for the shelving in the living room
c) don't make clothes worse
TEACHING AND ADMIN:
a) finish week 10 and prepare week 11 materials
b) limit teaching and admin to 5 hours at weekend (I have an online PhD defense to do on my non working day...)
c) do at least one more piece of graduate student writing (both MSc by thesis students submitted drafts of stuff last week)
RESEARCH
a) finish very long lasting multi-author paper resubmission
b) if possible read revised manuscript from last autumn's visiting post-doc.
Julie
1. Finish article edits and resubmit.
2. Finish one of the chapters and send to editors.
3. Work on other chapter if time.
4. House/life admin: find plumber, chase prescription, take car for service/MOT and hope worrying engine noise doesn't turn out to be serious, start Xmas planning.
5. Self care: get over cold/virus!
2. Finish one of the chapters and send to editors.
3. Work on other chapter if time.
4. House/life admin: find plumber, chase prescription, take car for service/MOT and hope worrying engine noise doesn't turn out to be serious, start Xmas planning.
5. Self care: get over cold/virus!
Susan
1. New batch of copyedits on Famous Author
2. Deal with last questions on Big Collaboration because my co-editor is in Japan
3. Clear desk of junk
4. Catch up on teaching stuff
5. Get back into exercise
6. Read some journals
7. Do some needlepoint
8. Sleep
2. Deal with last questions on Big Collaboration because my co-editor is in Japan
3. Clear desk of junk
4. Catch up on teaching stuff
5. Get back into exercise
6. Read some journals
7. Do some needlepoint
8. Sleep
I don't use ring binders much any more, except one for recipes, which is overflowing. I do have box files for teaching and old ones with photocopies from the days when taking a digital camera to an archive wasn't a thing. I do like have multicoloured boxes on my shelves. For my current research, I have photocopies of articles and notes in coloured cardboard folders, sorted roughly by theme. This post is a handy reminder that they could do with a sort-out. I use binder clips to hold pages together when the bunch is too thick for stapling, and to bind together seminar readings when I'm teaching. And for receipts.
ReplyDeleteLast week:
1. Finish article edits and resubmit. - YES
2. Finish one of the chapters and send to editors. - NO (but just needs a few facts I didn't have access to at home and maybe a couple of sentences)
3. Work on other chapter if time. - YES
4. House/life admin: find plumber, chase prescription, take car for service/MOT and hope worrying engine noise doesn't turn out to be serious, start Xmas planning. - NO, YES, YES (it was, had to pay for a fix but at least it was a same-day fix, unlike the less urgent but still quite urgent other stuff that needs doing, sigh), YES (bought some Christmas cards, started making lists of what to buy for whom)
5. Self care: get over cold/virus! - YES (but feel it dragged on, still a bit more breathless during a run than usual)
This week:
1. Finish and send chapter to editors.
2. Aim to finish other chapter
3. Score poster submissions for conference.
4. House/life admin: find plumber, get gutters and roof cleaned (unless it snows again), eye test for daughter, hair cut for son, financial stuff.
5. Self-care/fun: baking, make soup, read, journal, keep up with exercise, sleep more.
That sounds like a productive week, especially with the remains of a cold! And may the car have had enough attention for now and run smoothly for the rest of winter
DeleteUgh, car things! We have one upcoming repair (rear brakes). It sounds like, cold aside, you had a good week; enjoy this week's self-care and fun activities!
DeleteGlad the cold has departed, but sympathies for the car stuff. Always boring.
DeleteGlad you are feeling better, I like the idea that November colds protect us from the December crud!
DeleteHope the fun things this week all go well.
I have a lot of legacy binders that need turning out and a LOT of box files full of photocopies of articles from the early years of my career (and NorthernUni library cannot afford the ever-rising costs for many journals, so I can't just get rid of them and assume I have digital access, I need to go through them all and either download a digital copy or scan my paper copy. And yeah, that's not happening any time soon!). I mostly keep copies for classes etc. in the sort of plastic pockets that have two open sides - those go in a fabric totebag from a conference that I carry around, the plastic reduces the risk of sogginess from a leaking water bottle, rain whilst I'm going slowly from building to building, or getting dropped in a puddle. I have a lot of binder clips and I do use them regularly - for holding my sketch book open whilst it dries, for holding things closed or open, for keeping papers or reciepts together. I have a set of very large brightly coloured ones that are easy to find on my desk, a definite win.
ReplyDeleteLAST WEEK:
Was cold, and my hip hurt a lot, and I was Fed Up for large parts of the week. Very glad I had a lighter week and didn't have to go on campus Thursday as when I woke up there was a good inch of snow on my car, the road etc. - it cleared within a few hours, but that doesn't help a cold start feel any better!
SELF-CARE:
a) intentional movement for at least 15 minutes three days two yes, one I only did 12 minutes (I hurt my toe...)
b) making a couple of times a week one - crocheting during a meeting, but it counts!
c) two gently social things (D&D hopefully) one - & it was D&D
d) keep up reading for pleasure yes, if one chapter/5 minutes counts a couple of days - my current book is good but a bit too close to home, a near future story about wildfires, so I'm considering setting it aside for something cosier
IMPROVING MY ENVIRONMENT
a) 75%+ of the weekly list of chores no
b) make a plan for the shelving in the living room er...
c) don't make clothes worse cat tried to leap to top of pile after I added a few new items (warm from the dryer). Pile fell over and was scrabbled back together with curses. So that was a fail. Shoutypants was fine, it wasn't HIM, some ghost cat clearly did it.
TEACHING AND ADMIN:
a) finish week 10 and prepare week 11 materials yes
b) limit teaching and admin to 5 hours at weekend (I have an online PhD defense to do on my non working day...) yes
c) do at least one more piece of graduate student writing (both MSc by thesis students submitted drafts of stuff last week)no but I started
RESEARCH
a) finish very long lasting multi-author paper resubmission no. The official lead author is having a very busy term as she's covering for a sick colleague on top of her own classes, but she's also not very fast at editing things. I am being patient (it's due 1st December so we have a bit of time) but if I end up doing it on Friday this week I will be miffed!
b) if possible read revised manuscript from last autumn's visiting post-doc. haha no
the coming week:
DeleteThe last heavy teaching week of the academic year, in that there is a fair amount of content new to the students which needs to be delivered, and also that I still have a last few things to prepare. I also have some grading to do, sigh. The forecast is wet and cool but not freezing so I'm hoping that at least will go in my favour!
SELF-CARE:
a) intentional movement for at least 15 minutes three days
b) dentist's appointment, ring GPs to see if I can make a non-urgent review appointment
c) making a couple of times a week
d) two gently social things (D&D hopefully)
e) keep up reading for pleasure
IMPROVING MY ENVIRONMENT
a) 75%+ of the weekly list of chores
b) make a plan for the shelving in the living room
c) don't make clothes worse
TEACHING AND ADMIN:
a) prepare week 12 materials
b) mark on-time submissions for big assignment
c) limit teaching and admin to 5 hours at weekend
d) feedback on draft from former senior PhD student
e) start on feedback for Senior MSc by Thesis student
RESEARCH
a) finish very long lasting multi-author paper resubmission
b) if possible read revised manuscript from last autumn's visiting post-doc.
Good luck with last heavy teaching week! At least there is maybe a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel.
DeleteSo close to the end! You're almost there!
DeleteShoutypants really is trying to help with those clothes! He's even bringing in ghost cats for assistance!
DeleteGood luck on submission of giant paper! That will be a nice thing to check off soon.
DeleteHope the week stays a bit lighter and you get to do some of the satisfying things on the list!
I recently started using a binder to organize Program Director stuff, especially with regard to scheduling for upcoming semesters. I found that I had so many different documents on my computer--some outdated, some with titles that only slightly differed from others (e.g. "2025 Schedule notes," "2025-26 schedule planning," "schedule 2025-26") that I was simply confusing myself. So now I print them ALL out and keep them in a binder, which also allows me to see how things have changed/traces of old conversations, which can be helpful if people deny ever having agreed to teach a certain course at a certain time. The graduate student teaching scheduling was even more complicated, since I had to keep track of who had TA'd for what course in previous semesters, etc. The binder is really working for me on this front!
ReplyDeleteLast week: I didn't have goals, but I think I did some stuff? Funny how I can't really remember unless I look back at my planner (which isn't terribly interesting). The good news is that a week off of exercising seems to have helped my back injury. I went for a run on Saturday and it felt great! So I'll be back to some exercise this week--it's a good week to take it easy, since we'll be traveling for Thanksgiving.
This week's goals (small because o the holiday):
1. Find reviewers for two journal articles
2. Write a letter of nomination for a teaching award for a grad student
3. Work out 3-4 times (including a yoga class)
4. Enjoy family
5. Read a little for research on a subject I'm just interested in, not planning to write about (what luxury!)
Sometime hard copy really is easier! The brain just processes it differently. I'm glad to hear you're able to run again.
DeleteIt makes such a difference when you can get back to exercise! Enjoy Thanksgiving, and the reading for interest.
DeleteProgram Director stuff definitely gets binders, so much easier when marking sections for frequent use or remembering things from the distant or not so distant past.
DeleteHappy Thanksgiving, hope the exercise fun continues with no injuries!
A few years ago I took a whole pile of three ring binders to a local charity shop. I still have some, but hardly use them. I have lots of file folders, and I DO use them. I have a folder for each class. For classes, I use the folders with pockets; I use the ones with multiple pockets for lecture classes, so I can keep the printouts of readings with me, as well as lecture notes. Seminars are more casual. I also have a lifetime supply of paper clips and binder clips, which I tend to use instead of staples, so I can take a pile apart.
ReplyDeleteHow I did:
1. New batch of copyedits on Famous Author YES
2. Deal with last questions on Big Collaboration because my co-editor is in Japan NO
3. Clear desk of junk NO
4. Catch up on teaching stuff MOSTLY
5. Get back into exercise EVENTUALLY
6. Read some journals NO
7. Do some needlepoint NO
8. Sleep NO
INSTEAD:
finished first round of copyedits on Famous Author
Read and rated applications for a short turnaround grant for untenured colleagues
Went to a bunch of meetings
Held a coffee and donuts for my grad students
Well, that's impressive. I don't know why I thought I could do all that! And I got Julie's cold (actually, the conference cold) so was on 50% for 2 or three days. And it was a terrible week, where I felt like I never had a chance to breathe. The copyedits are almost done (I'm doing a last read now), but in the process I discovered that all my illustrations had got misnumbered as I reorganized chapters, and fixing that took a LOT of time.
Goals for this week:
1. Finish all the copyedits
2. Clear my desk and all the piles around the house
3. Order snacks for various events that are coming up
4. Get all the rest of the assignments up in my classes
5. Send out notice about upcoming events
6. Read MS for journal
7. Do something on the decluttering /clearing project (1/2 hour four days)
8. Keep up with exercise
9. Take at least Thursday off for the holiday
It is thankfully a slow week at work so I may be able to catch up with the chaos that is the result of two trips in two weeks, a cold and a LOT of work. I've kept up with laundry but that's about it. I have no big plans for Thanksgiving, but a friend is coming over for dinner and I will cook a lot so I have leftovers. She's bringing pie and rolls. (Also, I really like most of the side dishes, so there's that.)
Have a good week, everyone!
Your "instead" section is indeed impressive! I hope you're able to dig out this week, and also that you have a delicious and fun Thanksgiving.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteGood luck with the final edits! They always seem to drag on. And enjoy Thanksgiving!
DeleteHappy Thanksgiving and happy catch-up week, I hope it turns out to be restful and pleasant.
DeleteSide dishes are by far the best part of Thanksgiving meals, particularly partial to the ones based on roasted brussel sprouts...
Daisy, I'm trying a new brussels sprouts recipe, because I now have an air fryer. I LOVE roasted brussels sprouts!
DeleteI have recently started using three-ring binders for loose papers that need to be kept organized, and for music that needs to be . Everything else is folders and the occasional concertina folder. I have one of those for each class I have but have discovered they are easy to turn into repositories of all kinds of stuff that go the “out of sight out of mind” route, so rethinking that plan…
ReplyDeleteLast week’s goals
Data for new/old paper ONGOING
Sample processing ONGOING
Two reviews now urgent ONE DONE
Review committee homework NOPE
November is being very November… And I am losing… That was a lousy week with whatever plague I had, I am finally better and catching up. On the plus side, all the undergrads are a mess so I don’t have any undergrad project work to do this week. The grad students are making up for it though…
This week’s goals
New/Old paper to co-authors
One review now extra urgent
Review committee homework
Read grad student chapters (one for each would be good)
Practice like maniac for upcoming shows
I'm sorry you had the plague. Always miserable. Good luck with this week.
DeleteAt least November is almost over!
DeleteSympathies for the November plague. I am hoping illness in November means a boosted immune system for Christmas...
DeleteSo close to the end of November!
DeleteMy "legacy binders" (thank you for that term, JaneB) are full of photocopies that I've been intermittently culling; the ones I want to scan are mainly from books, but a few are from journals that I don't normally have online access to. Sometimes I have to check whether a journal is in databases I can get at. I fear there is a stack on my desk at school whose status I'm no longer sure of! I used to have a list of all the articles I had copied, made by a student who I paid to work through the binders and create said list. Now I just check the computer folder of PDFs.
ReplyDeleteI like binders because I react to them as if they are books, and books are visible to me. Most things in file folders/file cabinets are invisible. There are a few I can remember to check, but putting anything in a file folder is very similar to just throwing it away, as far as my ability to "stay in touch" with that item. But if it's in a binder then I can find it far more easily.
I don't use binder clips on papers as often as I once did but they are in use around the house, for example clipping nylon net around a set of shelves to keep Basement Cat from chewing on my African violets!
How I did:
- swim x3, cardio x3, weights x2, yoga x5: x2, x2, x2, x4 (not bad, I guess, but definitely short of the previous week's excellence)
- at least 4 writing sessions: ... I don't even know. At least one that I'm sure of! Plus a few paragraphs of planning a novel, based on updating / transplanting a mid-century Scottish country setting to California ...
- finish grading undergrad papers; finish prep of objects for a special class; write two more assignments: YES, YES, ONE and decided to drop one
- finish sample syllabus for a proposed course: SO CLOSE! I have to add policies etc but all the substantive stuff is done.
- put new sticker on licence plate: YES
ALSO: started writing final exam for grad class, wrote two review sheets for that class, went to a social gathering, bought some clear plastic boxes to facilitate unpacking/garage organizing.
New goals:
- swim x2, cardio & weights at gym x1, keep up as best I can during Thanksgiving break*, yoga x5
- at least 4 writing sessions
- finish final exam and review sheets for grads
- add policies and send sample syllabus
- Thanksgiving cooking for two
- jigsaw puzzle? fun reading? something fun!
* Disadvantage to belonging to a community college gym is that it closes during breaks.
Ooh, writing a novel sounds exciting! Hope you enjoy Thanksgiving.
DeleteI don't know if I'll actually write it, but I had Ideas about how it could be done!
DeleteEven contemplating a novel is cool! One never knows where something like that can go...
DeleteLots done and lots added as extras!
Love your description of how things in folders turn invisible... so true.
DeleteHappy Thanksgiving!
Happy THanksgiving to our American members - I hope you all have lots of yummy leftovers!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I hope you have/had a good Thursday!
Delete