Here we are, staring October in the face! Although there still are three more days to tackle September goals, I fear I'll be rolling over a lot of mine into Exploding Head Month. Perhaps appropriately, this week's theme event is Meeting Someone Who Can Help (or at least cheer you on). This might be a neighbor, a handyperson, someone in the village who knows everyone, a friend you long ago lost touch with who turns up in the area, a friendly barista, or even an animal companion. This person will probably turn into a regularly recurring character, so choose someone you will enjoy having around and referring back to in future weeks!
And, of course, let us know how you did with your last goals, then set some new ones.
Daisy
Read and edit student paper draft
Prep for upcoming meeting
Book flights for interesting trip in October
Something fun with friends
Write report thing for previous report, to clarify report…
Exercise!!!!!!!
Dame Eleanor Hull
- work on both M and S projects this week
- 2 "write first" mornings, 3 "exercise first" mornings
- grade grad quizzes, prep for both classes
- prep for guest lecture
- finishing touches to syllabuses, load more stuff to the ViLE
- make 1 phone call to schedule a shot
- assorted stupid work admin things including minimum necessary prep for
committee meetings (3 this week!) and an application to process
- get back to latest round of editing tasks
- spend an hour tidying my study (or somewhere!)
- find a good time for language work
Heu mihi
Catch up on writing: Aim for 3,380 words (an oddly precise
number, but I have my reasons).
2. Draft narrower focus for external review; continue seeking possible
reviewers.
3. Journal: Process article revision (very late on this one)
4. Resume exercise by end of week, but be sensible and don't start too soon
5. Sit twice
JaneB
SELF CARE
3x20 minutes of movement
reading, 1-2 creative things, 1-2 social things
LIFE ADMIN
Get electrician quote for a couple of jobs
Look at possible sofas
Don’t get lots more stuff
TEACHING/WORK ADMIN
Sort out slides for second week lectures
Sort out class bookings for student in wheelchair
Do thing about deadlines
Finish typing in my objectives
RESEARCH
Process more model outputs ready for meeting next week
make list of all the other ‘ongoing stuff’
look at paper I said I'd help redraft
Draft abstract for conference and send to former grad student
Julie
1. Big Article - realistically can only do one day, sadly.
2. Teaching prep - finish ViLE sites and module handbooks (deadline next
Monday). meet with tutors on big module.
3. Resend abstract and text descriptions of images for another article that the
online platform has lost.
4. House/life admin: financial stuff, book hairdresser's appointment.
5. Self-care/fun: run x 3, walk, journal, read.
Susan (held over)
DRAFT THE DAMN PAPER.
PACK
Organize life
My problem is I like all of these suggestions. I think I'm going to go with pub landlady who knows everyone. The village has a proper English pub with log fire, beams, all the cliches. The locals are a bit fed up with tourists and second-home owners, so there's going to be a bit of wariness while they wait and see what I do with the house, whether I'm going to make an effort to join the community etc. I'm going to start by asking for recommendations for someone who might help with decluttering.
ReplyDeleteHow I did:
1. Big Article - realistically can only do one day, sadly. - YES (and felt much better for it)
2. Teaching prep - finish ViLE sites and module handbooks (deadline next Monday). meet with tutors on big module. - ONE FINISHED (deadline extended, thankfully), YES
3. Resend abstract and text descriptions of images for another article that the online platform has lost. - YES
4. House/life admin: financial stuff, book hairdresser's appointment. - ONE THING, YES
5. Self-care/fun: run x 3, walk, journal, read. - YES, NO, YES
Exploding Head Month is the best description ever for this October. Current Me is cursing the Past Me who blithely underestimated how much teaching she would be doing and signed herself up for a workshop.
This week (last before teaching starts):
1. Finish two remaining module handbooks and ViLE sites by tomorrow's new deadline, try not to lose patience with colleagues who have still not filled in their bits.
2. Big Article - try to fit in one more day.
3. Meet with new first-year academic advisees, take biscuits.
4. Prep intro teaching sessions for next week.
5. House/life admin: more financial stuff, get haircut.
6. Self-care/.fun: run x 4, read, journal, see one set of friends Friday night, host cookbook dinner Saturday night.
Lots of yes! Congrats on being a colleague who does things on time! I hope you like your new advisees, and have a good week.
DeletePub landlady definitely a great one for knowing all the things you need!
DeleteHope the slow colleagues get their stuff done and you get the writing day to fit in.
I am so tempted to go with Rammstein, the helpful otter (well, otter-shaped person) we encountered a few summers ago when we played a D&D game as our theme. He was fun! But I think I'll go for a friendly but eccentric neighbour who seems to know everyone - she'll be first encountered trying to trap a feral cat with a limp in the overgrown area just outside my garden, and will very quickly talk me into taking on the care of a couple of outdoor (well, shed-dwelling) former feral cats. Maybe they'll deter whatever is causing the noises in the walls?
ReplyDeleteLAST WEEK
Continued chaotic, ending with a colleague going off sick for "at least most of the trimester" - not the most effective colleague, but still, multiple duties had to be reallocated in a cascade, and we didn;t need the stress. I crashed all weekend - I'm stressed and December-tired in September. Sigh!
SELF CARE
3x20 minutes of movement managed two
reading, 1-2 creative things, 1-2 social things reading yes, a bit of painting, one game of D&D
LIFE ADMIN
Get electrician quote for a couple of jobs I have quotes (for that and for upgrading my whole fuse box which is almost 40 years old and standards have risen - so while I'm thinking about it and still employed, I might as well get it done). Mr Shoutypants really enjoyed inspecting everything she inspected and getting to see the inside of the fuse cupboard!
Look at possible sofas no, didn't get there
Don’t get lots more stuff only takeout. Which was better than the last takeout (well it included grilled halloumi so that was always going to be good)
TEACHING/WORK ADMIN
Sort out slides for second week lectures yes, just about done
Sort out class bookings for student in wheelchairhopefully sorted
Do thing about deadlines made a solid start, discovered once again how many colleagues cannot read instructions or cannot be bothered to read instructions or are too stressed to comprehend instructions, sent a lot of hopefully polite emails to try and get the information I actually need!
Finish typing in my objectivesyes. Multiple new demands for urgent information from the Powers That Be arrived to fill up the void that task left...
RESEARCH
Process more model outputs ready for meeting next week I got a bit done, but we had a lot of problems with files being too large to move between computers over t'internet because even though I and my collaborator use the same professional file storage and sharing system, we are at different universities, so it is impossible to actually share files easily by any means other than one at a time (and one batch is over 10,000 files...)
make list of all the other ‘ongoing stuff’ still feeling daunted by this
look at paper I said I'd help redraft started on an outline
Draft abstract for conference and send to former grad student done
THIS WEEK:
I am very tired and grumpy, tomorrow is a LONG on campus day (ending with an Annual Review meeting for the second time in two months), Wednesday Mr Shoutypants has to go for a tooth cleaning (and therefore have an anaesthetic, and therefore be starved overnight, which is going to be HARD - he does love a 3am snack and a 5am snack before breakfast), Thursday I have a lot of meetings. Friday I expect to Go Flop!
SELF CARE
3x20 minutes of movement
reading, 1-2 creative things, 1-2 social things
LIFE ADMIN
Schedule electrician visit
Look at possible sofas
Don’t get lots more stuff
Get through Shoutypants's tooth cleaning and need to get medication into him after the event
TEACHING/WORK ADMIN
Sort out slides for third week lectures
Sort out all the lab handouts and email technical support team for third week
Finish thing about deadlines
Attempt to get responses from all my project students
RESEARCH
Process more model outputs
Make list of all the other ‘ongoing stuff’
Finish outline of paper I said I'd help redraft and circulate to co-authors
Submit abstract for conference
You did a lot! That was a very accomplished week. Maybe Rammstein was helping out behind the scenes, or via the cats, who knows. I approve crashing for the weekend; that is supposed to be what they're for (and I sure didn't get anything done with mine, this week, spent all Saturday re-reading Angela Thirkell novels, then cooking). I hope today went well! Best wishes to you & Mr Shoutypants for the teeth cleaning!
DeleteI had to go down the rabbit hole (otter den?) of summer 2024. That was a lot of fun! Thank you, again, for running the campaign that summer.
DeleteHas it been two years already since the D&D summer?! Sympathies on a tough week. Why are other people so difficult?
DeleteThe file sharing issues are terrifying! One would think with all the systems there would be an easy way but there really is not... good luck with that!
DeleteSay hi to Rammstein if you see him in the woods anywhere, he was so much fun!
The obvious, sensible choice would be an excellent contractor, no doubt recommended by one of my contractor-relations in the next state. But I'm not feeling this option. I'm going Animal Companion: a large black cat (probably 15 pounds), who looks even larger because he is very fluffy. He is remarkably friendly, very out-going! Seems to be in good shape, known in the neighborhood, various people feed him but he doesn't seem to live anywhere in particular, and now he's saying he would like to make this His House. Who am I to argue? Everywhere is nicer with a purring cat.
ReplyDeleteHow I Did:
- work on both M and S projects this week: YES
- 2 "write first" mornings, 3 "exercise first" mornings: YES
- grade grad quizzes, prep for both classes: YES
- prep for guest lecture: YES
- finishing touches to syllabuses, load more stuff to the ViLE: NO, still shirking! I added a couple of things to the grad ViLE this morning, but they were sent by students, not planned by me.
- make 1 phone call to schedule a shot: NO
- assorted stupid work admin things including minimum necessary prep for committee meetings (3 this week!) and an application to process: YES
- get back to latest round of editing tasks: NO
- spend an hour tidying my study (or somewhere!): YES if outside counts: dug in the compost pile & veg patch to see if any potatoes grew this year (no), did some other garden clear-up (it never shows, sadly)
- find a good time for language work: NOT REALLY, still usually prepping at the last minute!
ALSO: dinner with friends, Mozart concert, baked cookies, had an abstract accepted for a conference next spring (I wasn't intending to go, but a session that really had my name on it still needed submissions, so there we are), was invited to expand one of this summer's conference papers into an article for a journal. It was a good week!
New Goals, very like the old ones:
- work on both M and S projects this week
- 2 "write first" mornings, 3 "exercise first" mornings
- grade grad quizzes, prep for both classes
- finishing touches to syllabuses, load more stuff to the ViLE
- make 1 phone call to schedule a shot
- assorted stupid work admin things and an application to process
- get back to latest round of editing tasks, FFS
- spend an hour tidying my study (or somewhere!)
- find a good time for language work or resign myself to last-minute prep!
Sounds like it was a really good week! Congratulations on the conference acceptance (hope it's a fun location) and the invitation.
DeleteYay for summer conference talk getting to be a paper! That is always so nice!
DeleteLove your newly moved in cat... I am sure he will bring friends at some point, and in the meantime will provide an excellent conversation piece with your new neighbours. Knowing who the cat people are always helps!
One morning as I was taking my kayak out for an early morning paddle I saw someone swimming at the far end of the inlet. The swimmer waved, and I paddled over to say hi. I was greeted by a very spry older lady (picturing sort of an outdoorsy version of Bake-off’s Prue). She lives in a nearby cabin, and was curious about the newcomer in mine… Lovely chat, she seems to know a lot of things about the area, but was oddly reluctant to talk about my cabin and its history. She was happy to recommend a local handywoman who does roofs, so I will be getting in touch. She also offered some of her giant thermos of coffee, turns out it was more Baileys than coffee so that was an excellent start to a developing friendship!
ReplyDeleteIRL I am drowning in paperwork and would love to paddle off into the distance for a spell… I have two trips in October, one this week of a manageable size, and then a much more substantive trip the week after for which there will be a ton of work to do. Also playing the now-standard October musical so that is coming up, but that is fun and I get to drive my newly-moved-out uni student back and forth to it so excellent catching-up time.
Last week’s goals
Read and edit student paper draft PARTLY
Prep for upcoming meeting YES
Book flights for interesting trip in October YES
Something fun with friends YES
Write report thing for previous report, to clarify report… PROGRESS
Exercise NOPE
This week’s goals
Read and edit last week’s AND this week’s new paper draft
Edit student abstracts
Survive meeting trip
Finish hideous report
Mark all the things
Set up sample processing
Finish data compilation so that someone else can take over
I like your friend! October sounds like you'll have a lot going on, but also like it will be a good month to look back on and say "I did interesting things!" rather than "same old exploding head."
DeleteYou pack so much stuff in! The musical sounds great, especially if you get to catch up with your kid.
DeleteI'm going to come back for the prompt--I promise!--because it's late on Wednesday and I want to at least check in.
ReplyDeleteThe external review trip was extremely helpful and very tiring and I'm behind on everything. (Hence the late-Wednesday check-in.) I also only really started to feel better over the weekend, and can now pronounce myself fully healed after two weeks!
Last week:
Catch up on writing: Aim for 3,380 words (an oddly precise number, but I have my reasons). - YES
2. Draft narrower focus for external review; continue seeking possible reviewers. - SORT OF, PROGRESS MADE
3. Journal: Process article revision (very late on this one) - YES
4. Resume exercise by end of week, but be sensible and don't start too soon - NO (see above)
5. Sit twice - ONCE
This week:
1. Resume exercise
2. Write 2500 words
3. Sit twice
4. Begin narrowing external review focus
5. Start organizing department-wide event (just a coffee hour, nothing too crazy)
I'm glad you're feeling better! I have heard that colds these days last two weeks--it's not just you! I look forward to hearing who your Person Who Can Help will be.
Delete