Friday, May 29, 2015

Structure

Our writing center is doing a faculty retreat this week.  It started at 9:30 on Tuesday, and runs to 2pm, every day except Friday, when it ends at 1pm.

I've been pretty good about being here at 9:30, and settling in to work reasonably well.  And I've finished reading a book I'm writing a review for, drafted the review, gotten feedback on it, and started revising. 

When I wrote my dissertation, for a long time I did a thing where I went to a local public library in a neighborhood a few miles from my own (free parking for 2 hours!  air conditioning!).  I'd fart around for 15 minutes, then sit down and work on what I was working on, and just before the free parking ran out, I'd pack up and leave.  And then I'd go home and type up what I'd been writing, print out, and then spend several more hours reading.

The structure really helped me.  Similarly, the structure this week has helped me.  I need to find a way to maintain structure without feeling like I'm giving up mornings (prime biking and birding time), and still be fresh for work.

I started out the week feeling behind, but I'm feeling pretty good about having this drafted.

Other projects this summer:

Prepping my Intro to Lit course.
Revising a paper and submitting it (long overdue).
Revising another paper and submitting it.
Prepping my Shakespeare course.
Prepping my comp course.

If I get those things done, it will have been a very productive summer!

Also, I need to check the SAA site to see what seminars are up for next year.

2 comments:

  1. I have been thinking about structure, too. I just turned in grades, and I need to do as much work on the PhD thesis and my sabbatical project as possible during the next five weeks (while also being present as a mom). Then, I have sabbatical leave (from my community college faculty position) in the fall, and I really need to get as close to finishing the thesis as possible! I've had sabbatical before, and I know how easy it is to piddle it away . . .

    Like you, I want to enjoy the mornings. I to walk the dog down the the bay to look around, but it's very easy to get distracted once I get home from the walk. My transition to work mode tends to be slow.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I need to figure out a schedule for summer now that the kids are out of school. They have two weeks off, then two weeks of camp. Then back to time off. It's going to be chaos unless I can figure out a structure that works. I need to get some research done. I have a million projects. The kids just want to have fun. And who can blame them? But there's not enough time in the day for me to get work done and entertain them. Ugh. Must find structure!!!

    ReplyDelete