Conversation

I've had some good comments and wanted to reply to some of them.

In a comment on my post about talking too much and listening too little Isabel writes:

I see NaBloPoMo from the opposite perspective. I'm using the list as an opportunity to visit as many as possible and "listen" to some new voices.

That's a good point. I'll try to read some new blogs this month. I'll let you know if I come across any gems. So check out NaBloPoMo if you haven't yet.

Katya asks:

congrats on being so productive on your non-work day! I usually do absolutely nothing on non-work days and thus always have cleaning, laundry, dishes and errands to do on every other day. Grr. So do you ever get a do absolutely nothing day? or is that forbidden in PhD land?

The thing is, if you count up how many hours I'm actually working it might even be under full time (this may change as I mover through the program...). Part of the problem is defining when I'm working though. People with 9 to 5 jobs are working when they're at work, even when they're chatting with co-workers, playing solitaire, etc. So how much of the time I spend distracted from work is the equivalent of that and should count as work time, even though I'm not productive? It's hard to be your own supervisor but I'm getting better at it. Of course there's a huge freedom there, too. The thing I need to avoid, and one of the reasons for enforcing a day off to play and keep house, is time where I'm not getting work done but I'm trying to make myself work so I'm stressed out from unproductively worrying about work, if that makes sense.

A Day of Rest?

BlondebutBright writes:

"I love chores. They distract me from what I'm supposed to be doing."

As a fellow graduate student I agree.

This semester I've borrowed a page from my friend Denise and tried to set aside one day a week where I do no school work (she does Saturdays). I found that by Saturday I'd be so tired that I wouldn't do much work but I wouldn't enjoy the things I was doing because there was always this "I should be working" hanging over my head. Making it "I'm not allowed to work today" allows me a great deal of freedom. I'm not sure if Saturday or Sunday will work better and for now I'm picking one each weekend depending on what's going on.

Something happened to me which I know happens to others, including my mom. I spent most of my "day off" doing non-academic work that had been piling up. A lot of it was stuff that if I put off any longer would bother me: things that distract me from doing my work because I keep thinking about them. So hopefully when I try to work all day tomorrow (and through at least Wednesday) I'll be able to focus better. Also, I do get some enjoyment (or at least satisfaction) out of doing this stuff. Still I don't think it's the same as real rest.

Today I (in the approximate order):

• Unlocked Toad on Mario Kart (gotta start with the important stuff)
• Took down the rest of the posts on this blog prior to the day I started grad school (they're backed up)
• Went to yoga
• Did laundry
• Biked to the Credit Union to get quarters and deposit checks. It was closed so I went to the Food Lion.
• Planned meals for next week
• Paid all my bills through next payday
• Fed Katie soup
• Filled out my voter registration card (change of address)
• Took out the recycling
• Went grocery shopping (at Harris Teeter and the Co-Op... I'm glad they're right next to each other)
• Emptied and cleaned my ant farm, since the ants were all dead (long story--I may do a whole post about that sometime)
• Mopped
• Vacuumed
• Tidied up my bedroom (the living room is still in need of attention.)

The only things on the list for today I didn't get done are editing some more of the songs I recorded and putting up a shelf in the dining room. It always seems like you'll be able to do more in a day than you actually are.

Also, I feel like taking care of my 500 sq. foot condo keeps me busier than it ought to and I can't imagine taking care of a house and/or kids.

Now I'm going to try to actually take some time off this evening...