January – On grading, research, and knowing when to give in
This last month has been somewhat crazy (I think I called my upcoming schedule ‘frightening’ in December’s overview). The crazy involved, amongst many other events, having to grade presentations, papers, and exams of 70 students, spending many hours caught up in hospitals in support of my family, the editing of a massive sci-fi novel, and figuring out the Introduction to Gender Studies course I will be coordinating from next week onward.
Luckily, I knew all these things were coming way back in November, so I went easy on this month’s to-do list. I did write down everything I wanted to get done, but I made sure to differentiate between what I absolutely had to do and what I could skip if necessary. Needless to say, halfway through the month I had crossed out all of the latter. If I learned anything last year, it’s knowing when to give in.
Projects done
Knowing what January was going to bring, I put a red cross through my planner in November already, vouching not to take on any more than the projects I had already planned. And I almost succeeded. Read More →