New year, new job, new semester, new schedule, new organizational scheme. Or rather the old one needed a few modifications. I find it is critical to my mental state to do this every semester or anytime something big changes.
I’ve blogged previously about my Graduate Student Planner and my student work day. As one might expect, these things change each semester and need revisiting.
Planner:
This actually hasn’t changed much, although I printed off new blank forms and reorganized the project pages to reflect just the projects I am ACTIVELY working on in the next 6 months.
I removed quite a few of my “good idea but no time” projects and put them in folders that I keep by my desk. If they aren’t in the binder than I won’t feel the stress associated with open items in need of doing something. Yes, they are still open, but they are captured and in the equivalent of a someday/maybe list rather than an active project list. That helps.
The one change I made is that I printed out my google calendar all the way through May so that I have the entire semester laid out. Once the semester is over I will have more breathing space, so my focus is getting through it.
Student Work Day:
Obviously this required a substantial rework. My updated schedule will look something like this:
WEEEKDAYS
6:30 AM up and shower
7:15 AM in the car driving to downtown
8:00 AM at work, eat lunch at desk
4:00 PM leave work
4:30 PM arrive at either GYM(T/Th/F) or CLASS (M/W)
Gym: Done and home by 6:30, then make dinner for me and husband
Class: Done and home by 8:00, eat on the go/in class
8:00 PM at desk; 2 hours of PhD work
10:00 PM stop and relax
11:00 PM bed
WEEKENDS
8:00 AM up
Most of the day working on PhD work
Break for exercise (1-2 hours), usually a bike ride from home
Try not to carry work over after dinner
11:00 PM bed
Here’s an image of an average week:
Now, of course, if I am efficient and effective, I may get everything I NEED to get done completed on the weekends and not have to work so late on weeknights. (Or at least not EVERY weeknight.) Part of the rationale of putting off comps until August is that I don’t have to kill myself on all the fill-in reading during the next 6 months. This is important. And as I said, I am trimming down my active projects list for the next few months to just the things I will really have time and energy for.
