What am I forgetting?

This year I only had to buy one Christmas gift. I went in with some of my sibs for gifts for my mom and dad, we all go in together for gifts for the nieces and nephews*, I don't exchange with any friends, and EGM and I are getting a new t.v., so we decided not to get each other any presents. If we were together on Christmas, I think there'd be temptation to get some small things for each other, but since he'll still be away it's not an issue. So the only present I had to get was for my secret santa sibling who lives in another state. I ordered something online, so I didn't even really have to shop for that. It feels weird, like I'm forgetting something.

I also feel a little out of control with my paper. The corrections Research Advisor suggested are taking way longer than I thought they would. Most of them were changes to the text, but some of them required going back to the data. I've kind of been going back and forth from text to data, and that has made me feel a little confused about what is still left to do. Also, I discovered some small errors in my spreadsheet, which had me kind of heart broken. How could I possibly have mistakes after all the times I've combed through those spreadsheets? What other mistakes might be lurking? How can I ever be a Good Scientist if I have errors in data that I am this close to submitting? I think the problems arose from having multiple versions of the same files, i.e. one saved on my work desktop, one on my usb stick, and on my laptop, plus ones where I played around with different analyses and stuff. Boo.

I had a snow day yesterday, which I spent trying very hard to stay focused on work. Though I wasted plenty of time looking at blogs and such, I don't think I worked any less than if I had sat in traffic trying to get to work in the ice and snow. Not really a net gain. But I went to the lab today because I needed to use some software that I don't have on my laptop and I got tons done with hardly any goofing off (there were certain things I really wanted to finish while there, and I wanted to get out of there before weather got bad again). At this point, I think I'm very close to finishing RA's revisions. Hopefully I can send the manuscript to all three coauthors sometime tomorrow. With any luck, they'll be able to look over it quickly, tell me it's fine, and then I'll still be able to submit it before break. I'm not holding my breath that things will move that quickly, though.

*I wrote about our system for niece/nephew presents last year, but it's worth sharing again. There are 14 children in that generation of my family. They all have way too much stuff, and it would be really expensive and time consuming for each of us to buy a separate gift for each one of them. So, we all put in $10/per kid (not much, really) and get one item for all the kids in each family. For example, last year S2's kids got a basketball hoop. This year, their other grandparents are getting them a wii, so we are buying them games for it. Most of the other kids will get family memberships to museums, the zoo, nature center, etc. It works out great for everyone.

I'm a trained monkey

I'm off to the lab this afternoon to do some seriously mindless work. If I'm lucky I'll tick off 6 more samples from the counter at the sidebar. Even though this task is crummy, tedious, boring, and dirty, I enjoy it as long as I don't have to do it every day for weeks on end. Candid Engineer has a post about why big brain thinky types like to do repetitive lab work (actually, there are a bunch of great posts at Candid Engineer in Academia) that I think is pretty much spot-on. It feels good to see the work get done. Also, I like to get my hands dirty with the project so I develop a more intimate knowledge of it.


So you say, "EGF, you don't work on weekends! That violates your 40 hours rule." That's true, but I do want to graduate and the only way to do it to get things done. However, unless I have a huge and looming deadline, when I work on weekends I reserve the right to choose whatever I feel like doing rather than worrying about what has highest priority. I figure it's bonus work so whatever I get done is great. I don't want to be resentful of being there; I want to be pleased with myself for getting something extra accomplished.

Every thing I do today is one thing I don't have to do tomorrow.

Green thumb, black thumb

Comments on my last post praising my alleged green thumb prompted me to be a little more honest about my indoor gardening skills. Many of my plants are doing really well right now but some of them, like those pictured above, are really suffering.

Last fall I moved all the plants back indoors after it got cold. Note that I said "after" not "before" it got cold. So a few of the less hardy ones were a little worse for wear after their summer growth spurt and subsequent frost damage. After they were inside, some of them thrived while others hated their new locations, plus I kind of neglected them at first.

The project efficiency NY resolution helped because I started watering really regularly. The ones that aren't mostly dead are quite happy, but there are a few with just a handful of green leaves left. I'm hoping they will hang on until May when I can move some outside and move the rest to better spots inside.

Production is up!

I had a small breakthrough today. I took some advice from How To Write A Lot and ended up writing a lot this afternoon.

First, I got permission to turn off my internet connection and did so for several hours. It made a huge difference, even though I could easily turn it back on when I wanted. When I'm working on data analysis or writing, I often briefly check my email whenever I get to something that requires a little thought. Not having that option really kept me on task.

Second, I re-read the bit about writing introductions. Silvia recommends a three-section template for intro's: stating the problem, expanding on the problem, and stating how the present study will address the problem. This sounds so simple it's verging on silly and of course the advice in the book was more elaborate. I have always struggled with intro's because I have a hard time seeing them as a whole. I can write good paragraphs presenting the relevant ideas, but I have trouble organizing them in a logical structure. I shuffled around some text I already had and then wrote some more. I think my draft is much better now.

I told Academic Advisor that I would be giving the lab group a draft of my manuscript on Tuesday so we can discuss it at lab meeting the following Tuesday. I think I really need a deadline goal. Undoubtedly, it will also be extremely helpful to get the comments of all those readers, even if they don't read it very thoroughly (which I doubt they will).

NYR February Review

Another month has breezed by; it's time to check in on my New Years' Resolutions.

Project Efficiency has gone downhill. I haven't been writing daily goals, which is the centerpiece of the program. I have also been checking my bloggy email and maybe sometimes peeking at bloglines during work. On the other hand, there hasn't been a lot of fake working. I think I can be proud of that. I'm optimistic about March after reading Silvia's book and getting Slimtimer. So my goals for March are to get in the habit of actually using Slimtimer regularly while establishing a writing routine.

Money went pretty well in February. In addition to the normal big-for-my-income sum that gets automatically transferred to my ING savings each month, I had a little bit leftover on the 29th to add to the kitty. Having two international trips planned really motivates me to save. In other news, Psycgirl and I are thinking about starting a multi-author blog (similar to the Active Academic ) to discuss all manner of money issues that academics have. Anyone interested in that?

We cooked most of our dinners, but there was more pizza than there should have been. Oh well, it was yummy.

Work has been medium. I made some more progress on Chapter 1 paper and discussed what I have so far with both advisers. There's still a lot to do though. There was a little progress for Chapter 2 as well, as I had to complete the final laboratory analyses on one chunk of samples and partially work up the data for a conference abstract. My goal for March is to finish a complete, decent draft of the Chapter 1 paper.

Overall, February was medium. I'm hopeful that the longer days of spring will revitalize me. But, who am I kidding? It won't be spring around here for another two months. I guess I may as well be working!

Writing a Lot

Yesterday, I went to this very cool new coffee shop around the corner and read Paul J Silvia's How to Write a Lot in two hours and ten minutes. Loved it. The book basically explains how to pull your thumb out and get your writing done by sticking to a schedule. Other bloggers have reviewed the book more thoroughly, so I won't do that here. I will say that my favorite aspect of Silvia's advice is that if you have a writing schedule and stick to it, there should never be any guilt or anxiety attached to writing and you won't feel like you should be writing in your free time. This is my kind of advice.

I usually get to work between 7:45 and 8:15. Other people in the lab roll in between 9:15 and 10:30. Typically, when I get to work the first thing I do is check my email while eating a portable breakfast (granola bar or english muffin). I also go through journal TOCs and download relevant articles. I could, however, easily schedule my writing time for 8 to 9:30 or 10 am. I could get to work and start writing right away, saving my email stuff for after writing time. I could keep my door closed during this time for extra focus, although few of my coworkers would be there to interrupt me at that time anyway. Plus, I would have the whole rest of the day for lab work. That would relieve the daily dilemma about whether to do labwork or writing.

Silvia also recommends a way to keep track of progress using a spreadsheet (not particularly novel but helpful nonetheless), which is cool since I was wondering about that recently.

I can't wait to get started with the new system. I think it will mesh well with my new work timer.

Type A timesheet

We got another winter storm last night into this morning, so I worked from home until noon. I'm usually not very successful working from home because I goof off too much. I really want to be able to work at home sometimes (that's work, not "work"). And I want to be able to plan to do so with the confidence that I will actually get something done. So today I signed up with Slimtimer.com after seeing Dr. Shellie's comment on one of Saxifraga's posts, along with references to similar programs on other blogs. It's a website that lets you track how much time you spend doing particular tasks. You can add tags in order to group tasks by topic. I think it's possible to download daily or weekly logs of your activity. Good for seeing how you really spend your time.

I only used it for a few hours this morning, but seeing the clock ticking away helped keep me on track. I haven't logged enough hours to try out some of the features, but I bet that my totally anal retentive, structure loving personality will thrive on this sort of rigidity. Bring it on!

Bonus

So far, Project Efficiency, my catch-all New Year's Resolution all about not procrastinating and getting more done, is going pretty well. For example, I paid for my car license plate renewal the day the notice came, which is the sort of thing I'd usually put off and then scramble to do before the deadline, accompianed by much anxiety. More notably, I haven't been blogging at work at all. Although twice I quickly checked my blog related email to look up specific information. And, I admit that when I worked last Saturday, I did read some blogs over lunch, but I figure it's okay if I'm there on a weekend.

Anyway, an unexpected side effect of less procrastination is a tidier home. We're not super messy, but we're not neat freaks either. Since I'm no longer putting off things like sorting the mail or doing the dishes, we are maintaining a cleaner environment. How nice.

Let's talk about procrastination

I'm positive that there are lots of books out there all about procrastination, why we engage in it, and how to beat it. I haven't read them. I bet that many people in this corner of the blogosphere have read some of these books, or thought extensively on the subject, or definitively blogged about it. Since this is a record of my personal journey, I will now blog about my own recent thoughts on procrastination. But I'd love links to your insightful posts or recommendations for helpful but not boring books.

Procrastination doesn't get you ahead. It puts you in the hole. It causes oppressive anxiety. And it creates more work for you to put off.

Think about when you get an email with an attached form you have to fill out. It’s probably tedious and has a distant deadline, so you ignore it for later. But then the deadline approaches and then passes and you get several reminder emails to return the completed form. So you do it, but now you’ve had to think about the stupid thing all those extra times, search for the buried email, and feel guilty. In a sense, you’ve had to do the work more than once. Or think about when you blow something off and then have to do it again because it’s ruined, or it takes extra paperwork to get an extension, or there’s a late fee. Why do we do this to ourselves? Usually, the thing I do instead is not worth the heartache of dealing with the consequences of procrastination. So much guilt and anxiety for what? A Seinfeld rerun? The headlines on MSN?

This recent realization of how much I suffer at the devious hand of procrastination is why one of my NYRs was to reduce it and is what I will try to keep in my thoughts so as to avoid it. It feels so good to get things done when they need to be done and then not think about them again. And to know that no one can bitch at you for not doing your bit.

I recently read in a magazine something like “you never say ‘gee, I wish I hadn’t done that’ after you exercise.” I think the same is true for doing things on your list. You never regret being productive. Productive, here, means not only getting work done, but doing the fun activities that we want to do. I noticed that an awful lot of bloggers wrote how they don’t want to waste time mindlessly surfing the Internet or watching tv this year. Me too.

New Year's Resolutions

I love New Year’s resolutions. Last year I made three, one that I kept (paid off my debt), one that I kept for part of the year (Pilates video workout every day), and one that failed miserably (submit a manuscript). I think NYRs can even affect my mood. I blogged about feeling the blahs in December, which I attributed to winter blues. However, I think it might actually have been end-of-the-year blues. In December, I always reflect on all the things I didn’t accomplish and all the goals I left unmet. January brings a fresh start.

Like many others, I will announce a theme for 2008: Gettin’ It Done (I wonder if Profgrrrl knows how influential she is?). 2008 needs to be about finishing some work so I can a. not go crazy from frustration and b. graduate someday. I like the theme idea, but I think the best resolutions involve very specific goals which can be assessed and, more importantly, are manageable size. It's fine to say you're going to lose weight, but it's also important to say how you will go about losing the weight. So, here are mine:

• Project Efficiency. The idea here is that I will be really focused and work really hard when I’m at work and then not feel guilty for not working when I get home. Any extra work beyond five 8-hour days will be bonus. It has several parts:
  1. No doing work that isn’t really work. Like searching for a semi-necessary image for a presentation 3 hours. I know when I’m giving myself excuses.
  2. At the end of each day, setting goals for the next day. These should be reasonable, not lofty, because I don’t want to feel like crap every day when I don’t finish my to-do list. I want to feel good because my daily accomplishments are transparent.
  3. Reduced procrastination. I've finally realized what grief procratination causes me and I resolve to keep that in mind whenver I want to put something off.
  4. And the hardest part: NO BLOGGING AT WORK. No checking bloglines, or my counter, or my blog email, none of it.


• Money
  1. Build my savings to 3 months’ expenses. This will be very challenging because of the two overseas trips we have planned. If I can at least not be in debt due to those, I guess I’ll be satisfied
  2. Start an IRA. I have no goals for the amount, I just want to have something started for retirement. There’s still lots of time for it to build, so anything I save now is great.
  
• Heath
  1. Cook full meals for dinner at least three times per week. This will contribute to the savings goals (synergy!). Ecogeoman will be onboard with this one too, since he wants to get very serious about Weight Watchers this year. He has be doing it for a few months, but not really taking it all to heart. He wants to lose weight for the tux he’ll have to wear in July’s wedding. See, it’s not only women who have this kind of goal!
  2. Start eating chicken again. I’ve been mostly vegetarian since 2002 but I’m finding it increasingly annoying. We often have dinner at friends’ houses and it’s really hard to ask people to make something special for me or to bring my own food, which feels rude. Beef and pork are completely unappealing, but chicken is alright and I think it will help me with part 1. I stopped eating meat in the first place because I felt it was ecologically unsustainable and that the meat production system was filthy. I’m (mostly) okay with free range, organic meat and it is becoming more widely available. I think chicken on the order of once per week would be good. Ecogeoman would certainly appreciate it.
  3. I’d love to make an exercise resolution, but I know I won’t keep it because it doesn’t feel like a hard and fast priority right now. I don’t want to make goals that I don’t think I can keep because I don’t want to set myself up to fail.
  
• Work
  1. Project Efficiency
  2. Submit 2 papers for publication
  i. The one I resolved to submit last year but didn’t
  ii. Another one
  3. Finish lab work for Chapter 2
  4. Finish lab work for Chapter 3
  5. Have lab work for Chapter 4 solidly started, or have decided to ditch Chapter 4. I’d like to resolve to finish lab work for Chapter 4 too, but I’m not sure it’s possible.

I will report my progress here every month for the rest of the year. I’m serious about these resolutions!