Grad school is monotonous sometimes. It is fast-paced, but that speed does not always mean the requirements are new, interesting, or engaging. Oftentimes along this journey, I feel run-down, overwhelmed, and disenchanted. I have to remind myself that if it were easy, everyone would do it. But, how can I temporarily overcome the bored, lackluster feelings so I can be productive?
To compound these feelings, I have lost enthusiasm for my favorite coffee shop. I have loved this coffee shop for years, but it has become too popular, too unreliable, and too familiar. While I love routines, I also have a longing for change to keep my brain stimulated. Now, when I go to my favorite coffee shop, I see too many people I know, I find that the wireless Internet connection is hit or miss, and I just feel "blah" about the whole excursion.
Many of my grad school friends have gotten into the habit of telling each other when we are going to work in order to maintain accountability. I have to admit, that while this started off positive for me, it is yet another thing that has made me less productive. I'm an introvert. I need my space and quiet time. Yesterday, I felt very unmotivated and decided to try a mini experiment to squelch some of my negativity and concerns during this crazy-busy time. I went to work at a new place and didn't tell a soul where I was headed. It turned out to be the most productive three-hour time slot I have had in a long time. I accomplished my entire daily to-do list, was completely motivated, and enjoyed my work.
Sometimes, motivation comes in the oddest forms. For me, it was location. A new location. Fresh ideas. No interruptions. I got to work my own way, in my own style without the constant, unchanging eyes of my peers watching and judging that I am accomplishing enough. It was pure bliss. I feel that this experiment will be continued later this week with a new location - until I find a new permanent place. Hopefully, it will serve coffee. :)
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Where do you find your inspiration?
Inspiration: the desire to do something
This is my personal definition of inspiration. Things that inspire me drive me to do something to the best of my ability. In writing, inspiration is one of the key factors to success. Without it, we fail as writers. With it, we can accomplish a great deal. Here is what inspires me with my writing:
This is my personal definition of inspiration. Things that inspire me drive me to do something to the best of my ability. In writing, inspiration is one of the key factors to success. Without it, we fail as writers. With it, we can accomplish a great deal. Here is what inspires me with my writing:
1. Giving feedback
I absolutely love giving feedback to my peers! Not only do I get to read other people's writing and see their faces light up with I praise them or give them a good suggestion, but I learn so much about writing, in general, through the process. I have never given feedback to someone without walking away going, "I never really thought to say it this way," or "I liked how that person used this word [or phrase, or format, etc.]". Bottom line - giving feedback fuels me with more tools to improve my own writing. Plus, the warm, fuzzy feeling of helping someone be more successful isn't too bad either.
2. Getting feedback
This one is a little more scary for me. It's downright nerve-racking sometimes to ask for feedback on something I have poured my heart and soul into. In the back of my mind, I am always thinking, "This is the time they are going to realize that I'm a fraud and have no clue what I'm doing. It will finally show". I'm sure many people experience this nagging feeling of inadequacy. With that thought reeling in my mind, nothing makes me happier or fuels my fire to write than hearing, "This is so clear!" or "You are such a creative writer" or some other derivative of positive feedback. Even the smallest word of praise goes a long way.
3. Passion
Without a doubt, this one is the easiest inspiration to find. If I am passionate about something, my desire and ability to write skyrocket. Students. Writing. Reading. My life. My family. Things that make me mad. Things that make me happy. Divine interventions. These are easy topics for me to write about. I can whip out notes, emails, blogs, papers, presentations, poems, short stories, or reviews at the drop of a hat for things I'm passionate about. The trick with this, though, is to find something I'm passionate about even with writing I'm not passionate about (what I refer to as "silver linings").
What inspires you to write?
And remember (in honor of the title and subtitle to this blog):
1. We're all just living on a prayer.
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Slowing Down Continued...
17.05 hours
That is what my April writing log claims is my running total as of 7:05PM on Sunday, April 7th.
In my last post I gave a list of the things I did Saturday morning rather than writing...well, no wonder my dog needed to be walked, my house was a mess, and I needed a break. It's only been a week into April and I have written about half as much as I did all of March. I've accomplished a helluva lot, but I'm a bit tired. I'm very proud of myself for being so disciplined, especially when I can't figure out where an additional 17 hours of writing time came from this week.
Silver Linings! :)
Saturday, April 6, 2013
Slowing Down
Earlier this week, a professor of mine wrote a wonderful blog post about slowing down. This semester I made the classic mistake of biting off more than I can chew and as a result, I've been struggling. The silver lining is that I am writing more now than ever before, and it is pretty decent quality. The not-so-silver lining is that I feel like I cannot get caught up. After reading the post about slowing down, I decided to give it a try.
(Please excuse my random short-hand.)
It's 3:21pm on Saturday and what have I done this weekend?
My to-do list for this weekend says:
Finish statistics summative exam
review article for a journal
finish rough draft of statistics paper
begin drafting methods section of content analysis paper (visit it for 1 hour)
complete edits for VFM manuscript
grade lesson plans my students turned in
read chapters for classes
upload quizzes to course website
review proposals for conference
(Please excuse my random short-hand.)
It's 3:21pm on Saturday and what have I done this weekend?
Answer:
Went to the OPAS show of The Phantoms of the Opera and had a girls night last night
Did my grocery shopping for the week
Cleaned my house
Walked my dog
Did laundry
Had a 45-minute phone conversation with my best friend
Spent 2 hours revamping my blogs
Did at least one of those items include writing? Yes. Do I feel accomplished? Absolutely. Am I happy with the outcome? You better believe it.
I slowed down this weekend, took care of myself and my well-being, and I feel refreshed and ready to tackle some of that to-do list. :)
Friday, September 21, 2012
Training Your Human 101
Guest Blogger - Jack Bear from Professional Society for Training Humans
I woke up and stretched across my big bed. The human was crowding me again. I don't understand why she can't stay on her own side of the bed. I stood up and finished my stretching hoping to wake the human, as is our morning routine. I knew there were more humans (her sister and mother) staying in the house today and it was my duty to make sure they were awake and ready to play with me.
I got down off the bed, making sure to grunt when I hit the floor. The human still refused to stir. Boy, could she be stubborn. Deciding there was no other option, I began barking and whimpering at her. "Ja-ack!" she squealed. Success! With plenty of back-talking and complaining, she got up and took me outside. Seriously, it's the least she could do. I don't make her wait to go potty. She goes whenever she wants. It's really crazy how stubborn humans are.
Anyway, it seemed as thought we were going to continue our morning routine peacefully. She took her sweet time getting dressed to take me out, but we got there eventually. We came back inside and she prepared my breakfast. This is all normal, but this is where the normalcy ended.
My human then proceeded to sit in the living room with her mom and sister. What! This is not what we do. Our normal routine is for me to eat breakfast while she goes into the office, sits at her desk and stares at the computer screen while drinking coffee. She hits the buttons on the computer repeatedly, grunts, looks distressed and makes odd sounds. I'm used to this by now. I lay in my bed next to her chair and get to play with special toys. Occasionally, I get a treat. After about two hours, I start barking and whimpering at her and she takes me for a walk. That's what normally happens.
So, anyway, my human is sitting in the living room talking to her mom and sister. I see it as part of my Alpha Dog/Man of the House role to ensure that my human behaves properly. This includes sticking to our routines. I begin barking at her. She ignores me, even squealing, "Ja-aaaa-ck" and "shush". Seeing that she was not going to cooperate this morning, I decided more desperate measures were needed. I began scratching at the door, knowing how much that bothers her. "Ja-ack, I just took you out! You don't need to go! Stop!" These silly remarks continued for a while, but finally she caved (like always). When she stood up and came over to me, I turned on her and began biting her heels and toes. (Note to all dogs out there: humans will walk where you want them to when you use this approach. In my experiences, it has been very successful.) Anyway, I then guide her into the office. She is squealing and screaming the entire time - really humans are too loud, always yapping!
Finally, I get her to the chair. She smarts up to my plan and sits down like a good girl. To reward her, I stop biting her heels and lay down quietly in my bed. I look up at her using my most adorable puppy eyes knowing she can't be mad at me. She begins smiling and laughing; then, she reaches down and scratches my ear while telling me I'm a good dog. I really don't get humans. One minute they are yelling at you then they act like your best friend. Her mom and sister then come into the room laughing as well. I guess I didn't get the joke.
Since you are wondering, my human punched away on the computer for about thirty minutes then I got my walk. See, humans can be trained! :)
I woke up and stretched across my big bed. The human was crowding me again. I don't understand why she can't stay on her own side of the bed. I stood up and finished my stretching hoping to wake the human, as is our morning routine. I knew there were more humans (her sister and mother) staying in the house today and it was my duty to make sure they were awake and ready to play with me.
I got down off the bed, making sure to grunt when I hit the floor. The human still refused to stir. Boy, could she be stubborn. Deciding there was no other option, I began barking and whimpering at her. "Ja-ack!" she squealed. Success! With plenty of back-talking and complaining, she got up and took me outside. Seriously, it's the least she could do. I don't make her wait to go potty. She goes whenever she wants. It's really crazy how stubborn humans are.
Anyway, it seemed as thought we were going to continue our morning routine peacefully. She took her sweet time getting dressed to take me out, but we got there eventually. We came back inside and she prepared my breakfast. This is all normal, but this is where the normalcy ended.
My human then proceeded to sit in the living room with her mom and sister. What! This is not what we do. Our normal routine is for me to eat breakfast while she goes into the office, sits at her desk and stares at the computer screen while drinking coffee. She hits the buttons on the computer repeatedly, grunts, looks distressed and makes odd sounds. I'm used to this by now. I lay in my bed next to her chair and get to play with special toys. Occasionally, I get a treat. After about two hours, I start barking and whimpering at her and she takes me for a walk. That's what normally happens.
So, anyway, my human is sitting in the living room talking to her mom and sister. I see it as part of my Alpha Dog/Man of the House role to ensure that my human behaves properly. This includes sticking to our routines. I begin barking at her. She ignores me, even squealing, "Ja-aaaa-ck" and "shush". Seeing that she was not going to cooperate this morning, I decided more desperate measures were needed. I began scratching at the door, knowing how much that bothers her. "Ja-ack, I just took you out! You don't need to go! Stop!" These silly remarks continued for a while, but finally she caved (like always). When she stood up and came over to me, I turned on her and began biting her heels and toes. (Note to all dogs out there: humans will walk where you want them to when you use this approach. In my experiences, it has been very successful.) Anyway, I then guide her into the office. She is squealing and screaming the entire time - really humans are too loud, always yapping!
Finally, I get her to the chair. She smarts up to my plan and sits down like a good girl. To reward her, I stop biting her heels and lay down quietly in my bed. I look up at her using my most adorable puppy eyes knowing she can't be mad at me. She begins smiling and laughing; then, she reaches down and scratches my ear while telling me I'm a good dog. I really don't get humans. One minute they are yelling at you then they act like your best friend. Her mom and sister then come into the room laughing as well. I guess I didn't get the joke.
Since you are wondering, my human punched away on the computer for about thirty minutes then I got my walk. See, humans can be trained! :)
Monday, July 23, 2012
It's official - the world is coming to an end!
When the next generation of human beings come across the remains of our desolate world many years from now, they will deduce that this morning's event caused the end of the world. The date: 7.23.12, a happy combination of prime numbers (which I adore) and the number 12 (clearly Aggie). Seems like an appropriate day for the world to come to an end, as I have caused it. Now, of course I am employing hyperbole (exaggeration) to maximize my point, but it's not far from the truth.
To begin, I am a procrastinator. Not just any kind of procrastinator. I'm the queen bee procrastinator. It's not that I am lazy or unmotivated, quite the opposite. I have always attributed my procrastination to two causes: (1) I'm very busy and (2) I like the pressure of a looming deadline.
First of all, I really am busy (but isn't everyone). I do things in the order they are due, but that usually leads to them being done right before they are due. That's how calendars work. Secondly, I like pressure. When I know something has to be done, and I only have X amount of time to finish it - I work really well. I've written many papers the night before (or morning) they are due. It works. Always has. I'm even particularly proud of the 30-page research paper I wrote in two days, which my professor loved. Even I realize that this is not the most wonderful method for working, but what else have I had to go on?
Let's go back to...mid-March? I think that is right; I'm sure I'll be corrected if it's not. A friend of mine was trying to teach me a new way of doing things. This new method required writing every day and logging my time spent writing. How ridiculous. I'm fairly certain that is the disdainful indignation that I responded to her with. She's still my friend. She's a trouper. She tells me how great this model is and how much it will help me. I resisted. Continued on my ways. Still succeeded (haha).
Now, let's come back to the present day. I have a book review to write for my class. The class in which I am learning the intricacies and details for this ridiculous method of productivity my friend was trying to teach me. I have been working hard on acculturating myself to this method. Through using this method, I have written a draft of my book review, which I sent to my mom last night to read and give me her thoughts on.
This morning, I was talking to my mom about the review, asking her what she thought. I told her I would finish it today then look over it again tomorrow. Puzzled, she asks, "Isn't it due today?" Poor mother. This is the mother who has relentlessly asked me weeks and days ahead of deadlines if my "paper is written yet?" Always with the answer, "Mom, it isn't due until XXXX". Again, poor thing. Usually on the day before a paper is due she would get the answer, "I'm starting it now".
Today, I reply, "oh, it isn't due until Thursday". Today is Monday. I think my mother had a heart attack. Lord Almighty, Hell has frozen over at last! Pigs are flying! The end of the world must be near. I have a paper completed - written, edited and reviewed - DAYS before the due date. This is big.
After she regained her ability to speak, my mom said, "So...your friend was right? Again. Second time in a week." (but I'll never admit that)
:)
To begin, I am a procrastinator. Not just any kind of procrastinator. I'm the queen bee procrastinator. It's not that I am lazy or unmotivated, quite the opposite. I have always attributed my procrastination to two causes: (1) I'm very busy and (2) I like the pressure of a looming deadline.
First of all, I really am busy (but isn't everyone). I do things in the order they are due, but that usually leads to them being done right before they are due. That's how calendars work. Secondly, I like pressure. When I know something has to be done, and I only have X amount of time to finish it - I work really well. I've written many papers the night before (or morning) they are due. It works. Always has. I'm even particularly proud of the 30-page research paper I wrote in two days, which my professor loved. Even I realize that this is not the most wonderful method for working, but what else have I had to go on?
Let's go back to...mid-March? I think that is right; I'm sure I'll be corrected if it's not. A friend of mine was trying to teach me a new way of doing things. This new method required writing every day and logging my time spent writing. How ridiculous. I'm fairly certain that is the disdainful indignation that I responded to her with. She's still my friend. She's a trouper. She tells me how great this model is and how much it will help me. I resisted. Continued on my ways. Still succeeded (haha).
Now, let's come back to the present day. I have a book review to write for my class. The class in which I am learning the intricacies and details for this ridiculous method of productivity my friend was trying to teach me. I have been working hard on acculturating myself to this method. Through using this method, I have written a draft of my book review, which I sent to my mom last night to read and give me her thoughts on.
This morning, I was talking to my mom about the review, asking her what she thought. I told her I would finish it today then look over it again tomorrow. Puzzled, she asks, "Isn't it due today?" Poor mother. This is the mother who has relentlessly asked me weeks and days ahead of deadlines if my "paper is written yet?" Always with the answer, "Mom, it isn't due until XXXX". Again, poor thing. Usually on the day before a paper is due she would get the answer, "I'm starting it now".
Today, I reply, "oh, it isn't due until Thursday". Today is Monday. I think my mother had a heart attack. Lord Almighty, Hell has frozen over at last! Pigs are flying! The end of the world must be near. I have a paper completed - written, edited and reviewed - DAYS before the due date. This is big.
After she regained her ability to speak, my mom said, "So...your friend was right? Again. Second time in a week." (but I'll never admit that)
:)
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