2013 Highlights by the Month - July - December Edition

Welcome back to my 2013 Highlights by the Month! 

Here is the July - December edition. Enjoy!

July - AERA Proposals and Meta-Analysis Class

Two big things happened in July that are huge in affecting the course of my academic career. First of all, AERA proposals were due for the following year. These proposals are a big deal. Over 12,000 proposals were submitted for the 2014 conference, and for the most part, they are all good. I worked tirelessly the entire month on 5 different proposals. Some I wrote the majority of, some I helped edit, and some I co-authored. It was tough. So tough, in fact, I had my second highest recorded writing hours of the year - over 75. It was a learning experience and not an enjoyable process. I don't like being that close to a deadline - this year, I've already started writing my AERA proposals. 6 months ahead of the deadline. Go me!

Also in July, I took a meta-analysis class. I was excited to take this course because I had been interested in meta-analysis since I first heard about it, but I had no clue how to actually do one. This class was a 4-week, intensive, online course. We were expected to go through the entire meta-analysis process from research question and article searches to coding and calculations in ONE MONTH! Yikes! Thankfully, it was a group paper, and I got to work with a group I trusted. While the course was not fun because it was so intensive, it was immensely useful. Since this course, I have written one meta-analysis for work and am in the process of writing a second. It is one of the best skills I have learned as a researcher. Who knew?

August - Teaching Graduate Students

I got my first opportunity to teach and mentor graduate students in August when I served as a TA Mentor for the Center for Teaching Excellence. Basically, I got to teach new GAs the ropes of being a GA. While we had to teach prescribed lessons, I enjoyed getting to put my own spin on things. It was fun to get to work with graduate students instead of undergraduates for a change. Some of these students have stayed in contact with me, and I have gotten to serve as an unofficial mentor to them. Great experience!

September - Reviews and Being a "Voice"

September was a month of reviews, review, reviews. Every conference that I apply to, I volunteer to be a reviewer. It doesn't take a great deal of time (except for AERA), and I love getting to see how other people write proposals and what kinds of research they are doing. It is a huge learning experience. I also get to review for a couple of journals now. Those reviews take longer, but again, I find it so interesting. Also, in September, it came to my attention that as a leader of the student organization in my department, I am also part of the college's graduate student advisory committee. I was not happy about being part of another committee and having to attend another meeting each month. However, this committee actually does stuff. We really are a voice for the graduate students. As such, I got to help write two proposals to help graduate students, one involving stipends and one involving family medical leave. For once, I really do feel like I got to make a small difference in changing policies that affect all graduate students. 

October - Too Much Goodness for Words

October is usually the month in which I cry the most. When I was teaching middle school, one dreary day in October, my master teacher entered my classroom during my off period to give me a surprise Heath bar (my favorite candy) only to find me bawling at my desk. Weeping uncontrollably. I was just upset, had low morale, and felt like I couldn't keep up with all the demands. At that point, she let me in on a little secret. She said, "Did you know that when people study to get their principal or superintendent certifications, they have to take a course on leadership and morale? In that course, they are told that October is the month in the fall in which teachers have the lowest morale. They are encouraged to actively try to make their faculty happier during that month. You aren't alone, and this is normal." Wow! I was so surprised. That moment has really stayed with me, and it continues. Every October, I feel icky. Thankfully, this October had too many good things happen for words!

First of all, I again worked my little tail off and had my highest recorded number of hours written - over 85! Geez. Secondly, my first manuscript, that I helped co-author, was published. Publication numero uno in the books. :) A second manuscript that I felt VERY strongly about and love with all my heart, was accepted with minimal revisions for publication. It will be published this spring. That's two publications in one month! In reality, I learned about them within days of each other. Finally, I got to attend the Kappa Delta Pi Convocation that only happens every two years. This conference was a thorn in my side and something I did NOT want to do. I was helping with two presentations, but I just didn't want to spend the four days in Dallas not being able to do my own work. Turns out, I was pleasantly surprised with the conference, had fun, and made some great connections. October turned out to be my most prosperous month by far! Way to change my perspective.

November - AERA Proposal Reveal

There was a big moment we were all waiting for ALL fall - the revelation of the AERA proposals which had been accepted. If you remember, when I discussed July, I mentioned how important this was and how hard it is to get accepted. On November 1st, we finally got an end to our waiting game. The results were in. I submitted 5 proposals that had my name on them in some capacity. Of the 5 proposals, I definitely had a favorite, I always do. Beyond all my wildest expectations, my favorite proposal is the only one that got accepted. I was so elated by the fact that any of my proposals were accepted and even more excited that this was the one that did. My colleagues and I will be traveling to Philadelphia in April for AERA #2 - and I get to present! :) Besides being published, this is the highlight of my year.

December - Surviving it all and thriving

This past December, I was happy just to survive it all. All the work, all the craziness, all the sleepless nights. I was able to make substantial progress toward my goals and definitely proved myself capable of research and juggling multiple projects. I'm blessed and happy to be doing what I love and thriving, not just surviving. I can't imagine what 2014 will hold, but I'm ready for it all!

What. A. Year. :)

2013 Highlights by the Month - January - June Edition

2013 was a big year for me, academically. 

So much wonderful happened.

I've been working hard for the past few years on this degree. One of the hardest parts of academia is the waiting and patience it requires. It can take years to see a project through to completion. It can take months, or even years, to have a manuscript published (after it is written). Everything takes a while. Sometimes, academia is worse than a hospital on the waiting bit. Nevertheless, the waiting and patience doesn't dull the elated feelings when you see your hard work has paid off. I was blessed to get to have a lot of those moments this past year. :) Here they are by the month...

January - Teaching Methods

My first semester to teach at A&M, I got to teach Children's Literature. It was perfect. The course was a writing-intensive class, which I love, and focused on children and adolescent literature. This course seemed a perfect fit for me. I absolutely loved teaching it and swore I would only teach this course for the rest of my life (not really, but I would have been happy with that). As a graduate student, it is never guaranteed that you will get to teach a course you want, or even teach at all. I was surprised when I was told in December that come January, I would be teaching the Junior Methods course - Classroom Management. Eek! I was nervous about this. Classroom Management was not one of my strengths as a teacher. My first year teaching was a disaster because of this topic (though every teacher's is). As I continued teaching, I learned some tricks and strategies, but most of my methods were a bit unorthodox, and I'm not even sure they were backed by research. How would I teach impressionable young minds about this topic? 

Well, I dove in in January and LOVED it! I discovered that teaching methods-based courses as opposed to content courses suits me better. I love them! I fully plan to search for a job that allows me the flexibility of doing research and teaching the practitioner courses. 

February - Southwest Education Research Association Conference in San Antonio

(SERA #1)

February was a busy month, conference-wise, for me. I actually presented at three conferences that month: (1) SERA in San Antonio, (2) Teaching with Technology at TAMU, and (3) The Texas Gifted and Talented in Corpus Christi. By far, the most impactful and fun conferences was SERA in San Antonio. This is a small, graduate-student oriented conference that is meant to allow graduate students a forum for presenting their work. I co-presented one paper at the conference but found it to be a great networking experience. It was also fun to enjoy San Antonio. My favorite part about conferences is getting to travel to new places and enjoy the sites. While San Antonio is not new, it was still fun to go. 

March - First Intervention Study

When it comes to research, I am very hands-on. I don't enjoy literature reviews or "desk work". I prefer to be in the trenches working with teachers and kiddos. I was fortunate enough to get selected to work on a small-scale intervention study with my advisor and a small research team. This research is something I am highly interested in as it focuses on perspective-taking and motivation to read. For the study, I was helpful with the methodology and got to be one of the intervention teachers. As an intervention teacher, I got to work one-on-one with the sweet kiddos and remembered how much I love teaching kids. It was a great experience to be so integrated into the classroom again and to see how our intervention was helping students. As my first "get your hands dirty" study, I am beyond pleased. Right now, we are working to write up the results and will be presenting them at several conferences in the near future. 

April - American Education Research Association in San Francisco

(AERA #1)

AERA is THE conference for education research. Anyone who is anyone is presenting there and it is a great opportunity to rub shoulders with the most influential people in the field. It's also a really big deal to present there as a graduate student. I knew I would want to try to present at this conference in the future, so I wanted to go once to see what all the fuss was about. I was fortunate enough to get some funding to help offset the cost and got to go! I was excited to get to see San Francisco as I had never been and attend an uber-professional conference. 

AERA proved to be nothing short of awe-inspiring. I have never seen so many academic professionals in all my life. It was overwhelming and impossible to see everything I wanted to see. My colleague and I were able to attend just a few presentations and panel discussions in our few days there. We also got to attend several receptions that included wine, food, and networking like crazy. Through these experiences, we met many important people and made some great connections for future job searching and collaborations. I felt that this experience was the beginning of my professional career outside of A&M. This is what the field is all about, getting your research out there so people can benefit from it. Here's to AERA #1 as I plan to attend this conference every year for the foreseeable future...

May - Hardest I've ever worked for an "A"

This one is silly, I realize that. Historically, I have been a terrible student. Until my master's degree, I was always bored in school. As a high school student, I joined so many clubs and sports that I only attended classes 2 or 3 times a week. I remember my sophomore chemistry teacher asking me one day, "What are you doing here?" when I had been to school 3 days out of the week. As an undergraduate, my motto was "why work hard for an A when I can do the minimum and get a B?" My parents were thrilled. 

Once I started my master's degree, I enjoyed what I was doing and was interested in it, so I put forth more effort. As a Ph.D. student, I definitely work hard. I began taking the dreaded stats courses this past year with a professor who is known for being difficult. I did my usual "why work hard' dance the first semester of his course and made it out with a B. The hardest hurting B I've ever made. I decided that would not do, and I wanted to prove myself to this professor. By working my little tail off the spring semester, I sailed through his course with an A and a deep understanding of the material that has proven extremely valuable in my own research. This past fall, I took two courses from him and plan to take another in the spring. Masochistic, yes, but the man knows his stuff.

June - Teaching Excellence Award

I love teaching. I've mentioned this before on this blog and to anyone I've ever met. I fought this profession for many years, but ultimately realized that it is my calling. It is what I am meant to do, I love it, and I'm not half bad at it either. In June, this became official. I was the recipient of the Teaching Excellence Award given by my department to graduate students who demonstrate high levels of effectiveness in teaching. The award is based on a statement of purpose written by me, letters of recommendation, and evaluations from my students. I was so honored to have been given this award and think it is one of my favorite awards to date. To me, it means so much to be thought of as a good teacher. 

I hope you have enjoyed the January - June edition of my 2013 Highlights by the Month. 

Stay tuned for the second half of the year! 

2014 Academic Resolutions

I love New Years' Resolutions. At the beginning of every year, I enjoy reflecting on all I have accomplished over the past year while looking ahead at where I want to go. One of the professors I respect most once asked me, "What is your mission statement?" I was really confused by the question as I had never considered having a mission statement for my life. As I thought about this more and more, I discovered that a mission statement could be a great way to keep yourself grounded. It is easy to get caught up in those things we do to bring glory to ourselves, but by keeping in mind your true passion, you can stay grounded.

While I don't have a specific mission statement yet, I have an idea of a mission statement. The one thing that if my life is known for, I can die satisfied. In reflecting on this past year and the lessons I learned, I have a clear vision of what I would like to accomplish in 2014, which is being dubbed "The Year of the Dissertation".

Writing Goals

I have done a great job planning my writing time, structuring my writing area, and using strategies that help me be more productive. The best thing for me to do is to continue being productive and efficient in my time. The greatest gift I can give myself to continue doing this is:

Say "no". 

At this point in my career, I do not need to spend a great deal of time reviewing papers for other people, editing, or doing favors that help others as much as I did in 2013. This is not to say that I plan to be cold and unhelpful. Over the past year, I did not keep my own time as sacred as I should have. Frequently, I allowed other people to intrude on my personal writing/working time, or I agreed to help someone with a paper when I did not have the time to do it. In 2014, I want to have a clearer idea of the time I can provide to help others and not allow my helping others to affect my own work.

Write more for fun.

I was productive in 2013, no doubts. It was a lot of hard work and at the end of the year, I was very tired. I realized that I did not spend nearly as much time writing for myself as I should have. I spent a lot of time writing papers, presentations, and for projects, but little time writing for enjoyment. To keep myself grounded and level-headed, I need the escape and release of pleasure writing. I hope that 2014 will see far more of that. As a start, I want to make the goal of updating this little blog at least twice per month!

Get 2 more manuscripts at minimum "under review" by December.

I want to publish more. I have the itch. My goal is to have at least two manuscripts under review by December. For at least one of these, I want to be the first author. I'm excluding book chapters from this goal, too. 

Writing my teaching philosophy and research agenda.

I will need both of these documents as I begin my job search in August. They are not difficult to write but will take some time and energy. I would like to slowly use the next few months getting them prepared so I can send them out for feedback and perfect them by the time the job search begins. That will be one less thing I need to worry about come August. 

Reading Goals

I feel like I read so many books this past year, especially for statistics. I already can foresee how many articles and books I will be reading for my dissertation, but it is important to stay up-to-date on things that are in my field, but not my dissertation topic as well. 

Read at least 4 books about writing.

I love books about writing. They are so fun to read, enjoyable, and completely applicable to my writing sessions. They are a nice break from the sometimes dense academic, research-based writing, too. When I was first introduced to a new way of writing and strategies to help it, I read books about writing quite frequently. However, I got away from that as I got busier with projects. Thankfully, I have a long list of books that I think will make great candidates for accomplishing this goal.

Teaching Goals

I was born to teach, and I love it. Teaching is my bread and butter. Few things make me happier than standing before a class, preparing lessons, and impacting impressionable minds. I love teaching. While I feel I am a strong teacher, there are a few things I would like to improve upon.

Mapping my course.

I would like to try the idea of "course mapping" these next few semesters. Course mapping is based on the idea that the professor sets a timeline and sequence of topics, assignments, and learning objectives. The entire course is built around this map. I think my teaching would be stronger if I could build in connections among topics and a smoother flow of ideas. 

Teaching fewer topics more deeply.

When I taught middle school, I never felt like I had enough time to teach everything I wanted to teach. Now that I teach undergraduates, I KNOW that I don't have enough time to teach everything I want to teach. The entire semester flies by far too quickly, and I always finish going, "I wish I could have covered this more." I realize that through each course, I can only give my students a brief introduction to some topics while delving more deeply into other topics. With the help of my other teaching goal, I hope that I will find the core group of topics I want to really focus on. Then, I will be able to teach these topics deeply while just introducing supplementary topics. 

I have listed out 7 goals for 2014. I believe that is manageable and will keep me focused throughout the year. 

Happy writing, reading, and teaching, academics!

Top 10 Lessons Learned in 2013 - Lessons 2 and 1

Welcome back! I've covered the top 8 lessons I've learned this year and we're down to the last 2.

2. Take another person's perspective

One of my area's of research has become perspective-taking, which is the ability to see things from another person's viewpoint. Several articles have come out recently in high-impact journals (like Nature) that cover the importance of being able to perspective-take. There is also a line of research that documents the inability of many criminals to take the perspective of other people. In lay terms, this means "put yourself in other people's shoes". If you cannot perspective-take, there is no way you will succeed in academia, unless you want to publish all sole-authored papers (which is not a good idea). 

I have always thought myself to be good at taking other people's perspective on issues, and almost always I can see both sides to any argument. I say "almost" because for the first time in my life, I really couldn't see someone else's perspective. However, I learned from the experience and know that I know have an even better idea of how to put myself in someone else's shoes. 

And finally, the number 1 lesson of 2013...

1. Take frequent breaks and time off!

I have always heard "take breaks" while working but did not leave by this rule until recently. This year, I began working in short spurts. I work for a designated amount of time then take a break. During the break, I do something. If I am at home, I do a chore, take Jack for a walk, play with Jack, or do a quick exercise. If I am at the office, I walk around, walk to the library, deliver papers, get a drink or snack, or go talk to someone. The breaks allow my brain a little rest time and let my body get some endorphins from movement. 

While this is important, I have recently learned the value of time off. Much of this fall was marked in by low morale for me. I just didn't feel like working, couldn't focus, had trouble maintaining a work schedule, and just felt bleh. When I would take a day or two off, even just for a weekend, I always felt rejuvenated on Monday morning. 

Since the semester has ended, I have continued to barrel through tasks. I have not taken a break since June of this year. AH! I decided I would work really hard, finish manuscripts for an upcoming conference, do a bunch of tasks on my dissertation, send necessary emails, complete work for my jobs, etc., and give myself the week of Christmas off (December 24th-December 29th). Well, my hard work paid off, and I have not touched work since Monday evening (December 23rd). Moreover, I didn't touch work until Monday morning (December 30th). I feel completely rejuvenated. 

The break in work gave me a chance to catch up on writing for this blog and my personal blog, read books for fun, spend time with my loved ones, catch up on movies, play games, go shopping, and do all the things I love. Best of all, I find myself thinking about my projects and feeling excited to get back to them. I was missing that excitement that made my work fun. :) I feel human again. 

What did you learn in 2013? What do you plan to do differently in 2014? Stay tuned for my 2014 goals...

Top 10 Lessons Learned in 2013 - Lessons 6-3

As I am reviewing and reflecting on everything I accomplished (and didn't accomplish) in 2013, I've decided to list my Top 10 Lessons Learned in 2013. Here is the second installment...

6. Manage Conflict

By far, my least favorite part of graduate school is all the conflict. It is a riot! Watching professors behave badly, watching graduate students argue and bicker with each other, watching people cry, watching undergraduates get upset about grades...it is enough to make a person go crazy. Conflict is part of every job and every aspect of life in which two people are involved. Even the most harmonious people face conflict. However, the breed of conflict that is present in academia is unique. 

Academics are highly intelligent people. For the most part, hard working people. And very driven. These three characteristics combined spell trouble. I have dealt with more conflict in academia than in any other part of my life over the past 26 years (and keep in mind that I taught middle school in a high-poverty area). I could continue to complain about the conflict I have witnessed, but I'll stop here. 

It is important to manage conflict to the best of your ability. For me, this has taken several unique forms. First, I have learned that when conflict arises, I need time. When appropriate, I need time to breathe, collect my thoughts, and process all possible outcomes. Once I have done this, I can approach the situation with a level head and help come to a reasonable solution. Secondly, I have learned that I have to escape the ivory tower walls of academia. I am blessed to have friends who are not part of academia and family who keep me grounded. Without them, I would never survive this world. Thirdly, I have learned that I have to expect the unexpected. Most of the conflict I have seen come up in academia is conflict that could not have been predicted. It is impossible to know what is going to cause an uproar, no matter how much you try to plan. Moreover, I've learned that if you try to plan for everything, you are going to make yourself insane. Finally, I have learned not to bring this conflict home with me. Again, this is where the family and friends come into play. Work stays at work. End of story. 

5. You don't have to do it all right now

I have been working on several projects for over a year now. It is fun to see the projects grow, change, and reach a point where the information can be disseminated. It is even better to see how that research leads to new ideas. In academia, we call this a research agenda. The goals of what a researcher hopes to accomplish in his/her career. The hard part is seeing this list continually grow and feeling like I am not doing anything to progress on it. In academia, things take time. It takes a great deal of time and energy to take a project from conception to completion. It takes even more time for that project to reach the masses.

A very wise professor told me earlier this semester, "You don't have to do it all right now. You have a 30-year career ahead of you." That made me feel so much better! She was right. I have more than 30 years ahead of me to accomplish all I want to accomplish. It's ok if I don't get to go to that conference this year. Or if my manuscript doesn't get published in that journal. Or if I don't get to teach that class yet. I have time. It won't all happen overnight. The luxury of having too many ideas is that my career will be rich and full, and I won't run out of things in those 30 years.

4. Journal as much as possible

I have thoughts. A lot of thoughts. About everything. I have learned to journal about those thoughts as much as possible. I have a hand-written and digital journal for every project I am working on. These journals allow me to document and keep track of my thinking. I write about what I read, what statistics I run, why I made a certain choice about a survey, who was on my team, what we talked about in meetings, everything. These journals then become the fuel for my manuscripts, presentations, questions, and future research. 

I have also found that I remember more when I write about it, and my mind doesn't feel as cluttered. When I don't write, I am constantly worried that I am going to lose an idea or a thought, so I hold onto it tightly. This wastes precious memory space in my brain. When I write about the idea or thought, it is captured forever and my mind is free to think up more thoughts. I have found that I think more critically and deeply about topics and about a wider range of topics than before I started journaling. It has revolutionized my academic process. 

3. Write with a purpose

I used to sit down before a blank screen on my computer or a blank page in my journal and have no idea what I was going to do. The silly, past version of me called this "Writer's Block". Often, I would be intimidated and would have no idea what to say. Now, I always write with a purpose. The purpose may be as basic as "clean out your head" or as complex as "write the discussion of the MLB paper". The key is that there is always a purpose. I know why I am writing and don't spend time before a blank screening staring, well, blankly. 

Even in writing this blog post, I knew I wanted to reflect on what I learned this past year. I did a little prewriting and was ready to go. I already had my purpose set. Sometimes the purpose morphs during the writing process and that is ok, too. The point is to start somewhere. 

The final two top lessons learned of 2013 will be revealed soon! 

Top 10 Lessons Learned in 2013 - Lessons 10-7

2013 has been quite the year for me, professionally. I have grown more as a professional this year than I ever have before. While I believe a lot of my professional growth is due to my personal growth as well, I'm happy it happened. There have been some major life lessons this year, too. Here are my top lessons learned in 2013 in grad school. :)

10. Know your role and don't overstep it!

In academia, most people are "Jack-of-all-trades" or Renaissance men. We wear many hats. As such, it can be difficult to discern what our unique roles are in any given situation. As graduate students, the lines are even more blurred. One semester, a grad student may be teaching alongside several professors and the next semester, that same graduate student is a student taking classes from those professors. It can be difficult to navigate the waters of professionalism and knowing your place. Sometimes, I see graduate students stretch beyond what their role calls for and other times, I see them not living up to the basic requirements of that role.

Over this last year, I have come to understand the importance of fully understanding your role and being careful not to overstep the demands of that role. This is true in collaborations, mentoring positions, research projects, co-authorship scenarios, and most other roles that graduate students take on. We have to be especially careful and remember that we are students first. 

One of my biggest frustrations in graduate school is the constant struggle between doing what I want and working on my own research agenda while having to appease my committee and bosses. I'm very lucky in that my committee is supportive and allows me to work toward my research agenda, but it is still a constant battle. 

9. Network, Network, Network

We attend conferences. We present papers. We publish manuscripts. We give guest lectures. We are guest speakers. We review for journals and conferences. We serve on committees. All of this is an effort to get our work disseminated to the masses. My greatest goal in graduate school is not to lose sight of why I began this journey in the first place - I want to help kids get a better education. That's it. In order to do this, we have to get our work out into the hands of other professionals in the field, including fellow researchers, teachers, and policy makers. 

One of the most important things to do as a graduate student is NETWORK! When attending conferences, finding people who are doing work you are interested in and going and talking to them. It becomes even more important when on the job market, as these are the people who will be deciding how good of a colleague you are going to be. I had business cards finally printed up this holiday break, so now feel even more equipped to do my networking to the best of my ability. When I didn't have business cards, I collected them and would email each person I met upon returning home. Through networking, I have received offers to give guest presentations, review for journals, and co-author on manuscripts. It really is important! And, fun!

8. Reward yourself when you accomplish something, big or small

We work hard in graduate school. In fact, my least favorite question to get from anyone is "so your semester is over? How long are you out for?" While I understand the misconception, there is no break in graduate school. Yes, I get to determine, for the most part, how much I work and when, I also have to face the consequences if I fall behind or things don't get done. I work more now than I did as a teacher, and I don't get to enjoy breaks like I did as a teacher. It never ends. There is always another deadline. Always something more to do. 

One thing I have learned, though, is I have to reward myself when I accomplish something. Because there is always more to do, I often keep plowing through even when I finish one task. What value does life hold if there is no celebration, though? Rewards are fun. Rewards can be given for doing something big like sending a completed manuscript out for publication or for something small like finishing a transcription. They can be for things we work hard to finish like a conference presentation or for things that we really don't have a lot to do with like a thank-you message from a student. 

The rewards can also be big or small. The reward can be a day off to go shopping with a friend, dinner with a family member, or a night spent watching a movie sans computer. You decide. My favorite rewards include anything that lets me spend time with my loved ones or allows me to relax and not stress about work and school.

7. Set goals for each year, month, week, and day

This past year, graduate school got more busy than ever before. Crazy busy. I became so overwhelmed, I really didn't know which way was up. Or down. Or horizontal. Or vertical. That's when I started making weekly to-do lists. Every Sunday night right before bed, I would sit down and on a simple Word document cranked out what I needed to accomplish each day. I also put meetings and special events on the days. As the day progresses, I cross off the item as I complete it. At the end of the day, I can see what got done and what didn't get done. 

This evolved in to me creating a list at the beginning of the week with broader goals. For example, I might want to finish the instruments for my writing study this week. In order to do that, I need to add a fifth scale to the pre- and post-surveys on Monday, edit the content analysis instrument on Tuesday, and upload the pre- and post-surveys to Qualtrics on Thursday. Now, I have weekly goals and daily goals. But, I didn't stop there.

Again, this morphed and evolved into monthly goals, but it looks a bit different. I have a timeline developed for each individual project, presentation, or paper (and even the courses I teach). I set an end goal of when the project should be completed, the date of the presentation, or the submission timeframe for the paper. Then, I back track each month all the way to the current month. Starting at the finish line, I begin listing what needs to be accomplished at that time. By the time I finish my timeline, I have an outline of what I need to accomplish each month for each project I am working on. These monthly goals are where I go to get my weekly goals, and the weekly goals become the daily goals. I also give myself some cushion in my timelines to account for "life". This allows me to accomplish what I want well before any deadline, so I am rarely scrambling to get everything done. 

I have yet to attempt yearly goals, but that will change as 2014 begins. I definitely have a clearer vision of what I would like to accomplish in 2014. I am using my research agenda to drive these yearly goals.

Overall, setting the monthly, weekly, and daily goals has made me exponentially more productive. Even when I don't completely finish a goal in the timeframe I have planned, I still accomplish more than I would without goals. 

More 2013 Lessons coming soon...

The Fruits of our Labors

It has been nearly 3 months since I have updated this blog...not for a lack of things to say or little desire to write, but simply a scarcity in extra time. As I sit in my favorite chair, sipping spiced coffee on this drizzly November morning, I feel like I am finally able to breathe again this semester.

Without question, this has been the most challenging semester I have had to date, and I LOVE it! I have been challenged beyond my expectations and don't feel like I have "failed". There also haven't been too many "frivolous" distractions. Grad school often becomes complicated by riff-raff and nonsense, which seem to have kept their distance this semester.

Moreover, I have finally begun to see the results of my labors from the last few years. Patience is a skill that is essential in grad school. Nearly everything is a waiting game and takes time to come to fruition. Manuscripts take months in the review process, then time to edit. From submitting a manuscript until publication could be years. This semester has been a nice reminder, though, that eventually, all that hard work pays off.

I couldn't have asked for a better time to be receiving so much good news and learning so many new skills. This semester also marks the end of an era - the era of me just being a student. I know that sounds silly since my anticipated graduation date is May 2015; however, it's true! My focus since I was 5-years-old has been on working hard in classes and trying to impress the powers at be of my credibility and aptitude. This semester, I have had to start focusing more on my OWN research. Not the research of others. Projects that I developed on my own or helped develop. That's a nice feeling. From here on out, that will be the main focus of everything I do.

A major milestone was passed a few weeks ago as I scheduled my Preliminary Exams! :) Why they are called "Preliminary Exams" when you take them at the end of course work is a mystery to me. Every department and major in grad school does these a little bit differently and calls them a different name. Once you are in your last semester of official coursework, you take these exams. In my department, this means you schedule a date for the oral portion, with all of your committee members. Then, you back track three weeks which becomes the starting date for the written portion. Basically, there are no rules beyond that. Committee members can send you a question with guidelines for formatting and how to answer that question along with a deadline within that 3-week period. OR, the committee member can ask you to meet in person for a written exam. After you complete the 3-week period for the written portion, you meet with your committee for the oral portion. Here, the committee can ask you any question they want or ask follow-up questions to the written portion. The goal of these exams are to see if you know your stuff and can hold your ground under pressure. Afterwards, the committee decides if you pass. If you fail, bad things happen and we won't talk about that.

After preliminary exams are complete, you have passed a MAJOR milestone. And, you really need sleep. I've warned my family and friends that the month of January is off-limits. I will suck. I will be sleep-deprived. I will need food and water. That's life. Once that hellish month is over, you get to start working on the next big milestone - the Proposal Defense. Before you can begin working on your dissertation, you have to "propose" what you want to do. The goal of this step is to ensure that you have thought logically through the research process and to anticipate any issues that might arise. It's also to get feedback and expertise from the 4 Ph.D.'s on your committee. You prepare a written proposal then present it in a formal manner, get feedback, make edits, and then get to go off on your merry way to write the big-D (dissertation).

(This song comes into my head every time I think about this.)

Once you pass your Proposal Defense, it is really time to start celebrating (for a night or two)! It's the big moment when you officially become a Ph.D. Candidate. You also get to show people that you don't know the alphabet by telling them you are "ABD" (All But Dissertation). It's a big freakin' deal. In fact, many people make it all the way to this stage then never finish. Craziness.

Now, the hard work begins - writing the dissertation. This can take anywhere from a few months to a few years depending on the project. For me, it will take me approximately a year to a year and half, depending on how cooperativeness of my data collection.

I am thankful for the successes of this semester that have kept my motivation high and my enthusiasm going. I am thankful for all the support I have at the university and how blessed I feel each day I am there. I am most thankful for my family, friends, and Jack Jack for all the support they have shown me - and how much they don't give up on me when I am super busy.

Life is good! :)