At the close of 2015, I've started implementing some measure to help me be productive, calm, & focused. It's easy to get overwhelmed by the idea of comprehensive exams when I realize it's impossible to have everything read when I'm meant to begin. I'm prone to stress, to having so much in a day that I fall apart at the start of my day. My over-packed to-do lists leave me feeling hours behind by lunch, & I spend some of each afternoon rethinking how to approach the day or what to push off on other days. Here are things helping me maximize my productivity & stay calmer throughout the day.
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In less than 30 days, I will begin the comprehensive exam process--an open-note, at-home version that gives me one week with each question. That means for five weeks, I'll be eyes-deep in urban geography, political ecology, and pastoralism in America. The timeline took me a bit by surprise; I'd been anticipating a February start date. Instead, I'll begin just a week after the semester recommences and wrap up with time to spare before spring break--a break I fully intend to give myself for the first time ever.
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My baby is now a month old, & we are seven weeks into the semester. This week, I returned to class. Next week, I return to my part-time job (for part of that part-time, doing most of the hours from home). The week after that, I start teaching my Community Gardens & Community Orchard special topics class. Two days ago, I mailed a check to the Association of American Geographers to renew my membership. This morning, I got an e-mail notifying me that registration for the Dimensions of Political Ecology conference at the University of Kentucky is open. I sat at my desk, surrounded by the piles of books for my comprehensive exams. My color-coding materials--sticky tags, Post It notes, highlighters, note cards--are scattered as I read Vasishth and Sloane's "Returning to ecology: An ecosystem approach to understanding the city." My baby is sleeping in a bassinet next to me.
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