Postdoc Rankings with several grains of salt
Though I don't place much value on these types of surveys, it still brought a big smile to my face to read that Science magazine thinks Postdoc U. is one of their top places to do a postdoc. Though that made me a little bit happier, if only for right now, I know that this varies greatly depending on your field and experiences like this can be so subjective, even in the same field or department. I'm wondering why my little bit of happy isn't totally canceled out by my clear, rational understanding of how unimportant these rankings are.
Big Head Alice?
I'm finally getting back into a decent schedule after changing time zones by 3 hours for over ten days for Spring break. I had trouble adjusting my body clock when I got back, and I'm sure daylight savings didn't help, because it was 4 hours on the first day of Spring break. Finally I am not feeling half asleep in the middle of the workday, and I am on campus at a reasonable hour with a packed lunch in tow.
I spent a lot of time today getting things organized for graduation, which I'm looking forward to, but didn't think would consume so much time. I bought my plane ticket(with miles)and ordered the invitations and regalia (rental) after measuring my head for the cap. Since I didn't have a tape measure handy, I used the cord from my earphones, which was plenty long, and then measured that with a ruler. I hope I got it remotely in the ballpark of my head measurement. It came to almost 22 inches. I wonder if my head has grown since I started graduate school?
I spent a lot of time today getting things organized for graduation, which I'm looking forward to, but didn't think would consume so much time. I bought my plane ticket(with miles)and ordered the invitations and regalia (rental) after measuring my head for the cap. Since I didn't have a tape measure handy, I used the cord from my earphones, which was plenty long, and then measured that with a ruler. I hope I got it remotely in the ballpark of my head measurement. It came to almost 22 inches. I wonder if my head has grown since I started graduate school?
Productivity challenge
You are so focused that everything you take on will bring you closer to the person you want to be. Consider this and mundane tasks become enjoyable.
That's my horoscope for today. Considering that I've been battling the most evil of allergies, (or maybe its a strange cold) since I got back, and spend my entire morning with a giant box of kleenex at my side, just about the only thing I have really been focused on is keeping my mouth open so that I can keep breathing, even when my nasal passages are not co-operating.
Needless to say, work has been secondary to breathing in priorities, and I seem to clear up as the afternoon comes around, when I can think a bit more clearly. I've gotten almost nothing done this morning, except put out some fires at PhD Uni, where the department admin seems to routinely miss deadlines and then send out last minute panicky emails to grad students. I keep thinking that I won't have any further dealings with PhD Uni. staff, but until I actually walk and get my diploma, I am still dealing with paperwork and craziness.
Here's hoping this afternoon's work actually does bring me closer to who I want to be, and right now, that's a fairly productive postdoc!
Soothed nerves return
If anyone is still out there after my long spring break hiatus, here is the update...We had snow on the ground when I left for the West Coast. My trip was postponed for a day because all the flights out of Postdoc City were cancelled. It took me hours on the phone to try to get a flight out the next day.
Still, since I had already planned to return on Monday, I got a full week off and thoroughly soaked in the relaxation, caught up with friends and family, and had a fabulously long, guilt-free break. I noticed how much calmer I felt on the flight back than I did on the way in. I tend to get wound up and nervous when I am flying.
On the way back, as I was checking in for my flight, a very stressed-out ticket agent was helping a woman with three children to check in for her flight. She was no longer thinking clearly, and, as a small example of her skewed thinking, asked the woman who was dressed in a hejab if she was traveling with a passport for a domestic flight after she had already given her a driver's license that identified her as a U.S.citizen. It was obvious to everyone (but herself) that the ticket agent was in a state of panic, for no apparent reason. I realized that I am a stressed woman much of the time, I spend a lot of time feeling wound up and nervous instead of relaxing and doing what I have to do calmly.
On the trip, I caught up with a few friends, one of whom is a super-woman who has landed an enviable job in academia, is married and has a two year old daughter. It has been a year since she finished her PhD (while her husband was away for work and she was the only person watching her daughter.) My sister, who also has a young daughter asked how college friend can balance all these responsibilities. College friend humbly replied, "badly," but actually, she is doing great. My sister observed that she is very calm about everything. I think that's a keen observation on her part, and something I hadn't noticed about my own friend. Maybe calmness is under-appreciated in academia, where everyone is hyped up on coffee, perfectionist, and mostly nervous. Not necessarily qualities that improve one's work, as ecogeofemme recently noted.
I don't think my own nervous perfectionism helps my productivity. If anything, it makes me slow down because of panic-induced poor thinking. Now that I am feeling relaxed, I want to make it a priority to maintain this state of mind, planning time to meditate and exercise. I have no doubt that this state of mind makes me a better Alice, I just couldn't have figured this out if I wasn't relaxed in the first place.
Still, since I had already planned to return on Monday, I got a full week off and thoroughly soaked in the relaxation, caught up with friends and family, and had a fabulously long, guilt-free break. I noticed how much calmer I felt on the flight back than I did on the way in. I tend to get wound up and nervous when I am flying.
On the way back, as I was checking in for my flight, a very stressed-out ticket agent was helping a woman with three children to check in for her flight. She was no longer thinking clearly, and, as a small example of her skewed thinking, asked the woman who was dressed in a hejab if she was traveling with a passport for a domestic flight after she had already given her a driver's license that identified her as a U.S.citizen. It was obvious to everyone (but herself) that the ticket agent was in a state of panic, for no apparent reason. I realized that I am a stressed woman much of the time, I spend a lot of time feeling wound up and nervous instead of relaxing and doing what I have to do calmly.
On the trip, I caught up with a few friends, one of whom is a super-woman who has landed an enviable job in academia, is married and has a two year old daughter. It has been a year since she finished her PhD (while her husband was away for work and she was the only person watching her daughter.) My sister, who also has a young daughter asked how college friend can balance all these responsibilities. College friend humbly replied, "badly," but actually, she is doing great. My sister observed that she is very calm about everything. I think that's a keen observation on her part, and something I hadn't noticed about my own friend. Maybe calmness is under-appreciated in academia, where everyone is hyped up on coffee, perfectionist, and mostly nervous. Not necessarily qualities that improve one's work, as ecogeofemme recently noted.
I don't think my own nervous perfectionism helps my productivity. If anything, it makes me slow down because of panic-induced poor thinking. Now that I am feeling relaxed, I want to make it a priority to maintain this state of mind, planning time to meditate and exercise. I have no doubt that this state of mind makes me a better Alice, I just couldn't have figured this out if I wasn't relaxed in the first place.
Fresh start tomorrow
It seems as though a lot of academic bloggers start new blogs after they get their PhDs. I’m not going to do that, since I’ve only been here for six months. But I do feel different, not like I’m a different person or anything, but I feel a bit more comfortable about being at Postdoc U, now that I’m officially Dr. Alice. There is also an ambivalence about it, though. I am not certain I’m ready for the responsibility that comes with being a Postdoc, and setting my own schedule. I’m afraid I will be lazy and waste this time. I don’t want to let myself do that. I suppose the lack of outside structure is not that different from writing my dissertation.
A friend suggested trying out a 9-5 schedule. I suspect that is a little too much for me. I’d love to go in early, but I doubt I can stay on campus until 5pm and be productive the whole time. At least, not in my office for so long. Maybe I can spend afternoons at cafes or in the library for a change of scene. Tomorrow I’ll be up early and begin working in my new office. Yay! I’ve decided to get myself some plants to cheer up my office. There are big windows, so I can find some that will sit on the window sill.
I’m trying to be a super-woman this week because I have a trip coming up on Friday, for ten days, I’ll be out of town and on vacation. I intend to enjoy it and not tote my work pressures along with me. I might read work related stuff while I am gone, I might even feel like working for an hour or so here and there, but there will be no pressure. I deserve a break. This means I have to get a couple of big things out of the way this week. Hopefully I can get a draft of an article to my mentor before I leave, and work on a job application schedule, and get application materials ready for one that is due soon after I get back.
The article draft is about half way there, so a solid four days work should get it far enough to at least show my mentor what I am working on, even if it isn’t feedback worthy yet. I think the theory is a bit weak right now and the lit review section needs beefing up. Let’s see how it goes this week.
A friend suggested trying out a 9-5 schedule. I suspect that is a little too much for me. I’d love to go in early, but I doubt I can stay on campus until 5pm and be productive the whole time. At least, not in my office for so long. Maybe I can spend afternoons at cafes or in the library for a change of scene. Tomorrow I’ll be up early and begin working in my new office. Yay! I’ve decided to get myself some plants to cheer up my office. There are big windows, so I can find some that will sit on the window sill.
I’m trying to be a super-woman this week because I have a trip coming up on Friday, for ten days, I’ll be out of town and on vacation. I intend to enjoy it and not tote my work pressures along with me. I might read work related stuff while I am gone, I might even feel like working for an hour or so here and there, but there will be no pressure. I deserve a break. This means I have to get a couple of big things out of the way this week. Hopefully I can get a draft of an article to my mentor before I leave, and work on a job application schedule, and get application materials ready for one that is due soon after I get back.
The article draft is about half way there, so a solid four days work should get it far enough to at least show my mentor what I am working on, even if it isn’t feedback worthy yet. I think the theory is a bit weak right now and the lit review section needs beefing up. Let’s see how it goes this week.
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