Halfway

Last semester I submitted my third-year review file. It was a tedious process, but it enabled me to take stock of everything I have accomplished so far on my tenure track journey. I realized that I tend to not look back at what I've achieved. Spending a huge chunk of my semester working on the file made me realize the importance acknowledging what's been done so far before setting more goals and moving forward. In a smaller version of this, I want to acknowledge what I do each semester also. Last semester's tally is below:

1. Completed and submitted third year review materials
2. Gave three presentations
3. Progress on a manuscript
4. Applied for interdisciplinary research grant
5. Established in-person writing group with peers

This is coming halfway though the summer because I haven't really come up for air since the end of the semester. I've been steadily writing with my new group on a book chapter which I plan to send to my co-author by the end of the week. With people traveling for the summer, the in-person writing group has disbanded for now but I'm pressing forward with the momentum I gained from working with others earlier in the summer. There is something wonderful about meeting with colleagues at a cafe with laptops and tablets and everyone getting down to their own writing projects for a few hours each day. I guess I am more social than I realize because my productivity really peaked when the group was going strong. I also enjoyed getting back to writing in coffee shops, which is something I did a lot while I was a graduate student and postdoc but haven't done much in the last three years. I find that there's something almost mischievous about being away from my office over the summer. Writing at home works, but rarely matches the caffeinated frenzies of writing in coffee shops. What about you? Where do you prefer to work? What's your most productive summer writing space?