I realize we're all supposed to be happy in an "Everybody's Working for the Weekend" way on Fridays, but does anybody else have the thing that I have where by Friday they're so pooped that they barely want to get out of bed, let alone to go and teach a class and then to meet with a student about the prospect of grad school (initiated by the student, I may add, as in spite of my campaign against grad school, the patsies just keep on coming)?
In other news, this will be my last weekend of freedom, for between now and the end of March I need to:
1) Write a short reviewish type article.
2) Complete manuscript polishing and send it away to publisher.
Ok, that's only two things. But see, the thing is, I'm thinking about what I need to do after that, too:
1) Read a novel I've not read before but which apparently I will be presenting on in a few months' time.
2) Write two conference papers.
3) Finish the semester.
Oh, and above I shoud mention that I'll also be getting papers and midterms in that will need to be graded, and I'm teaching a bunch of stuff that I'm not super familiar with over the next month or two.
What is wrong with me? Why do I do this to myself? Why am I making myself late for school by whining?
12 years ago
5 comments:
Um, duh. I feel like that every Friday, mostly. : )
You do this to yourself because you are young and trying to accomplish something. And part of it is that this job is just inherently demanding.
I don't presume to think that my path will be yours or anyone else's, but I have found that after 10 years and tenure, I am much better at creating less stressful days for myself. There is no formula I suppose, but I think it has something to do with getting comfortable with saying "no" and working consciously to maintain a formula for self-worth that is not the academic one (=if i publish a book and three more articles i will be successful and worthy. .. ).
Shit, this sounds cliché and preachy--not what I was going for. Hang in there!
I think you also do it because, taken individually, you like all of this stuff. When it all piles up together, you feel overwhelmed, but in little doses, it's all good stuff. At least that's what I feel.
I know that I'm grumpy on Friday mornings because I had all day Thursday at home (ok, except for the dentist and driving kids and getting money at the atm), and I didn't finish anything.
At least when I'm very busy, then the next day comes and I know I did my best (never quite enough), but Thursdays are just not my best.
I know I'm pooped by Friday; my first thought when I wake up is always "Oh, please tell me I don't have to get out of bed." Then I catch my second wind around 6:00 and want to go out and do something...only my friends are still on their first wind and exhausted by 9:10 pm.
I basically stopped scheduling things on Friday nights. I just need total solitude and quietness, along with a non-challenging movie or book or something.
Also, too often when I'm stressed out by all the (fun!) things I'm late on, I find the answer is to postpone them even more, so I can take just that little more time off first to calm down. It never works, and I never learn...
Post a Comment