Frenzied Fall!

I don't know why it is but fall always seems so frenzied. Part may be that many students in Callen's class have birthdays - so lots of fun parties to attend! We've been to 2 already in the past month and have 2 this weekend. Plus, my work always seems busier in the fall. I'm still not sure why this always seems to be the case.

I know this fall is bad because I'm trying to juggle too many things at work. I have 3 grants right now that are consuming lots of my time. One is just getting up and started so way too many details to handle right now! In addition to these, there is my class I'm teaching and assignments to grade; there's also other papers I'm working on with other colleagues, conferences to prepare presentations for and attend, and lots of other things.

I woke up at 3:30 this morning and was awake till 5. I should have just gotten up and done some work rather than just thinking about what I needed to do today.

Let's hope that things begin to calm down sometime soon!

To Do Today

Awake since 3 AM...not fun given all I need to get done today:
- get to work before 8
- go out surveying for my XO project (leaving at 8 AM)
- work on agenda for first full team meeting for my new NIA ALF study
- conduct first full team meeting this afternoon for new ALF study
- write NIA supplement that is due in less than 2 weeks!!!
- deal with administrative BS that takes way too much time away from the things I really need to be doing!!!
- begin annual report that is due TOMORROW
- begin draft of IRB application for new NSF grant that looks like it will be funded; NSF pgm officer suggested getting IRB approved, so we need to get it done. This paperwork takes tons of time!!!
- respond to various emails that came in late yesterday for meetings of various kinds
- schedule team meeting for XO project
- pick up Callen at school
- get Callen ready for soccer match
- and lots of other things that I'm sure I'm blanking on at the moment...

Wish me luck!

So Many Things of Interest . . . So Little Time . . .

I think one of the reasons that I became a sociologist is because the social world fascinates me. There are so many things of interest to me that I would like to study and that need to be studied that it is hard to say "no" when you see opportunities. I wonder though how well we do things when we over commit ourselves.

Some of my graduate students have such great ideas of things they want to study; it is hard to remind them to keep their feet grounded until they finish their dissertations when it is hard for me to not branch out as I think of and see new things I'd like to investigate.

I mentioned in an earlier post that it is harder and harder to find time to think and write the longer I'm in academia. I think part of this is because we become more and more involved in 'new' projects. A friend of mine once remarked that he felt almost like a small business owner, as he tried to manage all his projects and the associated tasks and other people involved. I understand what he means.

So, I'll keep pursuing my interests but also try to be mindful that I have limited time and resources with which to pursue new projects (as best I can anyway!). If you have suggestions for how to manage time and projects, please feel free to post a comment.

Here's to pursuing our interests, managing our time, and doing it all in some semblance of order . . .