12 days

That's how many days there are left until classes start. I've really taken a break since last Saturday. I've been sleeping in (past 8:00!), staying up late watching movies, not doing anything work-related, and have been just feeling generally lazy! On the one hand, I feel like I deserve some time off. Just because we stayed in town doesn't mean that I should ignore the break, right? Plus D is home until next Wednesday when she goes back to school. On the other hand, we have so little time between semesters here that I can't really afford to do nothing. There are a few critical things that HAVE to be done before classes start on the 8th:

• I have to revise that conditionally accepted paper. If I wait until classes start, it will be that much more difficult, so I am better off doing it now- I really need that one for tenure.
• I also have a pre-proposal due on the 5th. It's the same NSF grant that I have applied for twice before. We're hoping that the 3rd time's a charm. I don't have a lot to do for revising the pre-proposal- just updating some statistics and incorporating some things from last year's full version. However, there is a deadline!
• I need to revise my syllabi for next semester. I have taught both of my classes several times, but I am making quite a few changes to the freshman course (like changing textbooks). I also want to try doing some in-class problem solving/ case study approaches to teaching, rather than just lecturing TO them. This will require a lot of planning and I'm going to be kicking myself if I end up trying to do this the night before.
• Some other things that I should work on before the 8th include: making some research progress for the conferences later in the spring, planning some guest talks I will be giving in February, and cleaning out some closets at home. It's really time that I got rid of some clothes that I haven't worn in years.

So, I have a lot to do and today did not start out in a promising way- I slept in (again) and am not feeling motivated in the least! I think I need to force myself out of bed early tomorrow. I feel groggy from too much sleep and morning is my best chance to get some work done. I'll keep you posted! btw- I did a couple posts of real substance over the last week or so- if you've been away from your computer, check them out!

tags: academia teaching workload research planning