Time Strategies for the Fall

The world is round,

and the place which

may seem like the end

may also be only the beginning.

(more info)

Switching over from summer (when I was working on my project and taking care of my dad), I am really having to think hard about time: I felt busy during the summer... and I wasn't even working. I don't want to completely give up my African research project (this is the most enjoyable project I have ever worked on!), but now I have to find a way to squeeze in my 40 hours of work, plus another 5 or 6 hours each week to be a student in Myth-Folklore. Luckily, being a student in Myth-Folklore will be a way for me to carry on with Brer Rabbit and Africa... so I feel really lucky how that is going to work out.

The articles I read (well, re-read!) for this assignment are The Myth of Too Busy by Tim Grahl and Time Management Tips Just for Creatives by Amanda Oliver.

I really like Grahl's emphasis on PRIOTIZING. I am very good at that. Ruthlessly, in fact. And that's because "busy" is my enemy. To do good work, I have to focus, and I also need a routine. Busy stuff keeps me from focusing and it disrupts my routine. I will definitely complain that I do not have enough time (and I don't: it is really hard to prioritize the time that I do have available)... but it's not about being busy. I really like how being away from campus saves me from having to go to meetings, etc. I'm working hard. But I'm not really "busy" ... and I like it that way! 

(pull-quote from Grahl)

I wanted to re-read Amanda Oliver's article because this summer was the beginning of a new long-term project for me where I am going to be morphing into a writer rather than a teacher. Not right away. But I'll be retiring sooner rather than later (this is my 21st year at OU), so I have been thinking about what kind of time management habits I can continue with, and where I might need to make some changes. One suggestion here is about ending the day with a to-do list. I think that is something I should probably start doing. I've been teaching for such a long time that I have really good routines, and I don't need a to-do list. But for my research and writing projects, I don't have those same automatic routines in my head already. So maybe I will try doing a little to-do list before I sign off the computer each night. It will be fun to figure out what kind of app I might use for that; I don't even have a to-do list app. I think there's one built into Gmail so maybe I will give that one a try. If I find a good one, maybe I can turn it into a Tech Tip for this class later too. :-)