I spend a goodly amount of time in my job asking to see student's lists. It goes something like this:
How are you doing on this project?Usually its about 6 in 10 and pick 'em if there even is a list. If I were a preacher instead of a professor, I would be a decibel of the Church of The List.
We're a little bit behind, but I think we'll be ok!
Oh, really, I think I need to see your list.
With that in mind, I am sure you understand how odd it has been for me for the last few days to be so wholly and completely without a list. It has, quite literally, left me listless. In fact between late night television and no list; if Anne Rice wrote me into a book I would be the Vampire List'less.
This needs fixing.
I know there are things out there, things for precollege, things for the book, things for ESTA. I need to be working on my binder, I could be exercising. There are things for my sister's wedding. I need to go to the dentist. There very much is list material available, and yet in my sort of end of academic year lounging mode it has been difficult to get the components to properly coalesce into an actual list.
The one exception has been email, except there I actually failed in my task. There was a window right around Memorial Day where the fabled inbox zero was a real possibility. At the end of classes I had dumped my entire "to do" file into my "inbox" and started to chip away. The dwindling incoming mail provided a rare opportunity to get down to nothing. I worked my way all the way down to two messages. Routine correspondence from someone who unexpectedly no-showed on the wedding, and an email from a CMU alum that had been kicking around unanswered since the end of December as I had never found the time.
I was so close. But then the mail started coming in again.
I am still hoping to retire those old messages, as well as maintain as close to a clear inbox as possible for the entire summer. So "answer old email" is on the newly forming list, a core upon which to build.
The listlessness has really hit my motivation though, so I could use your help. If you're out there, and you have something that goes on my list, shout it out and let me know. Squeaky wheel and all that, right? Maybe I can get myself into gear again.
2 comments:
I second the notion to exercise. Regardless of current physical condition. I've found it to be an absolute necessity in order to keep up a "normal" front. Exercise is it's own catalyst- once you start doing it it becomes an addiction and no longer needs outside motivation. It makes us feel good about ourselves. If you're a goal-oriented person it's ideal. It helps us sleep better, making us more pleasant to be around in the morning. It gets our minds off work (unless you're one of those people who reads the Journal on the treadmill. Pick up some trashy fiction for crying out loud.) For those of us in shops it's part of the daily grind, but a little outside grinding makes the daily stuff way easier. Go out. Jog a couple miles. Swing a racket. Swim some laps. Lift something heavier than you are. You'll be glad you did.
Brought to you by the Deano for Better Living Campaign.
*squeaksqueak*
Boy,
SO many of the things on your list should be on mine, but I can't seem to get a list going either. I have that same post semester wind-down apathy right now. But the semester won't seem to wind down and leave me alone. Nevertheless, here I am at work...reading YOUR blog! Is that motivation or what? If you figure out how to re-engage, let me know. I hope taking a little vacation leaves me ready to "get back to it" in time for precollege.
Good luck.
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