I have been to campus 4 days a week for the last 2 weeks, and I have meetings and classes scheduled 4 days for the next 2 weeks, as well. Eventually, I hope to WFH during preschool hours and Thursdays and Fridays because we drive to campus and back every single day for Coop to dive-- I would adore saving myself the commute time here and there. BUT. STILL. This is more than I have been to campus since before the panny, and I AM LOVING IT.
1. I have been DOING MY HAIR EVERY WEEKDAY. Partially this is because I got a haircut last month, and I no longer have long shaggy hair that is demanding to live on top of my head in a ridiculous pile. It is also because I made some tweaks in my morning routine to allow time for grooming (LOL). But whatever the reason, working on campus and having pretty hair are linked so far. EVEN THOUGH as soon as I cut my hair and added some bangs, the weather went from crisp and dry to completely suffocatingly humid, which always makes my hair look bananas. I HAVE SOLDIERED ON, you guys, lunch lady bangs and all. (Silly universe! I sad LADY WHO LUNCHES hair).
2. My email is always contained. NO NEW MESSAGES and most things in my inbox dealt with or pinned to the top of the page to deal with when I have specific dedicated time. THIS IS SO HUGE FOR ME. In previous semesters, I would have maybe 2 days where I would answer and deal with harder emails, and my box was always a mess and quite literally dreadful. I never want to prioritize emails over other work, so letting my box get clogged was a deliberate choice when I was pressed for whole-brained work time-- but having dedicated time most days to slog through my inbox is lovely. (Obviously, I check it regularly and deal with emergent issues as they arise).
3. I always get active minutes when I walk to and from my parking garage and building. LOVE THIS FOR ME because I am not wearing my watch when I exercise, so I have to look for time in my day to increase my activity, and going to campus is the perfect opportunity.
4. A commute with no kids in the car? BRING ON THE COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES SERIES. What a delight.
5. Every semester, I say oh this is my favorite class about whatever I am teaching, but this semester, I really mean it (I say that every semester, too.). Because it is the third time I am teaching my campaign and revolutions class about US feminist movement in the nineteenth through twenty-first centuries, the newly revised and freshened up class is both smoother than the last couple of times and also still challenging for me, and I LOVE IT. I love it so much that on Monday, I only got through 12 of 23 lecture slides because I just wanted to say ALL OF THE THINGS. Sooooo maybe I need to dial back the love a bit.
Yay work!
I loved every moment of this nerdy academia post!
ReplyDeleteYay to loving work! I have worked from home since 2006, so when I have to get out of the door looking decent early in the morning, it really throws me. It's so seldom, though, that I find it kind of fun and refreshing.
ReplyDeleteI really like having an organized work email inbox. I sort every email into folders, so I have zero emails, read or unread, at the end of the week. It's a small thing, but it makes me happy.
This is Lisa. I love your enthusiasm for your job! That is so important and something I feel as well. I never take it for granted because I know many others slog through work and don’t enjoy what they are doing. The class you are teaching sounds super interesting and I bet your enthusiasm is contagious. I had this super enthusiast linear algebra teacher in undergrad. He’s one of the few teachers whose name I remember. He was just a joy to have for a prof! He LOVED linear algebra so we as students did, too.
ReplyDeleteSounds like back to school is going good so far! Time alone in the car with no kids is MAGIC!!
I want to TAKE your class!
ReplyDeleteI now get work emails from four schools and it is ludicrous. Very few of them affect me directly, so I am trying to go through them every day and delete the irrelevant ones and the same with my personal email (so much spam).
Is there anyone's hair that is GOOD in humidity? I went to Morocco once. Best two weeks in my hair's life.
I love your enthusiasm in this post! I'm so glad this area of your life feels so full and happy and inspiring, as it can be the opposite for so many people. That class sounds AMAZINGGG and I wish I could take it. Your students are lucky to have someone as passionate as you are!
ReplyDeleteAs someone who also loves her job (but, um, not dressing up... still wearing leggings to teach, but hey, no one is saying anything), I fully endorse this post. When you love it, it doesn't seem like work. :)
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