I'm very quickly moving into the part of graduate school where I basically set my own schedule all day, every day. I have two more quarters of classes, but the workload isn't as intense, and by the end of June I won't have to be on campus at all unless I have a meeting or something. (Or just want to remind my advisor I exist.)
I get a taste of what that life will be like during my current vacations. I always have projects to work on but nowhere to be. And it's really hard to get motivated! It's scarily easy to just let the day get away from you.
One of my New Year's resolutions is to find a schedule that works for me. I know a couple of important things about myself already. For example, I do better when I get up early. Also, it helps if do something productive right away. It can be exercising or doing some reading or getting through my email. But as nice as sitting around in my pjs checking blogs for an hour can be, I've learned it's not a good way to start a busy day. I work better OUT of the condo - even if I just go to a coffee shop or over to my friend Kristin's to watch her dog. Somehow that sends my brain a message that it's work time.
But I still have some thinking to do. I do not want to (WILL NOT) be one of those grad students who takes years and years to finish up.
I'm thinking about doing a couple of different things. First of all - I think I should commit to going up to campus 3 days a week, even if I don't have something specific to do up there. It'll make me more productive, it's a good thing for professors to see me occasionally, and it's important to talk to other grad students about new ideas or projects to collaborate on. I'm also thinking about sitting down for 15 minutes every Sunday night and planning out what I want to get accomplished that week. It seems silly to make myself work 9-5 or something (because I can dawdle or procrastinate if I just base my work day on time), but if I have defined tasks, it'll keep me on track.
I know you're all out there feeling really bad for me, what with my sad life where I have to manage a flexible schedule and figure out where in the world I want to work each day and when I should get dressed every morning. Try not to cry too hard on my behalf. I'll survive.
