Alright, we're a bit late coming to this, but there is a reason. I just finished the last of three classes for the week (well, not just, it's been several hours and a lunch later, but this morning). Yesterday was my first day of classes, and before that for several days I've been frantically trying to get myself and my systems in order to handle what I was anticipating would be a deluge of work I'd be doing for graduate school.
So far I've only dealt with the classes themselves. But it doesn't seem like it will be too bad. The teachers are nice, and basically, if you come to the lecture having read and thought about the main chapter assigned, and participate, you'll be fine.
Now, the next part is the coursework. I'll be able to tell you more about that after this week. I'm still trepidatious about the amount of work that I'll need to be doing. But actually, it doesn't seem like it will be too bad. My tentitive estimate of how much work this will be is, "quite a bit, but not overwhelming." I'm kind of cheating in that I'm not also trying to hold down a full-time job like some of the other students, but if I was, I'd probably only be doing once course at a time, like them.
In terms of the actual coursework, the books are interesting and thoughtfully written, and I already mentioned that the teachers seemed nice and supportive, as do the fellow students. I think I'll enjoy reading my assignments (so far I have) and it's just a matter of how much time it will take to do that. And, figuring out the right balance of note-taking. I like taking notes, but it slows me down considerably.
I am in a bit of a pickle with my organization system. I needed to update things a little bit, to handle all the information and tasks that would be coming to me from the program. But instead somehow I've changed a whole bunch of tools all at once. I think they are all things that will help a bit with my productivity, but there's a learning curve at first.
I think for me a lot of staying organized is just one simple concept: you have a bucket where you put stuff when it comes to you. Then, you regularly go through that bucket (not a literal bucket, (probably) but an inbox, literal box, letter tray, whatever) and figure out what needs to happen with each thing in there: does it need to get put away? Thrown out? Is there a to-do attached to it that you need to keep in mind? And then you need to have a bucket, some place, where everything goes.
If you don't have an inbox bucket, your stuff is all over the place. If you don't check your inbox bucket regularly, it just turns into a pile of stuff. If you can't quickly figure out where it goes when you process it, or if it doesn't have a place, then it's too much resistance (and/or takes too much time) and the inbox bucket never gets processed and piles up, and eventually you rifle through it for any true emergencies and then put the rest in a closet somewhere and leave the emergencies on top of your desk.
Or something like that. Then maybe someday you're feeling productive and you get out another bucket and repeat the process.
Oh, and for anything that needs your attention, you need the habit of regularly checking that bucket.
So, theoretically, it should be a really simple endeavour. Theoretically. In real life, there are lots of issues that crop up, mostly having to do with being squishy robots rather than the metal kind that don't have emotions. Deciding where things goes is an art, and if you've written down or put away a bunch of stuff somewhere and then realize it's not a good place for it and have to switch it around, that can take a lot of time and take you from being more productive to less.
So right now I am both trying to implement a new system and tools, and judge weather that system and those tools are actually going to be a good idea long term, before I put a bunch of time into it/them.
However, I'm at the point where classes have started, and also feel like I've done enough of the think-y bits and need to just get to doing things to actually figure out what works and what doesn't, and actually get work done. I've got textbooks to read. And soon, papers to write. But it's still a slow spin-up process, as I take one step, realize I need to do something I don't know how to do, look up how to do it, realize there are two other things I don't know how to do, look them up, find out I can't do one of them and the other kind of works but not well. Then I have to decide if I really want to keep doing things the way I'm doing them. Then I have to tell myself to stop thinking and just go with it for a while. Then remind myself that I don't actually need to do the third thing so I should just let it drop for now.
But still, it is spinning up. I'm getting it moving, but it's a heavy wheel so it's slow going at first. I've had a very interesting realization about my mindset and state of...being? feeling? functioning? related to being productive, but that's a long conversation, and this post is already long. Hopefully it will still be working next week and I can talk about it then if there's nothing more urgent, and I can also share how the homework is going and have a better sense of how this semester will be going.
Love to all of you friends and family who are reading this (all 3 of you :D ) and I guess a more general love for anyone else who found themselves hear by accident. Wishing you well.
-I
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