2017 Thoughts, Plans, Changes?

[Eigen]

I know the title is rather generic, but everything else I tried seemed too specific. 

What are your plans and goals for the new year? Any academic resolutions? Things you want to try? Things you tried last year that didn't work out?

Personally, I'm in the midst of trying to re-organize and re-arrange my office. After moving last year, half of my files were still in boxes, and the other half were stuffed in a drawer somewhere. Organizing old grad school/postdoc files, my teaching files, and my research into some manageable grouping is the main plan before the new semester starts. 

I felt like my office floor plan wasn't really as conducive as I'd like to multiple students for office hours, so I moved things around to make a nice 3-4 person seating area with a table around a whiteboard that should make those easier. 

I'm determined not to over-prep for classes this semester. The fall had way too many 1 AM mornings before an 8 AM class! Less preparation, and more enthusiasm and energy were a better combination than extremely prepared, but exhausted. 

[avflinsch]

#1 - wait for the phd application to be processed,and not obsess over it
#2 - finish the masters degree
#3 - no matter what the results are for #2 - take a decent vacation
#4 - loose some weight (I have been saying that for the past 30 years...)

 

[MarineBluePsy]

I'm going to add another bookshelf and a filing cabinet to my office so that the piles on the floor can disappear.  I'm also going to try one of those online favorites storage sites because I switch browsers and computers so often its really annoying when something I bookmarked is elsewhere.

[GreenEyedTrombonist]

I've decided cleaning my room is how I'll procrastinate from writing. My immediate goals for the year are:

1. Finish my main grad project deliverable by next Tuesday (About 11k words left to write)
2. Finish my final project report outline by 10 days later
3. Write an abstract or two for SWAA's conference this spring
4. Get my TA paperwork squared away for the next semester
5. Try not to freak out about hearing back about my apps

[Need Coffee in an IV]

My goals are to locate an internship, pass my qualifying exams, and do well in my masters program. I'm hoping to get an internship this summer, it will definitely help cushion my savings. I'm planning on getting a cat, which I think will help my anxiety. Its not necessarily a goal, but I'm hoping to be a more supportive person in general and particularly to my bf. I also need to learn how to cook.

[TakeruK]

My plans are so up in the air right now! I have submitted the (first wave) of postdoc applications and most of the results will come in the next 4-6 weeks. Just like in the PhD application process, my spouse and I are stressed out since we have no idea where we will end up living later this year. I'm sure you and others who have gone through this process for postdocs can also relate!

Because of immigration status issues, I don't even know when I will be defending. If I end up with a US postdoc position, then I will defend within 1 month of starting the new position. If I am returning to Canada (I only applied to US and Canadian positions) then timing is not that important. If I'm leaving academia, then I will need to defend by the deadline to receive my degree in June 2017. 

But I don't know how much the US government will change its priorities for my field after Jan 20. A lot of planetary atmosphere type work relies on studies of our planet's climate, and that might be in danger. Something that sounds like a great research position now might not be very good in a year or two due to the political climate. 

Being someone who is "Type A", especially in terms of time management and planning ahead, this uncertainty is so very not fun. So, one of my resolutions/"trying something new" is learning better strategies to cope with this stress. Grad school in general is stressful and I have been able to be fairly successful at managing stress in the past 5 years. But this new challenge is a whole new level of stress that I am still learning to manage. I know that I need to let go of worrying about things I cannot change at this point (and I often say this to the grad school applicants on these forums!) but it's easier said than done  I'm improving though.

My other academic goal for this year is to do a better job of decreasing perfectionism so that I can produce more tangible "products". Most of my papers have taken 20% to 30% more time than I wanted to spend on them and the extra time doesn't improve the quality of my work in a useful way. So one big goal for this year is to spend my time more efficiently and knowing when and where to spend energy.

[Eigen]

I feel you! Last year was a "where will I be in a few months?!" year, and I juggled defense and jobs as well. Got everything ready, and figured I could hold off if I didn't get something. 

And I'm in a one year position now, wondering what will come through for next year. Lots of interviews, nothing concrete. 

Unlike the grad school process, the timing of post docs and faculty positions so rarely lines up, so you almost always have to take what's offered without direct comparison. My offers so far have all had strict 1 week timelines, so not even time for my spouse to get to see the town we're deciding if we want to spend the (likely) rest of our life in. 

[shadowclaw]

Some short-term goals:

• Get out into the field in the next few weeks to get a good grasp of what my future field sites are going to look like
• Get my PhD project details nailed down and have a study design completed by mid-March
• Identify and get permission/permits for field sites by mid-May
• Find the last member of my committee
• Buy new tires and get some other services done on my vehicle ASAP
• Write up an abstract to submit for the upcoming ESA meeting by mid-February
• Apply for some fellowships and grants

Some long-term goals

• Do more real cooking (less crap like fishsticks in oven, more creating meals from scratch)
• Eat better
• Get into shape/Lose some weight (more focused on the fitness) 
• Drink more water
• Clean the apartment more often
• More camping

I know everyone makes resolutions about losing weight, eating well, etc. and then falls off the wagon after a month or so. However, most of my long-term goals revolve around this theme. I gained a hefty amount of weight in undergrad, but I was able to lose a lot of it towards the end because I ended up being pretty active. Grad school has made finding time for fitness a challenge and my husband's love of fast food and other garbage has had a terrible influence on me, so I've porked up. It's rather disgraceful since I'm a field biologist... I should be lean! My hiking ability has gone down the tubes as well. A few years ago I could do a 12 mile hike on a moderate trail with an overnight pack no problem. Now hiking half a mile up an incline with nothing on my back is like "oh my god! Can't breathe!" and I'm ready to crumple into a ball. I really need to get into shape for the summer field season, and I need to stop eating trash.