Tuesday, October 9, 2012

168 Hours

Obviously, I haven't posted for awhile.  But that doesn't mean I haven't been working.  I have been keeping a daily log of my work-related activities, always striving for at least 15 minutes a day on research/writing.  I think I have developed a solid habit of engaging my research Mon.–Fri., and I am pleased with that.  So I may not post all of my daily totals, week-by-week or month-by-month anymore, on this blog, now that the habit is set.  I am not sure of the direction I want this blog to take, but I am not ready to let go of it yet so I will continue to post things that relate to work productivity with the hope they may be helpful to others.

I have been reading this book by author Laura Vanderkam called 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think.  It encourages the reader to take a serious look at how she uses her time--on a week by week basis.  In one of the earliest chapters, the author prompts the reader to keep a log of all activities and time spent on each one for an entire week.  I did this exercise and found I spent my 168 hours in the following ways:


I learned A LOT by doing this exercise, and I recommend it to anyone who is interested in a reality check to see where your time actually goes.  Vanderkam makes the argument that most people severely overestimate the time that they work and underestimate the amount of time they spend engaged in leisure activities.  I will say it felt a little cumbersome to always be writing down what I was doing in any given part of my day, but overall the exercise was worthwhile.  So here is what I learned:

I spent 11 hours pretty much goofing off.  My "goofing off" category includes 4 hours and 45 minutes of watching TV and a whopping 6 hours and 18 minutes on my ipad at home--checking email, catching up on my favorite blogs, and playing word games.  This is the area I would like to restrict further.  I generally think of myself as not watching that much TV, and I certainly don't think I benefit from it at all.  Even if I cut this entire "goofing off" area in half, I will create over 5 and a half hours of time I could spend on things that matter more to me, such as playing and writing music, for example.

I was pleased to see that I spend a lot of time in other areas that are important to me, such as quality time with Kate and exercise.  

More relevant to this blog . . . Of the 42 hours I spent working, here's what I did:


I was surprised to learn that although I am scheduled to teach for 9 hours each week, I spend 11 hours and 45 minutes in my classroom.  This accounts for time spent getting the room ready before class begins, ten minutes in between back-to-back sections I teach, and time spent lingering with students after class is over.  Still, I end up spending 2 hours and 45 minutes more in my classroom than what I thought!

I was happy to see that I spent over 9 hours and 41 minutes on research.  This may or may not have been a typical week (slice out of my normal life), but that seems to me a pretty hefty research load while teaching full time.  I was also happy to see that I didn't spend ridiculous amounts of time on menial tasks that don't directly relate to my success--like scanning scores or tidying my office.  I spent over three hours of my week on work emails alone, but I don't think I can reduce this amount of time at all.  I already limit myself to checking email just a few times a day, and then responding to work emails only when I devote small chunks of time for this sole purpose so as not to let it take over my work day.

Finally, this entire exercise got me thinking more broadly about how I want to spend my time and what activities/goals/dreams I should be prioritizing over others.  For example, I spent 2 hours and 14 minutes walk/running with my dog.  Okay, yes, she (and I) both needed the exercise, BUT isn't it odd that I spent 2 hours and 14 minutes walk/running and ONLY 45 minutes composing music?  Do I want to spend more time running than writing music?  I don't think so.  I would rather devote more time to developing my musical craft and honing a talent I actually possess.  (I am not a talented runner; in fact, I am very slow.  On the contrary, I actually have degrees in music and have committed my life [ostensibly] to music, so what gives?)  After having had a few weeks to ponder questions like these, I think the solution is not necessarily cutting out running from my life (I actually had to do that for two and half months while recovering from a nasty stress fracture, so no thank you, I'll just keep running), but rather reallocate time I spend "goofing off" toward more meaningful activities, such as writing music.

I'll post more on this topic again soon.  Thanks for reading.




Monday, September 3, 2012

Out with August, in with September . . .

First, here is a summary of the last two weeks of August:

Mon. 8/20
research revising/writing: 45 min.
practiced piano: 47 min.

Tues. 8/21

research revising/writing: 34 min.
practiced piano: 60 min.


Wed. 8/22

composed: 60 min.
research revising/writing: 32 min.
practiced piano: 40 min.


Thurs. 8/23
research revising/writing: 39 min.

Fri. 8/24
research revising/writing: 21 min.

Mon. 8/27

research revising/writing: 54 min.
practiced piano: 90 min.


Tues. 8/28

research revising/writing: 111 min.
practiced piano: 60 min.


Wed. 8/29

research revising/writing: 39 min.
research gathering sources: 130 min.
practiced piano: 60 min.


Thurs. 8/30

research revising/writing: 20 min.
research reading: 32 min.
research gathering sources: 38 min.
research song analysis: 58 min.
practiced piano: 60 min.


Fri. 8/31

research revising/writing: 26 min.
practiced piano: 60 min.

Sat. 9/1
practiced piano: 60 min.

Totals for the last fortnight:

  • Time spent writing/revising: 421 min.
  • Time spent engaging research (not writing/revising): 258 min.
  • Time spent composing: 60 min.
  • Time spent practicing: 537 min.
Alright, so August wasn't my best month professionally (a rejection here, a lack of motivation there . . .) but I have a new frame of mind for September.  Here are my goals for the month:

  • Continue revisions on paper #1
  • Prepare 50 min. talk on the topic of paper #1 for a presentation on Oct. 1
  • Song analysis and continued reading for paper #2
  • Continue practicing A LOT for the upcoming concert on Sept. 22
  • If time, start gathering sources for a new project, let's call it paper #3 for now, for an invited talk I will be giving at a conference in April

Friday, August 17, 2012

weekly log

Here goes:

Sun 8/12: 
practiced piano: 60+ min.

Mon. 8/13:
practiced piano: 70 min.
composing: 40 min.; sketched new ideas/chord progression
research (writing/revising): 49 min.; fixed two examples

Tues. 8/14:
practiced piano: 45 min.
composing: 80 min.; wrote 11 measures for a new piece
research (writing/revising): 41 min.; revised 7 pages; cut 216 words

Wed. 8/15:
practiced piano: 24 min.
composing: 31 min.
research (writing/revising): 27 min.; cut 39 words

Thurs. 8/16: played hooky. needed a sanity day. got my hair cut instead.

Fri. 8/17:
practiced piano: 35 min.
research (writing/revising): 61 min.; revised 4 pages
[also read and typed notes on a reading . . . I am going to need to start doing more of this to beef up my paper before I can even think about sending it off somewhere]

Weekly totals:
I spent 234+ minutes practicing piano.
I spent 178 minutes writing and revising my research paper.
I spent 151 minutes composing.

It wasn't the most productive week, but it is better than nothing.

Monday, August 13, 2012

Since January 23 . . .

Out of curiosity, I went back through my logs and found that since January 23, I have spent:

6255 minutes writing or revising my research, and
828 minutes composing or revising new music.

That's 104 hours and fifteen minutes on research, and 13 hours and 48 minutes composing.

I saw my productivity spike in two places--(1) after I started the Tara Gray 15-minutes-per-day writing technique, and (2) after classes ended for the summer.

I think keeping a record is a very good thing.  

Friday, August 10, 2012

Hello, August . . . I'm back!

After a delightful vacation to South Africa, I have resumed my regular summer work schedule.  My activities now include: 

  • my regular research/writing/revising sessions
  • reading relevant literature (the goal is one article per day, but I haven't been as productive on that front);
  • preparing my courses for the fall semester;
  • composing, when I'm so moved (I need to pick a new project because right now I am just doodling on my staff paper); and
  • practicing piano!*
*NB The highlighted items are what I am logging on this blog, to keep myself accountable. 

Before I left for South Africa, I finished writing a piece for solo piano, which I am going to perform at my department's Faculty Gala Concert on September 22 to celebrate the opening of our new beautiful building, the Janet Wallace Fine Arts Center.  So my daily tasks now include practicing so that I will be ready to perform in six weeks.  To keep myself accountable, I have been logging the time spent practicing each day.


So here is the summary of my work this week:

Monday 8/6
RESEARCH: 35 minutes; cut 217 words; revised 2.5 pages
COMPOSING: 150 minutes; revised two movements; set one movement in Finale

Tuesday 8/7
RESEARCH: 62 minutes; wrote 2.5 pages
PRACTICED: 74 minutes

Wednesday 8/8
RESEARCH: 48 minutes; revised 3 pages . . . but my revision added 149 words.  Pity.)
PRACTICED: 42 minutes
COMPOSING: didn't keep track, but it was well over 120 minutes; finished setting the final movement in Finale

Thursday 8/9
COMPOSING: 28 minutes; tried to write something new--about 4 measures of not-my-best music
RESEARCH: 57 minutes; revised 13 pages; cut 247 words
PRACTICED: 100 minutes

Friday 8/10
RESEARCH: 43 minutes; cut 869 words
PRACTICED: 72 minutes

And just for the record, this week:
Minutes spent writing or revising my research: 245
Number of pages revised or written: 21 
Minutes spent working on my composition: 298+
Minutes spent practicing piano: 288


Friday, July 20, 2012

Last log for July

This has been a very good week.  Inspired by my new office at the newly renovated Janet Wallace Fine Arts Center, I was especially productive yesterday and today.  Here are the details:


Sun. 7/15
COMPOSING: 20 min., wrote 5 measures


Mon. 7/16 
COMPOSING: 47 min., wrote 11 measures
RESEARCH: 88 min., revised 23.5 pages



Tues. 7/17 
COMPOSING: 24 min., wrote 8 measures
RESEARCH: 73 min., cut 6 pages, rewrote 3 paragraphs & other revisions



Wed. 7/18 
COMPOSING: 14 min., no new measures, but created a large-scale plan for my piece
RESEARCH: none (moved into my new office and unpacked my boxes)



Thurs. 7/19 
COMPOSING: 43 min., wrote 14 measures
RESEARCH: 80 min., cut 249 words


Fri. 7/20
COMPOSING: 22 minutes, wrote 2 measures + 50 minutes on Finale, putting one of my three movements into musical notation
RESEARCH: 144 min., includes 9 minutes of revisions and the rest of the time reading three additional sources and taking notes.  Found some great stuff!!!


If you look carefully, you will see that I wrote music six days in a row, which is very good for me.  I am forming a routine, which makes me happy.  And I finished the three-movement piano piece I was writing!


My primary focus at this stage of my research project is cutting words and making what I have more succinct.  Currently my document is at 13,427 words and I need to get it down to a maximum of 10,000 if I want to to submit for possible publication in a scholarly journal.  At this stage, I am also reengaging with relevant literature and sources now that I have a clearer idea of which arguments need more support or development.  So I'll most likely be spending more time reading and note taking than writing for the next month or so.  We shall see.


I will not be working or blogging about what I have done (because I won't be doing anything creative or academic) for the next two weeks.  I am going on a technology-free vacation far away and really looking forward to it.


Saturday, July 14, 2012

log for the past week

I am not feeling particularly creative or academic lately, but that's okay.  Here were my endeavors this week:


Mon. 7/9: RESEARCH 30 min., wrote 1.5 pages by hand


Tues. 7/10: RESEARCH 33 min., wrote 3ish pages by hand


Wed. 7/11: 
COMPOSED 48 min., wrote about 44 seconds of very slow music
RESEARCH 49 min., typed 1.5 pages (405 words)


Thurs. 7/12: RESEARCH 66 min., revised 1.5 pages (405 into 388 better words to make an abstract for a book chapter proposal on a new research topic) + light revision of 40ish pages of my other project


Fri. 7/13: nada, zip, zilch, pretty much played hooky all day


Sat. 7/14: 
COMPOSED 60 min., wrote four really fast bars of music (that I happen to like . . . that's the problem sometimes is that I spend all this time writing something it turns out I don't really like at all . . .) after a period of non-productivity
RESEARCH 44 min., revised 10 pages


SUMMARY:
Minutes spent engaged in my research projects: 222
New pages written: 6
Pages revised: 51.5
Abstracts submitted for hopeful publication opportunity: 1
Minutes spent composing: 108







Friday, July 6, 2012

Log for the week

It has been a good week.  I took Wednesday off for Independence Day, but otherwise engaged my research project every day.  I also managed to work on my musical composition two of the four work days.  Here's the rundown:


Mon. 7/2
RESEARCH/WRITING: 49 minutes, created two phrasing charts and wrote 2 pages of prose by hand


Tues. 7/3
RESEARCH/WRITING: 71 minutes, typed 2 paragraphs of prose and created a kick-ass figure


Thurs. 7/4
COMPOSING: 56 minutes, 11 measures (or about 17 seconds of music)
RESEARCH/WRITING: 29 minutes, typed 1 new paragraph of prose, created 1 new figure, and revised a bit + 35 minutes working on sources and bibliography


Fri. 7/5 
COMPOSING: 22 minutes, finished the little movement I was working on . . . which is good, but . . . (not sure if I like it; it is quite dissonant and I am just not sure; oh well)
RESEARCH/WRITING: 40 minutes, revised 20 pages


This week's total productivity:
Minutes spent engaged in my research project: 224
Pages written: 4.5
Figures created: 2
Minutes spent writing music: 78
Compositions completed: 1

Friday, June 29, 2012

Past week's log

It has been a good week, work-wise, because I engaged my research project every day, which is my goal.  I also started writing music again, after a longer-than-I'd-like-to-admit hiatus.  Here are the details:


Mon. 6/25
RESEARCH PROJECT: 60 minutes, revised 3.5 pages


Tues. 6/26
RESEARCH PROJECT: 16 minutes, revised 6 pages


Wed. 6/27
COMPOSING: 73 minutes, wrote about 24 seconds of music
RESEARCH PROJECT: 30 minutes, revised first 3.5 pages again (they are rough!)


Thurs. 6/28
RESEARCH PROJECT: 25 minutes, revised/added to 2 pages


Fri. 6/29
COMPOSING: 74 minutes, wrote about 18 seconds of music
RESEARCH PROJECT: 33 minutes, revised/added to 2 pages


TOTALS:
164 minutes spent revising 17 pages of prose
174 minutes spent composing 42 seconds of music

Friday, June 22, 2012

The past fortnight's activity

Well, well.  I guess when I said I would stop posting so often, I meant it.  I never posted last week either because my schedule was too full.  I spent a week in downtown Cincinnati grading AP music theory exams, which was a blast but also very taxing!  Then I flew back to NH just to spend two long days driving west back home to St. Paul.  We got back last night, and today was my first "normal" day back into something resembling a regular routine.  I missed writing four of the past ten working days (M-F), which is too bad, but since I was traveling, I cut myself a break.  Here's the rundown:


Mon. 6/11: 47 minutes, 2.5 handwritten pages
Tues. 6/12: 22 minutes, 2 handwritten pages
Wed. 6/13: 24 minutes, 2.5 handwritten pages
Thurs. 6/14: 18 minutes, 2 handwritten pages
Fri–Sun 6/15–6/17: nothing


Mon. 6/18: 21 minutes, 2 handwritten pages
Tues. 6/19–Thurs. 6/21: nothing
Fri. 6/22: 73 minutes total (24 freewriting, 2 handwritten pages + 49 minutes revising)


I hope that next week will be more productive and regular.  I am looking forward to Monday because I will meet with my writing circle to review a few pages of each other's writing.  

Friday, June 8, 2012

Summary for this week

So I am moving toward weekly posts instead of posting daily.  My weeks will run Saturday to Friday, with weekly posts on Friday.  Here's the rundown:


Sat. 6/2: 197 minutes, 6 pages
Sun 6/3: day off, no writing
Mon. 6/4: 156 minutes, 6 pages
Tues. 6/5: 88 minutes, 4 pages
Wed. 6/6: 67 minutes, 4 pages
Thurs. 6/7: 35 minutes, 2 paragraphs (about 1.5 pages)
Fri. 6/8: 40 minutes, 3 paragraphs (about 1.5 pages)


TOTAL minutes spent writing new prose: 583 (that's nine solid hours and 43 minutes)
TOTAL number of pages written: 23


These are pretty good numbers and encouraging to me.  Plus, my first draft for my current project is finished!  Up next week will be the arduous process of revising and developing my ideas further.  Through writing the first draft, I have discovered a lot of gaps in my thinking and ideas I simply need to think more about and develop further.


I will be grading AP music theory exams next week so my writing/revising time will be quite limited, but my goal is to write/revise for a minimum of 15 minutes a day.



Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Log for today

4:32 pm, opened document
5:50 pm, stopped


Totals: 88 minutes, typed 4 new pages of prose


I am thinking about publishing posts less frequently since I have a "writing circle" that I email my progress to daily.  Perhaps a weekly summary/reflection on what I have done each week. . . . Not sure, we shall see.

Monday, June 4, 2012

Log for today

I've been working hard today.  I am bummed that we have had so much cold, rainy weather here in New Hampshire, especially when I am supposed to be on vacation, but it has been good for my academic productivity.  Here are the details:


Total number of minutes spent writing: 156 
Total number of new pages written: 6


That will be all for today.

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Log for today

I know it is the weekend, and I usually try to take the weekend "off" from my creative academic pursuits, but it has been raining hard ALL DAY in New Hampshire, and I figured I would make the most of the time indoors.  Here are my totals for today:


197 minutes
6 pages of new prose and figures


That's a little over a half hour per page, which seems slow to me, but I am writing my analysis now, which includes a lot of technical details and figures that are time consuming.  Plus, I am working out my thoughts on a few aspects, too, since this is a work in progress.  Sometimes I will start to write something that I think is true, and then I listen again to the music I am writing about and question my original idea.  Anyhow, writing about music can be tedious, but it is also fun.  In what other line of work, besides DJing like my brother does, would I get to listen to such awesome pop songs all the time and have it count as work?!

Friday, June 1, 2012

Log for yesterday and today

Just because I didn't create a post yesterday doesn't mean I didn't write.  Here are the details:


5/31, 1:13 pm opened .doc
2:57 pm stopped
total: 104 minutes; 4.5 pages of new prose


6/1, 2:27 pm opened .doc
3:56 pm stopped
total: 89 minutes; 4 new pages of examples and prose


Not too shabby.

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Log for today

I worked in the evening today even though I didn't want to work at all.  Here are the details:


8:04 pm opened document
8:45 pm finished some reformatting revisions (really mindless stuff) for my journal article submission from yesterday (I received an email response from the journal asking for some changes before they circulate it to the editorial board)


= 41 minutes

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Log for today

Thank goodness for a rainy day and sore legs.  I saw both as being signs that I should spend several solid hours on my revising/writing/research.


Total time spent revising today: 164 minutes


End result: I finished the revisions to the paper I had been working on and submitted it to a different journal for review!


It is nice to be done with this thing, for now at least.  I hope this attempt is successful.


And starting tomorrow, I can get back to my other project, which is continuing to write a first draft of my most recent research.  I am looking forward to this!

Monday, May 28, 2012

Log for today

9:00 pm opened doc
9:16 pm finished a few revisions


= 16 minutes of revisions/writing


I almost didn't remember to write today (talk about being in a happy vacation mode!), but I can thank my Macalester colleagues with whom I will be participating in a "writing circle" for helping me remember by sending out there number of minutes spent writing today by email.  Our goal this summer is to meet once a week (which I won't be able to do to until the end of June when I return to St. Paul) and email each other every day stating the progress we have made.

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Settling into NH

We drove across the country and are now settled into the New Hampshire house.  I'll be here for the next three weeks, and I found the perfect spot to set up my research/writing area:




The space is located in the apartment above the garage at the New Hampshire house, and it is quiet, delightful, and absent of all distractions!  I haven't had such a place to work since I lived in Ohio.  There is plenty of natural light and windows, and I couldn't be happier.


I was going to resume my writing/revising/research sessions tomorrow, but I had time and thought I would work for just 15 minutes.  Fifteen minutes turned into 68!  Nice.  I'll actually be working a lot more than 15–30 minutes a day since I have no other responsibilities while I am here (unlike when classes are in session and I am teaching).  My plan is to work for four hours in the mornings and then play in the afternoons.  And I need to make sure at least 15 minutes of the entire time is spent revising or writing (again following Tara Gray's plan for publishing and flourishing) as opposed to non-writing activities (research, transcription, listening, reading, etc.).


And another little bit of news: I discovered today that one of my articles was cited extensively on a blog by Ethan Hein.  You can view the blog entry here: http://www.ethanhein.com/wp/2012/looping-and-stasis-in-medulla/.  After my recent publication rejection, it was reassuring to see that someone was interested enough to read something I had written and reference it. 

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Log for today

10:30 am opened doc, got distracted/interrupted
10:34 am actually started working (on revisions)
11:35 am stopped


Time spent writing/revising: 61 minutes


I have no blog entry for yesterday because I didn't write/revise.  Instead I spent most of the day compiling and uploading materials for my upcoming pre-tenure review.


We're headed to New Hampshire tomorrow so I am not sure how much research/writing time I will have while we are on the road.  My plan is to start again on Monday 5/28.  Until then!

Monday, May 21, 2012

Sometimes the hardest thing to face is . . .

A blank screen:

I was attempting to summarize something new that I had read and work it into my essay.  Sometimes I will open a brand new document for this purpose because I don't know how it will all fit into the big picture.  Once I have typed the summary and connected it to my ideas, I will then cut and paste parts of what I have written into my main document.

Today's log:

10:00–10:29 am took notes on the new source (which I read over the weekend)
10:30–10:45 am wrote the summary in the separate document
10:45–11:05 am worked it into my main document and did a few other minor revisions

= 35 minutes of actual writing/revising

I also made a minor breakthrough in thinking about one of the main points of my essay--something that I think will strengthen my paper when I submit it the next time around. . . .


Friday, May 18, 2012

Log for yesterday and today

Looks like I never posted my progress from yesterday (but I did do the work).  So here is yesterday's log:


10:20 am opened doc
11:08 am stopped


results: typed 2.5 pages of new prose; worked for a total of 48 minutes




And today's log:


2:52 pm started some revisions on the paper that was rejected
[little pauses for coffee, etc. between 4:12–4:16, 4:23–4:29, and 5:40–5:42]
6:00 pm stopped


results: compiled reviewer's criticisms using comment features on word to remind me of everything I need to do; did many "sweeps" through the same 23-page document; worked for a total of 2 hours, 56 minutes (or 176 minutes, if you are counting in that way).  


It sure felt like I was working on this a lot longer than I did.  I guess I had been thinking about the sorts of revisions I needed to do ever since I read the anonymous reviewers' comment sheets.  At any rate, for various important reasons related to my upcoming pre-tenure review, it will be in my best interest to revise this paper as quickly as possible and send it off to a different journal for review.  My self-imposed deadline is to send off the revised paper to a different journal by this Thursday (when we will be leaving for our vacation in New Hampshire).

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

a disappointment and today's log

9:18 pm picked up where I left off yesterday
10:03 pm stopped


the product of my work this evening: two new paragraphs of prose


In other news, I am little bummed because I found out that one of my essays was rejected for publication from a top-tier scholarly journal (after a six-month review process--journals in my field are so slow!).  I had really high hopes for this one, and I guess I'll be thinking about where I should resubmit it, but it was definitely a big disappointment.  Oh well.  I am going to try not to let it discourage me.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Today's log

4:55 pm got started
5:08 pm interruption
5:10 pm back to work
5:19 pm stopped


Summary: typed one long, difficult paragraph; got through just two notecards

Monday, May 14, 2012

Log for today

8:39 pm opened doc
[8:42 pm went to make tea]
9:38 pm finished


today's productivity: typed another three pages of crappy first-draft prose


In other news, today I attended workshops given by Tara Gray, author of Publish & Flourish, and left renewed and inspired.  Plus, I got an email message from the director of Macalester's Serie Center for Scholarship and Teaching informing me that she wrote for 60 minutes.  I definitely felt inspired to write for a bit of time before turning in for the night!

Friday, May 11, 2012

Today's log and a confession

First, a confession: I skipped yesterday's writing session.  (That totals two skips in a single week--not great!)


Second, my log for today:
11:05 am opened the document
12:11 pm finished for today; typed another three pages


It feels slow going, though I know I am making progress.  My biggest issue is that with every sentence I type, I know I am creating a crappy draft and I want it to be better.  Normally my first drafts aren't quite this bad. BUT all that matters in this stage is getting the words down.  I should allow myself to enjoy this stage because it is the most open.  I can write ANYTHING I want.  No one is going to read it (not like this anyhow).


So I may give myself the weekend off.  It is commencement weekend at Macalester, and I have engagements related to pomp & circumstance today and tomorrow especially.


Next week we are having a "Spring Professional Activities Workshop" at Macalester, and Tara Gray is the featured speaker on Monday.  I am very much looking forward to her workshops.  Her book, Publish & Flourish, is the reason I am writing (almost) every day for at least 15 minutes.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Log for today

I must confess that I did not have my writing session yesterday.  I let the day get away from me.  Oh well. Today is a NEW DAY.  And here's what I have done:

8:24 am got out my notecards (each idea for my paper is on its own card); labeled and ordered cards according to where they fit in my outline

Here's what my process looked like during the 9 o'clock hour:



10:23 am finished labeling and ordering my notecards

And a picture of the ordered stack of cards:



10:26 am opened document & started writing!
11:38 am typed three pages of utterly awful double-spaced prose (I love the idea of writing "shitty first drafts", thanks Anne Lamott!)

The hardest draft is the first one.


Monday, May 7, 2012

Log for today

9:48 pm more freewriting in my journal
10:05 pm stopped.  Finished another page and a half of handwritten prose all together.

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Log for today

I almost didn't do my research session today, but after reading a chapter or two of Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird, I decided to force myself to write for just 15 minutes.  Part of the difficulty right now is that I must reengage with a research project I intentionally put on a back burner at the end of November in order to revise and finish up the essay I just sent off to a journal for review yesterday.  After so many months, I could barely remember my thesis statement!


So I opened up my research journal and copied by hand my thesis statement from a file on my computer.  And then I just let myself freewrite anything related to my thesis statement.  Here's the rundown:


9:37 pm started writing
9:55 pm stopped writing
Wrote 1.5 pages of prose by hand.  Of this, there is one new interesting sentence/idea.  Not the most productive session, but I have at least taken the most difficult first step in reengaging with my ideas.


I also realized that my notecards (my primary system for keeping track of main ideas, important evidence, and notes from various sources), as well as my old research journal, are at my office at work and will need to be retrieved before I can really get serious about writing this next thing.  I'll do that tomorrow.


Until then!

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Log for today

While I am giving the final exam for my Music Theory 2 class ( which is still going on), I had my daily research session.  Here's the rundown:


8:32 am opened document
9:08 am finished revising/proofreading entire document (30.5 pages from where I left off yesterday); got document ready for submission (removed metadata with my name and institution & made .pdf, etc.)
9:22 am sent the essay to a reputable, peer-reviewed journal!


So now this project is, once again, out of my hands.  The journal I submitted this essay to is known for being somewhat slow with its turnaround (I should know, I used to co-edit it!) so I will need to be patient.  But it definitely feels good to have it off my plate for now.


If this publication attempt fails, I will take it as a sign to take the project into a new direction (such as a book).  But let's hope it doesn't fail!



Friday, May 4, 2012

Log for today

2:25 pm opened document
2:40 pm revised 11.5 pages


I've decided to go with my initial plan for my current project and seek publication in the form of a journal article.  If the essay is rejected, then I might consider the book proposal idea I mentioned in my previous post.


Thanks for your support!

Thursday, May 3, 2012

And we're back!

I had a great time in Belgium.  My conference presentation went pretty well, and I also managed to have some fun, too.  (Kate has a post about our trip on her blog, if you are curious about the non-academic portion of the trip.)  I got some helpful feedback, and I have already made some changes to my working draft as a result.  I was delighted that Deborah Stein, author of Poetry Into Song, who gave the second keynote address at the conference, attended my talk.  Afterward she asked me if I planned to turn this project into a book, which I had not considered.  I have been focused on making it into a journal article, but her question got me thinking that maybe I should consider writing a letter of inquiry and book proposal for the project.  Regardless, I really want to get this project "out there" through publication, and I would like to accomplish this before I go up for tenure review next year.


So I am back into my somewhat normal routine, though classes have ended.  This means that my goal for every day is to write or revise for at least 15 minutes.  After all of my responsibilities for the academic year end, I will spend the bulk of my time (6 to 8 hours) each day on my research projects.


Log for today:
9:39 am listened again to song that is part of my project in order to revise an example; reorganized some files to find what I needed
9:48 am revised example for paper
10:10 am finished this revision

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Mid-April Update

Here's what is on tap for me.  I am not holding myself accountable for daily 15 min. writing sessions until after I return from Belgium in May.  I am using my time now to prepare for my presentation, which doesn't require any writing.  That's what I did yesterday, and it is also what I intend to do with my scheduled research sessions through Wed. morning.  We leave for Belgium on Wednesday so I probably won't post again until after we return in May!


Thanks for your support!

Friday, April 20, 2012

Today's log

Okay, so I did not have a session yesterday (Thanks, Aunt Lynn, for holding me accountable!)


Today's log:


7:59 am started
8:44 am finished creating presentation outline, powerpoint slides, and handout; started creating backup plan in case powerpoint or laptop fails . . .
8:58 am wrapped up


Got a lot done today!

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Log for today

7:53 am started
8:54 am finished


Accomplished: fleshed out about half of my outline for the presentation; revised a few slides; added a new slide

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Log for today

10:48 am started
11:17 am stopped


Here's what I accomplished today:

  • one new powerpoint slide
  • added some extra information on my handout that I won't have time to convey orally in my presentation
  • revised references listed on handout
Next up (tomorrow): My plan will be to flesh out my outline for the presentation.  More or less I have the order of what I will do figured out (having made the slide show), but I want to have a detailed outline so I don't forget to include certain things.


Thanks, everyone, for your support and comments!

Monday, April 16, 2012

Log for today

7:58 am started
8:18 am coffee break
8:20 am resumed work
9:00 am stopped


Results: created 7 more powerpoint slides (nearly done with this now); completed several revisions to handout and slides

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Log for today

8:58 pm: started
9:34 pm: now up to 15 slides (but I don't remember how many I had when I started this evening).  I think I created a couple of new ones and revised formatting and content on some ones I made earlier this week.


Still plenty to do.  Looking forward to my research hour tomorrow morning.  I like the idea of working for just 15–30 minutes, but I do get a lot more done in an hour.


Goal for this week: Get the presentation done (handout, powerpoint, outline) so that I can practice it this weekend.  I'm off for Belgium in just 10 days!


Thanks, everyone,* for your support and encouragement.


(* = everyone = Mom, Aunt Lynn, and Kate)

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Log for today

7:24 pm got started; didn't accomplish much--just one slide and started a second
7:42 pm stopped


A little is better than nothing.

Friday, April 13, 2012

Log for today

8:00 am started, created seven more slides (now at 11 total)
9:04 am stopped


Gotta go teach!

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Log for today

10:02 am started; prepared four slides
10:25 am finished


Not the most productive session today.  I actually "started" at 9:44, but then got distracted by email.  (Note to self: never open email during research time even if you need to find something related to said research.)


I was going to write an outline for my talk today, but decided that I will use a powerpoint presentation for my talk.  Once I have created my slides, I'll write an outline and practice the talk with that.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Log for today

7:58 am: started research (listening to songs to find additional examples); found three more examples and incorporated them into my paper
8:42 am: switched gears to revising handout for presentation
8:54 am: stopped; handout is basically ready, but I need to adjust my "Works Cited" section because I don't know yet what works I am going to cite!


Goal for tomorrow/Friday: to begin writing my outline for the presentation.  This seems to be the next logical step.  Normally in my discipline when presentations ar given, people read a paper they have written.  I know this sounds dreadfully dull (and sometimes it is!), but I am going to be deviating from this norm at my presentation in Antwerp.  I will be giving a hands-on demonstration of teaching techniques that I discuss in my paper so it will be more like I am teaching a class than reading from a script.  Benefits: this is what I do every day for a living & hopefully it will be more engaging than reading a paper.  Limitations: no script to read & I have to make sure I can get in everything I need to in the 60 minutes I will have.  I envision working mostly from an outline, as I would when I am teaching.  I may write up nice prose to read as a means of introduction and conclusion, but I don't know yet.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Log for today

10:01 am: opened document
10:18 am: paused to take phone call
10:25 am: resumed work
10:54 am: stopped work for today


Today's total productivity: revised 10 pages of prose and examples for conference presentation handout

Monday, April 9, 2012

Log for today

7:57 am: listened to ten songs and generated four new, good examples; integrated examples into my paper
8:38 am: completed revisions to paper with style guidelines in mind for journal I will be submitting it to (revised all 42 pages for formatting and style)
8:56 am: finished


Tomorrow I think I am going to focus on getting my handout prepared for the conference presentation at the end of the month.  

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Work log for the weekend

This will be a quick blog post to chart my progress this weekend:


Sat. 4/7
8:01 pm opened document & revised eight pages of prose
8:17 pm finished


Sat. 4/8
5:02 pm opened doc & revised eighteen pages of prose (actually got through the entire document I started revising on Thursday)
5:31 pm


Now that I have revised the prose of the entire essay, I am not quite sure what I will spend my remaining 15-minute writing sessions on each day until the rest of my research for this project is done.  I do need to revise the handout with examples for the talk I am giving at the end of the month in Belgium.  I wonder if that counts as writing?  (Part of me thinks it doesn't.)  I guess I can keep revising what I have already revised?!  It is too soon to switch gears to another project altogether (though I am eager to wrap this up and move on!)

Friday, April 6, 2012

Updates for April

While Kate has been away on her three-week journey to the Southwest, I have been getting quite a bit done on the academia front.  I worked every day this week on my current project (this is the one I will be presenting on at the end of the month in Belgium!).  The paper is very close to finished.  I am now going through the 100+ songs that are the subject of the paper to catch any additional helpful examples before finishing up.


I started reading this nifty little book called Publish & Flourish by Tara Gray.  It is intended for academics who want to be more prolific writers, but I think it could be helpful to anyone who writes for a living or for fun.  One of her basic premises is that you need to write (or revise) for 15–30 minutes every day.  (And this time is spent only on writing or revision, not reading, gathering data, non-writing research tasks, etc.)  If you do this, you will already be more prolific than others who wait for those prized blocks of time that never come (I definitely used to be one of those people!).  So this is my new strategy. In addition to the research hours I have allocated on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, I am taking at least 15 minutes on Tuesdays and Thursdays to write, and I am also making sure that at least 15 minutes of my allocated hours on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday is spent writing or revising.  My plan is to start posting my progress (time spent, number of pages written/revised) regularly to hold myself accountable.  


To this end, here is a recap of what I did for the week:

  • Monday: worked 8–9 am mostly on listening and gathering some additional examples, made a few minor revisions to existing prose
  • Tuesday: worked for several hours in the morning, continuation of what I started Monday
  • Wednesday: worked 8–9 am, continuation of previous work
  • Thursday: 9:29–9:36 freewriting in my research journal; 9:36–10:00 revised the first six pages of my essay
  • Friday, today: 8:13 (late start!)–8:45 continued work (listening and gathering examples); 8:45–9:00 revised the next six pages of prose
The next step for me is getting a sponsor.  Like a twelve-step program, Gray recommends you find an individual who you are responsible to for reporting your progress.  Anybody want to volunteer for this?  I plan to post my progress on my blog so it would just require checking in to make sure I am writing/revising every day.  


I am still trying to decide if I want to write on the weekends, too.  I usually try to keep as much of the weekend free of work (but that only works for maybe one week out of the term!).  


In other news . . . I've stopped doing the Artist's Way, for now, because I found it counterproductive.  I kept thinking as I would do all these tasks and exercises that I could be using that time to actually create something.  So I put the book and its tasks aside and just started playing more music and even writing a new song!  The song is still in progress, but I have two verses and a chorus and a basic guitar pattern to accompany myself with.

Monday, March 26, 2012

end of month update and some new ideas . . .

I have been progressing, little by little on my research tasks.  Still working on the same paper/project revisions, but making some headway.


I did not have a research session this morning because I was enjoying the last little bit of time I had with my mom, who was visiting from St. Louis, before I had to take her back to the airport.


So the next few weeks will be a bit different for me because Kate is away, on an exciting road trip to the southwest.  You can follow her adventures on her blog.


While she is away, I decided to schedule one or two 3-hour composition sessions (generally on Thursday and Sunday evenings) per week.  I chose evening times because I will need my piano and I don't want to bother my upstairs neighbors earlier in the day (they are night owls).  I don't know exactly what music I want to write, but I hope to journal on some instrument combinations/ideas and plunge into my first composition session this Thursday from 6-9 pm.  I am hopeful that I will begin to form a habit.  Since Kate will be away for three weeks, I figure that is the perfect amount of time to form a new habit that will hopefully stick!


I plan to continue my MWF research hours in the morning though it means getting up even earlier in order to walk the dog before I get ready for the day.  My most immediate research goal is getting ready for my presentation in Belgium at the end of next month.


In the meantime,  I'd better close in order to get to this morning's music theory class on time.

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

mid-March update

I have not been posting often, but I have been making progress toward my research goals.  Currently, I am enjoying spring break at Macalester--no classes this week, but ample time to make some headway on my teaching prep and research projects!  This morning I am enjoying an extended research period (normally on Wednesdays I have just an hour from 8 to 9 am).  And I was inspired to make this post because I just finished all of the reading and note taking I needed to do for my latest set of revisions for an essay I would like to submit for possible publication somewhere.  I still have yet to integrate all these new ideas into the existing essay, but that will be my next step.


And some good news--my presentation proposal for the 14th International Conference of the Dutch-Flemish Society for Music Theory was accepted so I will be going to Antwerp, Belgium at the end of April to give a hands-on teaching presentation on Ear Training with Radiohead.  I am really looking forward to this opportunity.  And hopefully the feedback I get at the conference will help me with getting this project published (the paper version of this presentation is the essay I have been revising).


I plan to keep working on the essay revisions this morning and again on Friday morning.  I am not sure when I will finish with these revisions, but it is good to keep the long-term goals in mind. . . .                                         

Monday, February 13, 2012

mid-February update

I don't have too much report for the past week or two.  I am still plugging away--little by little, research hour by research hour--on my current essay's revisions.  I have divided my remaining tasks into two big categories: (1) read a bunch of sources and add in some additional support for what I have already written, and (2) re-listen to eight albums of music that is the subject of the essay.  (The second task is the one that is more fun, so I am saving that one to do until the first is finished.)

So this morning I read and took notes on 50 pages of a relevant book.  I wish I could get this stuff done faster, but working three hours a week is better than no hours a week I suppose. . . .

At some point I want to reassess my long-term goals.  I haven't been composing any music for awhile.  I have just re-started The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron.  I worked through this book in the summer of 2003--nearly nine years ago.  It was a gift I had received from a student I had in Chicago a few years back, and his intent was to help me reconnect with composition after a period of being blocked.  I am hopeful that working through Cameron's book again will help me to get back in touch with my CREATIVE self, infusing all that I do--teaching, research, and composition--with greater creativity.

  

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

the ever-dwindling research hour, or better 50 minutes than no minutes at all

So I got a slightly later start than I would have liked this morning--at 8:10 rather than 8:00.  So my research hour became a 50-minute research session.  But better 50 minutes than no minutes at all I suppose.

I kept working on revisions for my current essay, which I hope to submit somewhere for publication by the end of this month.  I have a list of things to tackle so the process is simple (but not easy).  It feels good to check things off a list.  And today I checked off six items that needed some sort of revision so that's good.

Back to it on Friday. . . .