Next week I'll be out of town for my final archival research trip. I chose that week because we have "fall break"* and the course midterm, so missing one lecture is really very tiny in the scheme of things. Plus, grading can happen when I return.
This means that when I come back, there will be two weeks left of October. This is the point where I start to think, Oh CRAP! The semester is half-done and I haven't done ANYTHING yet! This means it's also a good time to remind myself what I've accomplished. Since August, I have done the following items related to my own work:
1. Created a first draft of a dissertation chapter (August)
2. Drafted, revised, and finalized a paper for a book submission (August/September; this went through probably 8 drafts. Got rejected, but I may have use for it elsewhere.)
3. Drafted, revised, and finalized a paper for a talk (August/September; this will likely become the foundation of the 5th chapter in my dissertation)
4. Returned to that dissertation chapter and worked fervently to finalize it (DONE!)
5. Drafted a grant application "template" and got feedback from advisor.
6. Drafted a dissertation abstract and outline.
Plus, of course, there were all the teaching things. And having another research trip is always something productive. So really, I've done well and should stop thinking otherwise.
But when I get back, it will be time to jump into a few more things. Namely,:
-2 grant applications due in November.
-pursue some oral history opportunities
-finish reviewing my research files
I'd love to get another chapter draft by December 31, and this is perfectly doable. I think it just needs to take a far-back-seat behind the grant applications and the research and oral histories for now, though. If I keep that in mind, then yep, I think this is perfectly doable to me. Panicky? NO MORE!
*"Fall Break" at my institution is a long-standing joke. It's an official, on-the-calendar thing, but it really just means that they cancel classes for Friday.
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