I don't think we all consider how much taking a few hours, days, or weeks off from work can make you feel so much better about your project, your life, and your future. Or maybe this is me? I often wonder if my love of time off means I'm in the wrong profession. I see others who seemingly work constantly and I don't really understand how they do it. I need my random afternoon hikes with the dog when it's unexpectedly nice out. I need my evenings of cooking and cleaning and quiet time. I definitely NEED my long nights at the bar, enjoying the social aspect of being a grad student and being surrounded by people that make you laugh. Without fulfilling these needs, my scientific drive starts to give out completely.
This has been a little bit of a hectic term (heck, this has been a hectic 2 years), but I guess the point of this thanksgiving blog post is that I feel like I'm finally starting to be able to balance my life and work a little better. This fall, I'm finishing up my coursework and finally starting to analyze my data. I just got a big manuscript sent to press, successfully gave presentations at two national conferences, and am excited about the future directions for all of my projects. Although somewhat exhausting, both conferences made me very excited to be in the field that I'm in. Meeting with collaborators, talking to old friends, and seeing cool science happening reinforces that, though I need to be careful to not burn out in the next few years, this is the right field for me to pursuing.
What's around the corner now? I'm psyched to be working with Colleen on our next manuscript - it seems like remarkably good luck to be able to work with people that you genuinely like so much. I'm going to be recruiting new undergraduate students to help with some lab projects. I'm gearing up to take my qualifying exam this winter, which means lots of studying during the dreary part of the Corvallis winter. Lots more lab work. Many more battles with R. Many manuscripts to write. But most importantly, more long walks with the dog and fun nights at the bar.
This has been a little bit of a hectic term (heck, this has been a hectic 2 years), but I guess the point of this thanksgiving blog post is that I feel like I'm finally starting to be able to balance my life and work a little better. This fall, I'm finishing up my coursework and finally starting to analyze my data. I just got a big manuscript sent to press, successfully gave presentations at two national conferences, and am excited about the future directions for all of my projects. Although somewhat exhausting, both conferences made me very excited to be in the field that I'm in. Meeting with collaborators, talking to old friends, and seeing cool science happening reinforces that, though I need to be careful to not burn out in the next few years, this is the right field for me to pursuing.
What's around the corner now? I'm psyched to be working with Colleen on our next manuscript - it seems like remarkably good luck to be able to work with people that you genuinely like so much. I'm going to be recruiting new undergraduate students to help with some lab projects. I'm gearing up to take my qualifying exam this winter, which means lots of studying during the dreary part of the Corvallis winter. Lots more lab work. Many more battles with R. Many manuscripts to write. But most importantly, more long walks with the dog and fun nights at the bar.