Be more like Spinuzzi--it's my new mantra. Right now I'm suffering from a combination of lethary and paralyzing fear. I need to start on what's hopefully my final dissertation proposal, but it's not actually due until December 15th. In the mean time, I've got a bunch of papers to grade, a proposal to submit, and--the thing that's really driving me crazy--fake a research journal for my ARG for freshman English. For some reason, I'm having a hard time faking a research journal. It really scares me. I think it's creative, and it needs to be long enough, and I can't get my hands on the original materials the guy used to write the article. Maybe I'll just outline the article and that will get me started and then I'll ease into faking the journal. Regardless, my new mantra is be more like Spinuzzi. This guy puts out so much stuff there's no way he could be slowed down by self doubt, anxiety etc. so everytime I get so anxious I want to throw up or eat an entire pint of ice cream, I'll just chant--be more like Spinuzzi--be more like Spinuzzi. It might get me out of the funk. It's worth a shot anyway.
Kendall
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
Works for me!
Seriously, establish a weekly review of all the projects you are balancing. establish steps or milestones for each project using a calendar, project management system, or similar. find tasks and projects that can interact so doing one can move multiple projects forward. and treat failure as an opportunity just as success is. You will be surprised by how much self confidence you can achieve when you have a good idea of how your projects are doing and what they are achieving. and when you know that a project can yield something even in failure, it really lowers the stress level! HTH CS
Clay and Kendall -
Yeah, I'll buy into both arguments. Being a parent, a spouse, a full-time lecturer (4 classes) and dissertating is an unenviable position. I think the hardest part is the dissertation. The rest of it I’ve done: I’m experienced as a teacher, spouse, and parent. And teachers get forgiven, and spouses are still loved, and kids are pretty durable. But dissertations are unforgiving, whether you characterize the “diss” as the committee providing the response or whether you think of it as a looming, dooming creature you must tame into perfection. It’s that part—the idea that the diss has to be perfect—that I think is stressing Kendall. It sure stresses me. I’m in exactly the same position.
But Clay’s right, too. The problem is that right now my primary project is a dissertation, and I’ve never done one before and will never do one again. Other things—conference presentations and articles and such—those projects have repeating patterns over the years. But the diss is a unique genre, a unique hurdle, and it can cloud one’s judgment because there’s no experience pattern to fall back on. How do you track a project you’ve never done and will never do again?
I agree that marking success is important. Where, in the dissertation process, is there a marker for success (other than graduation, which is oh, so far away at this moment).
Pete's right too--a diss. is a unique beast. Having said that, the genre is unique; the message it contains isn't. And the measure to some extent of a good dissertation is the degree to which you can take the message or content of your diss. and translate it into more palatable genres. Once again, something Clay did really well. Hence the mantra.
KK
Post a Comment