A Professor's First Semester/Year Schedule

A lot of conversations about academia revolve around work. How much one does, under what conditions. Who gets assigned what work. How these work decisions are racist, gendered. Does this work lead to what is valued- publications, or is it spent on "softer" goals, like teaching.

There's a lot of work in the first semester of a new professor. You need to learn about your students. You need to learn about your department and colleagues. You need to learn about your campus. You need to learn about your community. All that is on top of your other responsibilities.

I recently blogged about my reflections on my first semester but I thought I'd share specifically, my work this semester.

I struggled a lot at the beginning of the semester on how to organize my work, how to manage it all.
I ended up getting a planner from Amazon that has monthly and weekly sheets. I like how big it is. I put things on the monthly, then on Sunday mornings when I lesson plan I look at the month layout and put what I need to on the next week's pages.

I like that I can put to do stuff up top and timed/schedule appointments at the bottom. I like to use stickers, color coded pens. Weeks often end up layered as I add Post-Its, thoughts, comments, things to do.

My schedule this semester was this:

Monday, Wednesday, and Friday were my long days. Tuesday/Thursdays were lighter. My school blocks out TR afternoons for meetings, which is nice for planning and scheduling things. It also meant on days I didn't have meetings I was done when I went home at 1p. My spring schedule is real similar- MWF are my long days, although I'm going to have to shift my lunch, which may be an issue, I may be eating in class. I will have a longer break in the afternoon, returning for a 4p class, which I may need to get creative with because I noticed THIS semester my 3p class has issues with attendance (many said they'd go back to rooms after earlier classes and sleep, or space out and forget or lack the energy to come back for class), and energy.

I added funny pictures of Nehi, because the students get a real hoot out of the fact that I put on my schedule "Run home to let Nehi out."

This semester I surveyed students to have them pick my office hours, and they picked what I would have chosen- time in between classes. The upcoming semester's schedule doesn't really allow me this flexibility because Nehi really can't be home more than 6 hours, so I've gotta go home. However, I did try to keep the type of hours that seemed to work with students, before and between classes. I don't have any classes on Tuesday and Thursday, in part because one of my committees is recruitment and this allows for those events. BUT I need to hold 10 hours in my office, and so I have to hold them on those days. I've made them in the afternoon, right before campus meetings. If I don't have any scheduled I'll do my hours and go home. If I do, I'll do my hours and then meetings. I just bought a bike, and it's only about 3 miles to work, so I'm going to try to start biking to and from work on TR as long as it's not going to rain.

I am currently on the general education committee, teaching advisory committee, recruitment for university, assessment, program coordinators, composition. Most are scheduled during this 330p break but this semester I missed some because they did not meet during this time and with full teaching days MWF, I don't have a lot of flexibility. It hasn't seemed to be an issue so far, so I hope that continues to be true.

This semester I got up most mornings between 5 and 6a. I had coffee, watched the news, and at 630a took Nehi for her walk (about a mile). I then dropped her off at home and went for an addition 2+ miles walk or run on my own. I'd shower, get ready for work, eat breakfast, and leave my house by 8a to get into the office. I liked having the hour or so to answer emails and get everything sorted before I taught all day.

On Tuesday and Thursdays I learned whether I came home after 1p for the day or had to return to campus I learned to take this time off. Nehi and I would play. or I'd watch TV, but that's it.

I do schedule everything, so on Friday on my way home from work I grocery shop. When I get home I do laundry. On Saturdays and Sundays I follow the same morning routine- up around 5 or 6, coffee, walk Nehi, walk or run, although now I've added riding my bike to this. Then back home, breakfast, and I head into my home office.

I balance my checkbook, check email, Twitter, then work on academic stuff. I had two chapters I submitted before the semester started, so my Saturdays were pretty light this semester. I did this on purpose because I knew there would be a lot else going on. I did have Saturdays when I had revise and resubmit stuff to turn around and I did.

Sundays are the same morning routine, NPR classical goes on, or I catch up on dumping the DVR of shows I don't have to pay attention to, which it is depends on how much thinking I need to do for Sunday's work. I lesson plan for the week. First I look at the syllabus week by week, then add to class notes on Slides, flesh out my notes in my notebook. I'm always done by noon, then I switch to reading, listening to vinyl, or whatever, just off. I have Nehi, so I wet glove the couch of fur and vacuum every Sunday. Eastern North Carolina weather equals mud plus fur so I sweep about once a week too. I don't own a lot, a result of getting rid of a ridiculous amount of stuff, so I use just about everything I own so dusting is not a big issue. Once a month we have time off, a long weekend or break- Labor Day, fall break, Genocide Week, winter break, so during that time I dust, vacuum, sweep, mop, clean the bathroom, the whole deal. It all gets done, and is fine.

Nehi helps with work-life balance by bringing me woobies to play with when she thinks I've been in the office too long.

I am not a morning person, never have been, I get up at 5a because Nehi thinks 6a is sleeping in. I get up at 5a because I need 2 cups of coffee and zone out time before I am functioning. I walk Nehi then walk or run or bike myself because I like starting my day in that quiet, when the neighborhood is barely moving. I plan essays, think of things to do in classes, solutions bubble to the surface to things that have been playing in the background. All this allows me to face my day with a clear head and relaxed body. During the cooler months I try to walk Nehi when I get home from work too, I let her out for potty breaks at lunch, but she is home alone all day. When I get home I can relax because I know I've scheduled time to get everything done so I don't feel guilty because I should be working on X. If I finish an academic project early on Saturday then I get to take the rest of the day off, because I'd blocked the whole day off to work.

All of this allows me to get done what I need to do and rest and recharge from dealing with people all day.

I do not check work email on nights or weekends. It is not loaded on my phone. I've done this for years after checking email during these times resulted in awful anxiety. I no longer feel anxious but still don't check it for balance and time off. However, because I no longer feel anxious, if I need to log into email on Sunday for something needed for lesson planning I no longer stress.

Weekends are also when I blog about things that have occurred to me during the week.

My work load is not excessive. I get everything done. I publish regularly. I manage all my responsibilities and don't burn out.

This semester I used Freshly meal delivery because I knew the semester would be busy and thought it'd help. I do love their food, and for a single person it was nice because making meals can be hard as a singleton because literally NOTHING is designed for single portions and even freezing, eating more than once a week, it's not ideal. For me the price was reasonable too. However, I've cancelled my subscription for none of these reasons, and for a reason that probably wouldn't be an issue for anyone else. I don't eat a lot of processed foods, I eat salads, whole foods, so I don't eat sugar unless it's intentional (hmmmm, pie...hmmmm mint chocolate chip ice cream...) and I consumer no salt. But these meals contain 700-1100 mg of sodium, which is 30% of daily recommended dose, which isn't bad unless you're someone who never eats salt and whose hands have been swelling for roughly the same time as she's been eating these meals.

So I'm taking a break to see if it helps. If not, at least I've crossed something off the list.

For me this won't add a lot of work for me because like I said, it's just me, and most dinners are salads so it's not hard work or a lot of prep although this romaine lettuce recall is a real bummer.

The caveat of course with all this is that I am a single woman, with a dog, so I'm only juggling my schedule and Nehi's vet appointments. I've found that not only is this a manageable schedule but a good life. There is balance. I am busy, I am juggling a lot but I am not overwhelmed.

I do not share this to brag or judge people that have busier lives.

I write this for the same reason I blog about most things- if my sharing and examples help anyone, either in providing a model, or just to show there's another way, then great.

What's important is to design your schedule around what you can and want to do. What will make you happy and keep you healthy. My way is not for everyone but I think there are some suggestions that might transfer:

• Find a planner/organizer that works for you. Put everything in it and carry it everywhere. 
• Before your semester starts create a schedule that includes when you teach, regular meetings, but also when you'll work on your scholarship, grocery shop, do laundry, and clean. Block out time for the things you need to get done.
• Take your work email off your phone. Set boundaries for when you'll check it. No nights and no weekends is a good place to start and students and other faculty members will get it.
• If there are things that will help you then do it. Use meal delivery. Hire a cleaning lady. Or dog walker. Say no to things you don't want to do and can say no to. Learn to live with untidy spaces. Put stickers in your planner.
• Figure out what you value, then make time for that.
• Share if things work for you. A lot of things I've tried out and experimented with came from other people sharing on Twitter or on blogs.