• growing up

As I begin my final year in the PhD program, I find myself doing a lot of reflecting: reflecting on who I think I am (at the moment, anyway--forever the pragmatist) as a scholar for that important research statement, reflecting on my voice as a teacher for the ever-evolving teaching statement, reflecting on where I've come from and thinking about where I'd like to go as I put together my CV. And also reflecting on how I'd like to be better at all of the above. Like Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's book, I'm reflecting on finding flow.

As this year kicks off, I have a laundry list of to-dos. Articles in the work, consulting gigs, teaching preps, the dissertation, and that job market adventure. I love being involved in many projects (I really do think it helps spur creativity and sustain energy/passion), but there's nothing like being on the job market, finishing a dissertation, and teaching full time to teach one about time management (cue the guilt that my blogging has slowed dramatically). All of this also has me reflecting on new ways of figuring out a balance in my life. I'm catching a glimpse of post-PhD, and it looks like budgeting one's time becomes even more daunting of a task.

So I am soliciting advice and words of wisdom. I'd love to hear about writing routines, the still mysterious-to-me balance of "keeping articles in the pipeline," and other strategies that help scholars/teachers find balance in their lives. I know full well that this is a personal story: what works for one will not work for every one. Yet as I read over Schiappa's professional development booklet, I know that it is through the guidance of others that we can find our own flow.

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