Monday Motivation #175 (2/19/24)
Happy Monday!
I saw some slightly-confused spring bulbs greening up outside Engineering this morning. I think they’re crocus, although the flowers aren’t developed enough to really tell yet. They were sitting in a patch of sunshine, not seeming to care that the temps were below freezing when I walked past. They seemed to be all in favor of the week-earlier-than-usual academic calendar this semester, where we only have a few more days until Spring Break.
When I was a graduate student, Spring Break was mostly a reprieve from the undergrads. Most of my friends and lab mates stayed around campus to catch up on research, but we’d take long lunch breaks and enjoy the restaurants that normally overflowed with students. Sometimes we slipped away for a matinee, and one year I hopped on the mostly-empty bus to central campus and spent an hour exploring the university’s natural history museum. “Staycation” wasn’t really a thing back when I was in grad school, but I like to think that we were pioneers in finding ways to have fun within the constraints of our research timelines and grad student budgets.
Next week I’ll spend some time working, but will also take a couple of days away from work to enjoy more time with my loved ones. Napping is high on my list of things-to-do during Spring Break, but I may squeeze in a museum visit or movie as well. Teaching and research and work will still be here when I get back, hopefully with a bit more energy for the second half of the semester. This week I’m sharing some ideas for how to build in some time to recharge amidst the day-to-day responsibilities of graduate school.
Katy
Three Things to Try This Week
Explore a Bit — there’s a lot to see and do in greater Lansing, whether you’re in the mood for museums or public art or a history lesson. Consider these suggestions for “staycation” fun: https://www.lansing.org/blog/post/plan-your-michigan-staycation/
Enjoy the Sun — bundle up and spend some time outside enjoying nature in one of the many amazing parks in greater Lansing: https://pk.ingham.org/parks/index.php
Time your Tomatoes — try the classic “pomodoro” technique by breaking up your workday into 25-minute chunks, or grab a timer and experiment with other intervals to focus your work. (Pomodoro is Italian for tomato, and refers to a red tomato kitchen timer often used for this approach.) Here’s some advice for getting started: https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/gradhacker/measuring-your-workday-pomodoros
More Resources
- On campus next week? Stop by Chittenden hall at noon for a grab-and-go “staycation” lunch for graduate students: https://grad.msu.edu/events/graduate-student-spring-break-staycation-lunch-0
- Aiming for an academic career? The Graduate School is hosting workshops this spring on writing two common elements of academic applications: a teaching statement (https://grad.msu.edu/events/writing-your-teaching-philosophy-statement) and a diversity statement (https://grad.msu.edu/events/writing-your-diversity-statement-1).
- Want to present a poster at the College’s Engineering Graduate Research Symposium this spring? Only 200 spots are available, so don’t delay in registering — you can finalize details like the title and authors later, but registrations are only open until March 8 or when we have 200 posters registered. Learn more and register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2024-engineering-graduate-research-symposium-tickets-687947307917
