Mindful Ink     Life, Living and Productivity

Perhaps this isn’t really Part II, but this would certainly be included in anything I would write on the subject.

Also, I want to say that I really appreciate everyone’s supportive emails and comments.  The area around the topic is kind of a emotional lightning rod for me, however, so I’m sorry I wasn’t able to address you all individually.  Also, I’ve not abandoned the topic I’m just still working it out and working on it slowly when I have the emotional energy to tackle it.

Getting Things Done in Academia is a great site, by the way, and if you’re not reading it you should be.

At the beginning of each semester, I have an invisible day on my calender. (I also have an invisible wombat named “Sparky”, but that’s neither here nor there). This invisible day will only make itself known when the alarm goes off. It will be a day when my body arises from bed with great reluctance, when my motivation level is set to “-11?, and when the accrued days of happy toil have left me empty. Not physically sick. Just empty.

That is my mental health day.

On mental health days I call in sick and send the appropriate short emails. Then I relax and make myself a cup of coffee. I read a magazine. I watch some Oprah.

I allow myself one Mental Health Day a semester.

As to the particular issue in the link, I find in my own experience that a balanced life is a very solid way to avoiding the hole I fell into.  It’s important to keep a “middle path” between work and relaxation.  And mental health days?  Absolutely necessary.  The rest of the world (hah) may use a Monday through Friday, 9-5 way of being but that doesn’t mean your body does.  And we all know what kind of things excessive stress can cause, so take these words to heart.

3 ways to overcome life out of balance « Getting Things Done in Academia

Ah, memorization… there’s nothing quite so odious in either the academic or the business world. Some people are gifted with the ability to remember every name, date and obscure fact they run across, but most of us have to work at it.

Luckily, there are a number of “tricks” one can employ to help in memorizing those lists of verb endings, functions, and other obscurities. We’re going to list 7 methods here, with lots of great other resources at the end!

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Today we’re lucky to have a guest post by Martin of The University Blog!  You can see more of his excellent work there. 

Spending so much time on the search for improving productivity can become unproductive. You read the thousands of blogs out there suggesting one thing or another, just in case it speaks to you in the right way.

For once, how about looking inward? What if you could listen to yourself and figure out exactly what makes you tick? Here are some ideas that could lead to you finding a strong inner voice. Who knows where it could lead?

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Ever find yourself sitting in a class next to this guy:

On the little scrap of a desk he has a tape recorder, the text book open where he stops to furiously take anything anyone says about anything, and a latop where he desperately tries to capture every word anyone speaks? You’ll recognize him by the strain on his face, like he’s passing a stone, and the desperate fear in his eyes.

I call this note overkill. Don’t get me wrong, if you want to tape record class or take careful notes - that’s your business, we all learn differently and far be it from me to tell you what you must or must not do.

But taking good notes doesn’t mean writing every word down. In fact, I’d say those are terrible notes.

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