15 Minutes a Day

Archive for February, 2010

This week for me has been one of clarity (at work an on my dissertation project) and of loss (either a friend of mine or family members of friends). Work and school have been moving along nicely. I’m feeling better about doing my dissertation project and starting to see the faintest glimmer of a light far off in the distance in this tunnel I am traversing. Work is developing all kinds of possibilities, but we’ll see what pans out.

I lost a family friend this week. He was 73 and it sounds like his body clock just wound down and stopped ticking. That’s not a bad way to go for someone who gave as much to his community and touched so many lives as “Mr. Hutch” did. His time ended and he…just…stopped. I went to his funeral and was not surprised to see how many people came to pay respects and support his family. He was a humble and influential man in his community and touched my life in ways I’ll never forget.

I also learned that the son of a friend of mine from Toastmasters died after a long and troubled history with drug addiction. His mother is a friend and really tried to help him overcome his addictions. She is mourning and I mourn her loss. I think her life will improve as she moves further from the loss, but the hole he leaves will remain.

I also learned about the death of a former coworker. I went to his funeral and I grieve for his family. Especially for a very young daughter who will have to grow up without her daddy.

It’s been hard this week to focus on my dissertation project with all of this going on. However, it does keep me moving forward and thinking positively. I had a professor explain the academic process to me once in the following way:

1. AA/AS = a time for students to figure out their homework:party time ratio
2. BA/BS = a time for students to figure out where the library is on campus
3. MA/MS = a time for students to learn to use the library and all of its resources
4. Ph.D. = a time for students to contribute to the library

I’m excited to be at the stage in my academic career where I will be contributing to the library soon!

Image Credit: Retrieved on February 21, 2010 from Jonesville, Virginia – Horse Hollow

This week I learned an important lesson about thinking too big and making things too complicated. I was concerned about doing a valid study and really made the process more complicated than it needed to be. Today I watched a TED Talk given by Rachel Pike (2009), a graduate student in environmental science. During her talk she mentioned that her study was on one type of molecule that is found in the atmosphere and is affected by climate change. Between listening to this talk and talking on the phone with Dr. Holley, I was able to really simplify things and bring my study (and my head) down to size.

A doctoral dissertation is not the solution to some grand problem. It is a study of a problem that will contribute to the body of knowledge around that problem. It’s taking one little piece of the problem and examining it closely and reporting on it. The dissertation project becomes much less overwhelming and tiresome when the student keeps that in mind.

References: Pike, R. (2009). Rachel Pike: The science behind a climate headline. New York, NY: TED Conferences, LLC. Retrieved on February 15, 2010 from http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/rachel_pike_the_science_behind_a_climate_headline.html.

Image Credit: Image was retrieved on February 15, 2010 from Ph.D. Comics.

Lesson Learned on Wednesday, February 4, 2010

Time to decompress and think things through is important to physical and mental well-being. Yesterday I went home after a busy day with lots of meetings, fixed myself a drink, and curled up on the couch with my English Pointer who has the power to make me fall asleep. We snuggled and dozed while I “watched” the news and drank my drink.

By the time 8:00 p.m. rolled around I was relaxed enough and unwound enough to be able to think about what I had to do for school. I pulled my computer up onto my lap (the dog had taken herself off to bed by then) and was able to plow through my school work and felt that I had really learned and accomplished something. It was a wonderful feeling!

I see too many of my co-workers working through lunch or late into the evening and then wondering why they are exhaused or unable to think clearly. They cannot think clearly and are tired because they don’t take time to refresh themselves. Down-time is a foreign concept to them. When illness or injury strikes it takes them longer to start feeling better. Is there really anything (outside the medical and law enforcement professions) that is so important it can’t give you time to take an hour or two for yourself? Does everything really need to be done RIGHT NOW? Your thoughts…?

Image Credit: Retrieved on February 5, 2010 from Phil’s Favorites – by Irene.

One of the folks I follow on Twitter suggested writing down a lesson learned each day and then reviewing every Monday. I like this idea, so here goes…

When commuting on Amtrak – I went from Sacramento to San Francisco and back – keep carry-ons to a minimum. Preferably a backpack. Today I took a backpack and a computer case. It was too much for the limited space I had. When I go back in two weeks, I’m going to pack everything into one backpack.

Image Credit: Retrieved on February 3, 2010 from NY Daily News.