Here I continue my list of 4 things that helped me make this summer one of the best I’ve had since being in grad school. Previously I’ve really struggled with productivity around this time of year but implementing these strategies made a huge difference. It’s kind of funny that when I focused on things beyond the lab, my life improved in all areas (including academics).
Part Two: Soaking up sunshine & sweet new skills
3. Make a deliberate effort to enjoy the perks of summer
I don’t know about where you live geographically, but I truly hope that it is as beautiful as my city is in the summer. I live in Ithaca, New York where it’s very cold, grey, and snowy from October to April. So the few months where it’s actually warm and sunny are so much more precious to me. I’m fortunate to live in an area with lots of nature trails, gorges, waterfalls, lakes, etc. There’s so much to do outdoors, and I want to make sure I get the chance to experience it while the weather is so cooperative.
This is the reason why I started to make deliberate plans each week to do at least one thing that is “totally summer”. A totally summer activity is anything that allows me to be in the sun, get some fresh air, and take in nature. Currently, I’ve been gardening with a friend on Sunday afternoons. It’s something where I’m a total novice and I love every second of it. I have so much fun learning this new skill, all while my hands are in the dirt and the sun is on my back. This is a protected time, and I look forward to it every week. When my gardening plans get rained out on a sunday (which has happened more times than I hoped) I make other plans to enjoy the lake or go for a hike. The whole point is that I prioritize having summer experiences.
In the past when I was swarmed with work, it was easy to let the summer slip by. I said no to so many “totally summer” opportunities because I was “too busy”. In my mind I had too many deadlines and just too many tasks to complete to be able to spend three hours at the lake. But you know what? The work was still there. The work will ALWAYS still be there. Summer won’t always be here though. So take a few moments and go soak up a little sun. Even if it’s just going for a ten minute walk each day around lunch time, do something. This small action had a tremendous effect on me in that now I truly felt like I enjoyed and maximized my summer rather than (feeling it was fleeting/drifting past me) it just moving on and passing me by.
4. Optimize your learning potential
During the school year I’m a part of a journal club that meets every Tuesday afternoon. For those unfamiliar, this is basically like a book club but instead we discuss a paper/research article published in a scientific journal. One of the professors that runs this particular journal club has a phrase he uses whenever a meeting is canceled or we end things for the semester. He proudly proclaims, “Enjoy your newfound hour!”. It’s such a great saying and has really shaped my perspective about recovering time. Once he said this, I made a point to do something meaningful with that particular hour block rather than wasting it.
Summer affords a lot of “newfound hours” because all the classes, meetings, journal clubs, etc that normally take up our time have been suspended. When this suddenly opens up your schedule how do you capitalize? I’ve decided that I would specifically use some of these newfound hours to learn new skills. I have wanted to learn to code for many years, but I always made excuses that I couldn’t fit it into my schedule. Well with formal class instruction having officially ended, I now know for a fact that there are hours available. Thus I’m making the time to learn coding.
You may be thinking “that’s easy for you to say Marissa” but during the summer is when I’m actually the busiest. Maybe you have field work, or you’re running a ton of participants/experiments, or you have joined a competitive juggling league (I don’t know your life). Regardless of the circumstances, I think this is a tip you can utilize. Try to dedicate one “newfound hour” a week to learn something new. And it doesn’t need to be all at once. Maybe it’s 3 times a week for 20 minutes. Also, what you choose to learn doesn’t have to be something strictly related to your research. I’m learning a programming language mainly for research reasons, but I know it will have many other benefits. Maybe you want to use a language learning app like DuoLingo or perhaps you’d just like to read more. It doesn’t matter what you choose I’m just urging you to learn something.
This tip is partially about being productive and feeling really efficient, but it’s mostly about improving your sense of self and motivation. As academics we love to learn and tend to get excited about new information. Grad school can really make us forget that. We can get so swept up in the day to day and constant deadlines that we neglect to do things that nourish our intellectual curiosity. So spend an hour a week doing something that mentally stimulates you and re-stoke that flame. For every single hour that I “wasn’t working” but instead dedicated to this pursuit it has paid immense dividends many times over. The return on investment is so high because I returned to my work with more vigor, more motivation and with a newfound spark. So seriously, do it. I mean, what do you have to lose?
All in all, these 4 things made my summer absolutely amazing. My hope is that you can utilize some of these strategies for summers to come. Best of luck, go enjoy the sunshine while you can.