Today, I wanted nothing more than to stay in bed, sleep in, and forget that I had to return to Chicago/school tomorrow. Being back East with my family makes it easy for me to forget my academic responsibilities. Basically, I haven't been handling my shit. Jack--ever the pragmatist--reminded me of the importance of structuring time for my research as a self-care practice:
my self-care consists of research [...] structuring time into my work schedule to do research on what I want my work to be as opposed to what it is now.
I knew this needed to happen because I was spending all my time trying to avoid doing this work. Instead of devoting the whole day to getting my research back on track, I gave myself one hour. Doing so made the monstrous task of "doing my research" seem more manageable and less-anxiety producing. It made it possible for me to both enjoy my family-filled environment and stay on top of work I've been putting off. In that one hour I: sent out an email to my advisor that was long overdue (status update, goals for the year, scheduling our next meeting); read and summarized Ana Aparicio's article "Reconstituting Political Genealogies: Reflections on Youth, Racial Justice, and the Uses of History," which I've been stalling on for more than a month; and figured out my schedule/moves for next winter quarter.
One productive hour behind me and I feel a lot less stress and guilt filled. Thank you Jack!
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