Sweet Links ParTEA (March 2019)

Change and spring are in the air! March may be heading out like a hectic little lamb, but what a wild ride it was. We know that this time of the year is a busy time for folks but we hope you also carve out some time for yourself while being productivity pros. Both Meridith and Rachel have exciting new additions to their work loads. With this in mind, Sweet Tea, Science will swap posting days from Thursdays to the weekends (likely Saturday…but y’all understand how Weekend Time may vary). Meridith will be taking the reins on writing while Rachel will do her best to edit and help out whenever she has time. If y’all have any post request we’d love to hear them!

A late STS links post perhaps should always have an article on procrastination. Why not start with a nice bout of self reflection?….

OR! Alternatively you put that off by checking out this wonderful example of how plant care is self care for these veterans volunteering at the Chicago Botanical Gardens.

Continue reading “Sweet Links ParTEA (March 2019)” →
Advertisement

This Blog is also about Our Work (#actuallivingscientist)

Rachel recently used the analogy (METAPHOR? KY SCHOOLS TAUGHT ME THINGS I SWEAR) that life can be a feel like a circus act of spinning plates in the air. All the tasks and goals we balance in grad school are different plates, and we also want to keep ourselves and our relationships healthy and spinning. This blog is about our life, but as scientists our work is a large part of the equation. The amount of focus we can dedicate to Sweet Tea, Science waxes and wanes as the number of plates we have in the air changes. We’ve learned over the years to be gentle with ourselves and each other during times when the STS plate needs to be ignored a bit. Our lives are ramping up in exciting ways as we both near the end of the PhD chapter that’s kept our plates and heads spinning for the last 5+ years. (Y’all, Rachel is SO close to being my Dr. Bestie!! ::hearteyes::)

Continue reading “This Blog is also about Our Work (#actuallivingscientist)” →

Carving Out Time: Spring Semester

Academic “spring” may begin at the start of the semester in January, but March is always an exciting time as true spring is just around the corner (spring equinox, holla). This period of time can get very busy for graduate students. It’s tempting to get ALL THE THINGS done before summer hits: comprehensive exams, getting out that manuscript, and that other manuscript, securing summer field work or internships, and a whole slew of other goals. Keeping track of everything we hope to get done means a litany of lists. Both of us love to make lists, lists for groceries, packing, what needs to be done around the house, around the office, lists of code to run when it finally works, lists of things that could be wrong with our R code, all the lists. One of our favorite lists has got to be the List of Fun Way to Relax After Finishing a Thing. It’s very tempting to put off a lot of things while you’re hyper focused on an academic goal, but we think it’s important to carve out time for at least some of the fun things along the way. We also always love hearing how others deal with the constant work-life compromise struggle and warding off burnout.

Continue reading “Carving Out Time: Spring Semester” →