Spring break!

[magnetic_pole]

It's spring break for me this week, and I've been sleeping in, taking naps, and lying on the couch pretty much 24/7. I've gotten a lot of academic reading done, which is excellent--I love having the time to focus--but that's the easy and fun part, and now I need to buckle down and do some grading. *sigh* Grading is my nemesis.

It's been a quiet week in a good way. R and I had brunch with The College Friend We See a Couple Times a Month and talked about our upcoming 25th (!) college reunion, which we're going to. It'll be my first reunion, and I've only agreed because I can combine it with a trip to the library and archives. (I was not a huge fan of the people at college, but I adored the library.) An old neighbor and friend from Small New England College Town (now a Florida resident) came through town with her daughter and her daughter's best friend, which was fun. There's an Unpleasant Thing going on at work via e-mail that I've been ignoring. It'll still be there when we're back on duty on Monday. We've been doing our usual lunch-time walk with Dog R and are taking care of Dog M while her human's away for a few days.



Dog R ambling along


Dog M, such a sweetie

Via questionoftheday: What do you keep in your workspace to help improve your mood? Does it make you more productive?

Doesn't matter what's in the workspace as long as it's neat! My desk has been a mess for ages --a sign I haven't had enough time to file and re-organize. I don't think I'll finish cleaning over the next few days, but hopefully I'd make a dent in the piles.

What do you keep in your workspace to help improve your mood or make you more productive, flist?

Hope all's well with you!

Comments

[nachodiablo]

Cute puppies!! Also hell yeah, those work emails are a problem for future!you, enjoy your break for now! *sunglass emoji*

[magnetic_pole]

Thanks! re: pups. And also thanks re: work troubles. I know this sounds silly, but fandom has taught me so many helpful concepts. Yup, I've got to deal with it, but it's future!me who's got the heavy lifting to do, and current!me might as well not worry too much about it. Current!me is always trying to get ahead of herself. :) M.

[ancientreader]

I tape up poems that I've clipped from magazines or whatever. Pain meds. :( And I have my old (retired) shrink's business card, for nostalgia inducement.

Everything else in my workspace is designed for better procrastination.

[magnetic_pole]

Does your shrink's business card make you feel productive? Or put you in a better mood, or something else? (Mine's would remind me that I still have issues I should be talking about, honestly. You must have gotten more work done with yours than I did with mine.)

Procrastination is good, too! I find that the computer itself is such a great distraction I don't even need to work at any more. :) M.

[ancientreader]

Oh, well, issues. I expect I'll go to my grave with issues. My old shrink's card is just there for the affectionate & cheering nostalgia I feel when I look at it. I started seeing him in 1993, after I quit smoking and realized that, hey, nicotine is an excellent antidepressant and now I'm not taking it anymore! I didn't exactly need therapy (had done a long and productive course of talk therapy in my late twenties), just meds, but we had an immediate rapport and over the next twenty years he went above and beyond in supporting me during some hard times, plus we had a lot of lively and satisfying conversations during my med checks. I think we were both a little sorry that the professional relationship debarred our becoming friends in a social context, and I like having that memento around.

/longer answer than you wanted, probably

ETA: I meant to say, I love your workspace and wish mine were as well organized.

[magnetic_pole]

That's such a great story about your therapist. When I find people I click with like that, I just want to hold onto them; you don't get that many chances at that kind of rapport in life.

Never longer than I wanted. :)

And thanks! I suppose I should have prefaced the entire conversation by saying that my idea habitat would look like a hotel room. The better half keeps hearing me complain about the mess around here and saying, "But we have to *live* here!" M.

[therealsnape]

Sounds like a lovely, relaxed spring break!

Fun idea, the work space pic. Will try to get round to it today! Although you've seen it already, of course ...

[magnetic_pole]

Your space is very tidy. The kind of tidy I'd love to achieve one day. *sigh* I love orderly spaces. I just discovered this cartoonist on instagram, and this image made me laugh. Very true!

Hope your spring is off to a good start! If you're not inspired by the workspace photo, I'd love to see what flowers you have right now. I bet they're gorgeous. M.

[jesse_the_k]

"We own things but have hidden them" is totally our approach when people are coming over.

My workspace is mostly my lap, which makes tidying easier (just stand up).

I think your workspace looks quite organized, thank you.

I keep lovely green & purple things friends have found for me after they've seen the remarkable object MyGuy gave me that I contemplate over breakfast every morning.

[magnetic_pole]

"We own things but have hidden them" is totally our approach when people are coming over.

Right? Now that I've shown my partner the cartoon, she keep bringing it up, as if noting the weirdness will convince me that I need to change my habits. Nope! Not at all.

I probably should have taken a photo of the five piles of paper I had on the floor. *sigh* But thank you.

I love that object! It's oddly scaleless, as if it could be six inches high or 60 meters and the setting of some sci-fi film. M.

[shadowycat]

The dogs are adorable! :D I'm glad you're enjoying your break!

[magnetic_pole]

Aw, thanks on the dogs' behalf! They're bringing a lot of joy to us over the break.

Hope your spring is off to a good start! M.

[shaggydogstail]

Dogs, excellent! A much better focus for your attention than any unpleasant work emails. :)

[magnetic_pole]

I know, right? The same problem will still be there Monday, but if we start tackling it now, we'll have missed our chance to catch up on grading/writing/etc and will be even more cranky about the situation. *sigh*

Thanks for taking a peek at the dogs! M.

[lash_larue]

How's it hanging, Ripper old shoe? M looks quite happy with the situation.

Oh, btw, that's not a mess...

L

[magnetic_pole]

Well, I didn't show you the five piles of papers on the floor, awaiting grading/filing/recycling. (the photo was actually taken to show R how much I'd cleaned up...only once I looked at it more closely, it didn't seem that clean).

M is quite happy! We dog sat for her over the holidays, and for the first few days she was so sad her human left. Now she seems to know us and be happy to take walks with us.

Hope you're on the mend! M.

[splix]

An essential oil diffuser. It feels a little woo-woo to me, but I like nice smells. I also try to keep a tidy desk. I don't like working in clutter. Everything can be a hot mess if it's tucked in a drawer that closes. :)

Look at those sweet pups! <3

[magnetic_pole]

The doggos are both such sweeties. M is very expressive, while R...well, we say he communicates via binary code, because he doesn't bark, or lick, or sniff or wag--he just walks or stops. On or off. :)

Everything can be a hot mess if it's tucked in a drawer that closes. :)

Me, too. Have you seen this? M.

[splix]

Ha! It’s funny bc it’s true. 😄

[magnetic_pole]

Totally. In fact, R is now throwing that at me whenever I want to tidy up. :) M.

[miss_morland]

What do you keep in your workspace to help improve your mood? Does it make you more productive?

A coffee mug. It does work, as long as it's full. *g*

[magnetic_pole]

It does work, as long as it's full.

Ah, that's the trick! :) M.

[secretsolitaire]

A spring break sounds lovely! I really need to schedule some vacation time.

*pets the doggies*

I'm not sure I have anything in my workspace that's specifically there to improve my mood. Hm. In terms of productivity, my earbuds are probably the biggest thing (well, other than my to-do list). Sometimes listening to music can help me focus if the office is noisy or I'm really trying to buckle down.

[magnetic_pole]

Wait, you don't have postcards from the hundred fabulous places you've been hung up behind your computer, inspiring you keep going? Your travels inspire *me* at several removes--how much more so if you're the one actually taking them!

Ah, I hadn't thought of earbuds. I bet they're helpful.

Hope you get some vacation soon! This is a long stretch without a long weekend, isn't it? M.

[secretsolitaire]

You know, I actually did have a wall of postcards at my desk in our last office, but when we moved to the current one I never got around to putting them back up -- and the desk I just moved to doesn't have any sort of bulletin board or pinnable wall where I could put them. :/ I've been considering asking for a board but been too lazy. Maybe I'll do it Monday if I think about it!

This is a long stretch without a long weekend, isn't it?

Yet another reason why March sucks. :P

[magnetic_pole]

March needs a federal holiday. April, too, while we're at it. Easter is too variable in date and undependable for supplying days off work, and it's not relevant for everyone. What kind of a holiday is that? :( M.

[kelly_chambliss]

Glad you've been enjoying your break, my dear! They go by so fast.

I shudder to think about how many years of my life I have spend on grading. It makes me feel physically ill now to face it.

[magnetic_pole]

All too fast! It's my last night of relaxation; tomorrow I'm back on schedule again. But the nice thing about heading back after spring break is that summer's on the horizon. Just seven weeks, for me.

(And I know I shouldn't be wishing my life away, one semester to the next. I'm trying hard to enjoy even the regular weeks of the academic year.)

Ah, grading. *sigh*

Hope you've got some nice spring weather cheering things up there! M.

[walgesang]

Yay for cute doggos!

Currently, I have a cat figurine that my kid gave me a long time ago. Thinking of my family usually helps when doing boring work!

[magnetic_pole]

Cat figurine + reminder of your kid sounds like an excellent way to focus!
And thanks re: doggos. They make being a part-time pet auntie fun. M.

[liseuse]

I, in no way, think that counts as a mess. Remind me to take a picture of my work desk some time!

I don't actually have anything up at work to make my workspace more exciting - the layout of my desk makes it difficult. When I was PhDing I had various levels of Stuff and in the end stages I had a printed out reminder that "Excellent is good. Done is better."