You Knew This Was Coming
I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be doing with myself. I'm at home today. First official day home as I've spent all this week getting the paperwork and fiddilng about done at the uni. Is all set and everything is handed in, handed out, and shoved under the mat if nothing else.
I'm somewhat unsure what I'm supposed to be doing now. I've been "DONE" since yesterday noon. Yesterday I got an oil change, found some glasses frames, did my overdue banking, did some financial stuff I needed to do at the uni, found the names of a dentist and an optomitrist in town, and started cleaning the house. Today I've been cleaning and I went for a walk with cali and 'little man'. My sister has come over too so we're kinda hanging out. I know I'm supposed to just relax a bit, but I keep having these horrible guilty feelings like I'm wasting my day and "what the hell am I doing? Why aren't I doing something?" total guilty-yucky feelings.
And I know this is probably really normal. Okay, normal enough for me. But driving home after going for a walk with cali I kept trying to figure out what I was "DOING" today. I think I need to accomplish something every day or something. So if I were quizzed I could say why I was worthy of existing for this past 24hrs or something. And I'm unsure why going for a walk and then playing on the playground with an 18mos old doesn't count as what I've done today. I'd like to get to a more healthy headspace where that can count in my books. Where spending time with friends and just 'being' is a good full day. Maybe this guilt think will take a while to wear off. I mean, hey, it was something I needed to get this thing done (or I gladly would have spent every day hanging out and not researching).
But now I'm tied to some totally unhelpful notion of Progress. What have I done today to make my life somehow closer to something - school, job, money, pay off debt, paint house, clear out clutter, put together presentation. And yeah, this is important and I am a bit of a go!go!go! type.. but I need to be able to take a break too. Although, look at my mother - I've come by it honestly.
Right, so my presentation. I thought I wouldn't use anything. I just wanted to talk. But my supervisor has suggested a power point or at least overhead so people can follow along. I guess that would be a good idea? I dunno. I know it is my decision, but maybe it would be best to have something set up for distraction from staring at me.
*shrug*
Powerpoint or overheads? Powerpoint is kinda fun. And she has said that although I get 20min, to keep it to 10-12 min. I'm right there on that one. Sounds great by me!
Anyhoo, I think I might clean out my home desk and watch buffy with my sister.
And find a job.
And finish my laundry.
... I need that course cali was offering in the last comments.
xoxo
jenn
I'm somewhat unsure what I'm supposed to be doing now. I've been "DONE" since yesterday noon. Yesterday I got an oil change, found some glasses frames, did my overdue banking, did some financial stuff I needed to do at the uni, found the names of a dentist and an optomitrist in town, and started cleaning the house. Today I've been cleaning and I went for a walk with cali and 'little man'. My sister has come over too so we're kinda hanging out. I know I'm supposed to just relax a bit, but I keep having these horrible guilty feelings like I'm wasting my day and "what the hell am I doing? Why aren't I doing something?" total guilty-yucky feelings.
And I know this is probably really normal. Okay, normal enough for me. But driving home after going for a walk with cali I kept trying to figure out what I was "DOING" today. I think I need to accomplish something every day or something. So if I were quizzed I could say why I was worthy of existing for this past 24hrs or something. And I'm unsure why going for a walk and then playing on the playground with an 18mos old doesn't count as what I've done today. I'd like to get to a more healthy headspace where that can count in my books. Where spending time with friends and just 'being' is a good full day. Maybe this guilt think will take a while to wear off. I mean, hey, it was something I needed to get this thing done (or I gladly would have spent every day hanging out and not researching).
But now I'm tied to some totally unhelpful notion of Progress. What have I done today to make my life somehow closer to something - school, job, money, pay off debt, paint house, clear out clutter, put together presentation. And yeah, this is important and I am a bit of a go!go!go! type.. but I need to be able to take a break too. Although, look at my mother - I've come by it honestly.
Right, so my presentation. I thought I wouldn't use anything. I just wanted to talk. But my supervisor has suggested a power point or at least overhead so people can follow along. I guess that would be a good idea? I dunno. I know it is my decision, but maybe it would be best to have something set up for distraction from staring at me.
*shrug*
Powerpoint or overheads? Powerpoint is kinda fun. And she has said that although I get 20min, to keep it to 10-12 min. I'm right there on that one. Sounds great by me!
Anyhoo, I think I might clean out my home desk and watch buffy with my sister.
And find a job.
And finish my laundry.
... I need that course cali was offering in the last comments.
xoxo
jenn
posted by jenn at 12:46 p.m.
10 Comments:
Just do some fun things for a few days. You've earned it! Let your responsible self take a vacation while you watch some Buffy and maybe swing by London Drugs for makeup shopping fun.
*much bouncing up and down of Jim*
Yeah, that bouncing up and down is just so much cuter when the Bears do it.
And I think PowerPoint is good in non-business settings. Looks very professional, and makes for a nice change of pace. (In business settings, everyone uses it, so it tends to help people acceess Alpha states.)
Enjoy your day!
Jim
Oh PowerPoint definitely!! I mean, you can do cool fades and wipes and stuff.
What?? content??? Pish!
Oh, and take it easy. Play some Sims, do some shopping and chill.
Here's some fun stuff to do:
www.amazon.ca
www.jcpenney.com
www.nordstroms.com (check out the wacoal bra.)
BIG HUGS from all of us here in the fastest growing county in America.
powerpoint all the way - just may sure you remember to mute it or disable the sound affects - otherwise you'll hear car vrroom noises during some of the fades.
The feeling like you're supposed to be doing something will last for a little while. Believe me. It's actually a good time to pick up a hobby of some kind, non-stressful, to do when those feeling hit.
As for presentation <_< >_> I don't care for powerpoint myself. Having something else for the audience to follow is great but...but...
I get the exact same way when I'm on vacation. So what I do is make a list of things that I'd like to get done and will make me feel productive, but will only last a few hours. If I get my goal done for the day early, I feel much less guilty about goofing off for the rest of the day.
I like Power Point, too, but the key is to put the least amount of detail on each slide as possible, so you can talk a lot about what is on that particular slide. Then you do the three-slides-per-page handouts, so people can make notes on your outline. It really helps the illusion of audience participation.
Ditto Amanda about the power point technique.
Well, I agree with the masses..power point it is, it really is the way for faculty to follow along- otherwise- they turn back into students and wait for the review before the exam.
Zooey was totally bang on about the whole "being unemployed technique" You did do too many things in one day! One or two things a day... So for example, go for a walk in the am (with me and little man) then to the park for the full fledged children loose in the park thing, home, tidy house, make dinner, watch video- day done!! Voila!
It will get easier ;p
I think I'm with Julia rather than the masses.
We had power point presentations for training at work- and I'd read the PP slides quickly, and realise I hadn't listened to the speaker. I didn't find having the 3 slides printed out on a page handy much, as then they were too small to read. The only useful thing was space next to each slide to write stuff down, but a notebook would have sufficed.
If I were doing PP or anything else, I'd use it for either an overview of your whole presentation (such as Title, and then a list of each subheadings which represent sections of your defense), or else just have each title on a different PP slide and then as you move from section to section, move to the next PP slide.
But you've written the thesis, so you know what works for you. You need to feel comfortable doing it.
Hugs, Callie
If it's possible to get away with it, I would just talk. That way you can make sure attention is focussed on you. Maybe have handouts summing up what you've said at the end?
That was a very teacherly suggestion of me. D'oh!
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