Usually, summer for me is a free-fall. For externally required work, I have the internships (now up to 13 students) and even then, the class has a huge amount of flexibility. I can grade the assignments (which arrive in dribs and drabs, as everyone has a different time schedule) and set up site visits with some leeway. There’s one conference I’m presenting at a poster session for, at the end of the month. Absolutely required.

Then there are the things I should get done before the fall semester, which are tempting to put off till the end of the summer. I have two new classes I’m teaching (one I used to teach 10 years ago, another I got from another instructor) this fall that I should prep for. It would tempt me to take a vacation for this first part of summer and vegetate. I have done it in the past, usually because I get depressed at the end of the school year.

This year I’m trying something different — I’m structuring my days. In the morning, I do prep for my new classes, refreshing myself with the material. When I’m done with that, I will be prepping the class Canvas (online instruction) sites. In the afternoons, I’m writing. If I get done with the daily task early I do what I’m doing now — blogging, getting attacked by my cats, and surfing a little.

Somewhere in here I have to fit some real vacation time. I don’t know when I’m doing that. I don’t do ‘nothing’ well, and would probably arrange my vacation as writing time anyhow. Mixed with restaurants and coffee. The best part is that my inability to do nothing isn’t my manic state. When I’m manic, I don’t do ‘anything’ well.

I’m looking at the plan, and I need to make sure I have some rest time. I can do that after reading my chapter or my module for the day. Pace myself; there’s plenty of time to do this.