Sorting Tasks

So Much to Do!

As you read the document governing reviews in your academic unit, a multitude of to-dos probably danced through your head. Make a list. Getting those asks OUT of your head and ON to a representation you can see and manipulate can save your sanity.

As you view the list(s), I encourage you to think about pacing yourself. Some days you will want to create something from nothing, drafting or outlining one of your primary statements.  On other days the whole enterprise of dossier preparation may seem distasteful to you. That’s fine. You can still make progress on those days by working on tasks that require perfunctory compilation or fact-checking.

Listen to Your Body

Which kinds of tasks generate a physical sensation in you? How do you name it? fear? curiosity? excitement? Which tasks make you want to roll your eyes? Those are probably the piddly low-engagement tasks. (Probably no one will see you roll your eyes as you work, so put on some music and roll your eyes as much as you want.)

Recognizing which tasks require significant levels of your energy and engagement helps you recognize those that don’t. Spread out the ones that don’t. Save them for when you need a break from the other, more challenging tasks.

Trust the Process

Maintaining your list, adding ideas as they come to you, and checking off (but not deleting!) items completed, can help you trust yourself as you navigate preparing your dossier. When you’re in the middle of something, you may have trouble seeing progress, the learning that’s unfolding. Your list helps you see it. It may grow with to-dos faster than it shrinks, for a while. But persevere. Soon those to-dos will become ta-das.