Why, in academia, do we always tell ourselves that if we make it through the next few weeks things will be easier? Things never let up.

Here's where my attention is going.

WORK

• Research Assignment Design: This is on my list for next week. I really need to start coding.
• Presentations and Publications: I put together a calendar so that I know when to start prepping things for all the stuff I have coming up. Today, I spent over three hours working on my slide deck for my photography webinar. We're doing a test run through tomorrow. While the slides don't have to be complete, I wanted them to be more done than not. I'm mostly using my own photography as examples and it's weird getting this analytical on my own stuff. I know I don't need perfect, but I need to show why I know my stuff. I've looked at my own work so closely that I'm beginning to hate it all now. 
• Reference and Instruction: The number of questions is picking up and I taught my first class. Another professor requested a flipped classroom model so I recorded a video for that. Our webinar series kicks off on Friday. I put together all the logistics and created a slide template.
• Outreach: The first week push is over, now it's on the regular marketing calendar.
• Administration: Onboarded our new metadata and cataloging librarian. I am so excited to work with her.

PERSONAL

• Estate Planning: Nope. Although I did figure out why my auto-invest was broken on one account.
• Email Newsletter: This evening, I sent out a final paywall warning. Paywall is set to go up tomorrow. I don't know if I'll get any new paying subscribers, but I think this is the right move.
• Home Projects: None at the moment, and I'm okay with that.
• Hobbies: I sent out a few notecards to friends. I would like to get back in the habit of doing this monthly.

My colleagues and I were talking about how we often teach students about keyboard short cuts. We ended up in a discussion about where folks learn these. The obvious is Google, but most people learn them when someone sees them doing something with a mouse or manually, and jumps in with a keyboard short cut suggestion.

Just the other day, I did this. A student was clicking back and forth between programs on their computer. I let them know about Alt+Tab which lets you do that without a mouse. It's a minor change, but once you do it, you'll use it forever. 

I love Alt+Tab because it lets me have our reference chat open in one browser window and my other work in another. When I chat pings, I can quickly switch to answer without losing what I was working on.

There was a lot going on this week and my brain simply cannot comprehend writing a long intro.

I looked at my list of possible topics and every single one seemed like a mountain to climb. Even the idea where I want to talk about how much I love goldfish crackers. I simply ran out of brain power. 

Instead of forcing it, I'm doing what I need and resting. 

Take care of yourself when you need to. 

Our kiddo is actually napping right now. (Huzzah!) This is extra important because she is home while we're working and now I can power through some to do list items. 

Here's what else was good this week.

• Grandparents were in town to lend a hand while daycare was close
• Garlic bread
• Discovering that a nearby wine shop carries a bottle I adore
• Calling an audible and ordering dinner after a long day
• Sending a sassy birthday card to a friend
• Enjoying a work lunch outside
• Being able to sell/give away a few things to give them second life
• Started a new D&D podcast
• Kiddo got her face painted (rainbow butterfly!) for the first time.
• Found out another conference speaking proposal was accepted

Classes at our University started Monday. There's always a bit of controlled chaos to the first two weeks of the semester. We're managing things okay, but there are some hiccups we're having to work around. 

Here's where my head is at.

WORK

• Research Assignment Design: I should be coding, but early semester stuff has this on the backburner. Hope to get some stuff done on this next week.
• Presentations and Publications: Set up my travel to the 2022 Library Marketing and Communications conference. I also found out that my proposal to speak at said conference was selected. Adding that to my list. AND I learned that my book chapter proposal for Person Centered Management was accepted. That has a long publication timeline, but the structured deadlines will keep me on track.
• Reference: The Reference team rejiggered the desk schedule. I'm sticking with my two morning shifts each week. They were suspiciously quiet for the first week of classes. 
• Outreach: Pushing out all the early semester stuff. I also drafted a content calendar for blog posts this semester. I like doing new things, but some stuff I just have to repeat since we always have new students join us.
• Administration: Finally (!) caught up on post vacation email. I need to sit down and plan out my priorities for the fall. I've got a lot of balls in the air and very little purpose behind what is going to get tackled first. Also, onboarding a new reference librarian. There is a fine line between sharing and burying under an avalanche of information. I've probably leaned toward the avalanche side of things.

PERSONAL

• Estate Planning: Still nothing. 
• Email Newsletter: Set up a few more cross-promotions. I'm also making a list of the final things I need to do before the paywall kicks in next week. 
• Home Projects: Was able to give away our old sofa table and sell our travel crib. Now I'm beginning my search for new dining room chairs. I'm tired of our IKEA ones and their cushions that always move.
• Hobbies: Between the Kiddo's daycare being closed, having the grandparents in town to help, and playing vacation catch up, hobby time is not a priority.

I have a tendency towards completionism. That means, when I start something, I have to do/read/listen to the entirety of the item.

If I start the first book in a series, I will read the entire series. If I start a new podcast, I will go back and listen to the whole archive. If I start a project, by golly, I am going to work until it is done. 

While this is time consuming, it is not usually a problem in my life.

Unless I need to play catch up.

That tends to happen after vacations or long periods where I am away from my usual routine. For example, we just go back from vacation. My email is overflowing and my podcasts are stacked up. My desire to ensure completion means that I'm going to be digging out for awhile. My inbox is at a number that gives me hives and I've got like 5 hours left of podcasts to listen to. All while the usual stuff is still rolling in.

Could I just mark everything read or as played? Sure. 

Will I? Nope.

I'm just going to keep plugging away in little chunks until I'm caught up. Then I'm going to get back to reading the books in that cozy mystery series I started.

Do you have to complete things?

I did not melt walking to work/daycare this week. It was delightful! I know that summer heat will rear its head again, but I am going to enjoy the cooler tease of weather while we have it.

Here's what else made my week:
​

• Professional development week meant three free work lunches (and two of them were rather tasty)
• Our kiddo spouting off random long sentences
• Peanut butter filled pretzel nuggets
• A new bar of hard-milled lavender soap
• Dresses with pockets
• Booking my second round of conference travel
• Gaining a great new colleague
• Rewatching a favorite TV series

Dim Sum of All Fears
Vivien Chien

I'm normally not a mystery reader. On occasion, I make an exception for cozy mysteries. This is the second book in the Noodle Shop Mystery series and it's following right in the path of the first. There are a lot of characters with overlapping issues. And by characters, I mean those over the top folks that every place seems to have... but this place has more than its fair share. That, however, is what makes the cozy mystery genre work. I am enjoying how the heroine is growing throughout the series.

Also, I just recently finished reading the following:
Enchantee by Gita Trelease
A Spark Within the Forge by Sabaa Tahir

I am, admittedly, writing this while sitting through the second day of required faculty professional development. I am all for professional development. The problem is that most of the material is directed towards teaching faculty and not library faculty. So, I am using my time to multi-task and play catch up from our vacation. So. Much. Email.

Here's what I've got going on.

WORK

• Research Assignment Design: We created out master codebook and I think it is excellent. Now, we start blind coding as a team before we begin our analysis. My one colleague said it perfectly, we need to focus more on the why and less on the what. That was enlightening and will inform our work going forward.
• Presentations and Publications: Got my conference travel for Internet Librarian set up. I also have been adding more material to the outline for my photography webinar.
• Instruction: We're about to be inundated with instruction requests, and I am here for it!
• Reference: Between vacation and intersession, this part of my job is on hold. That is giving me a little time to breath this week.
• Outreach: Gearing up for the semester. I compiled all the new faculty emails in our master list and uploaded them into our MailChimp. I made two new one sheets to share with students and student support offices. And I'm working on various newsletters, social media, signs, etc. that all come out at the start of the semester.
• Administration: Post-vacation catch up. Lots of email. Also, I had to toss together a hype video for our PD event. I basically had half a day to do it and it turned out not bad. Now I want to make a real hype video.

PERSONAL

• Estate Planning: Still nothing. 
• Email Newsletter: I set up a few reminders of things I need to do before the paywall goes up. I also have a few more cross-promotions lined up.
• Home Projects: Our new sofa table is in place. It looks really nice and we have a lot more space now. The old table was IKEA but is still in pretty good condition. I posted it for free on a local list-serv and I've got a few takers. Hopefully, it's picked up today and we get the space back in our bedroom.
• Hobbies: I am considering getting a puzzle mat. I've been jonesing to work on a bigger puzzle, but I don't have a safe place to keep it while I work on it. A puzzle mat may fix that problem.

When someone asks me a reference question, I always follow-up by asking them "why?"

​Why are you interested in this? Why do you need this? How are you going to use what we find? 

This is not out of curiosity or concern. I ask "Why" because it helps me determine what kind of information you need. Why lets me know format. Why lets me know content level. Why lets me know depth and detail. Why lets me know timeline.

I ask why in many ways and more than once. Then I use what I learn to help you find what you need.

Anytime you look for something, ask yourself "why?" It can help focus your work saving you both time and stress.