I spent the second half of my work week drafting my chapter for the upcoming book Person-Centered Management. I threw a proposal out on a whim and was shocked to find that it was accepted. My topic - asking five specific questions regularly of your employees - is nothing groundbreaking. The chapter is more reflective and less theoretical or research-based. That's why I found it hard to write.

The outline I developed and received feedback on was extensive. Normally, this makes things easier to write. I simply extend my outline's bullet points into complete sentences with examples scattered throughout. That was not the case here. I found myself stuck in a quagmire of tone and word choice. Was I being to personal or not personal enough? Did I need a specific example or would generalizations do? Was my writing too vague? Did I repeat my points too much?

I also second-guessed the entire premise of the chapter. (That was just imposter syndrome rearing it's ugly head.) Finally, I decided to write what felt good in the moment. That's what ultimately led me to "complete" my draft. It's 500 hundred words over the max limit, but it's done.

I'm going to let this brain dump of writing sit for a few days before I start slicing and dicing in editing. I relish a good red pen session to make writing better. (I expect a lot of red penning with this one.)

The editorial process for the book is extensive. The first draft is due Friday, there is an optional peer-review I signed up for, there is a second draft, and then there is the final draft. I'm going to be wrestling with this 3,000 - well, 3,500 at the moment - words for awhile.

How do you write?

Tonight, the husband and I are going to order dinner from our usual place, crack open a beer, and rewatch Knives Out. I'm very excited to enjoy our typical Friday night plans. After a long week at work, I think it will feel extra relaxing.

Here's what was good this week:

• A neighbor volunteered to babysit and we got to celebrate New Year's Eve with friends. (There was a delectable crab wonton dip.)
• Starting a new weekly feature in my newsletter, The Best Thing
• Getting to nap on the couch after a not so great night of sleep
• Having one entire morning home alone
• My office provided lunch twice this week
• Finished the first draft of my book chapter
• Our kiddo's absolute joy with her new, purple dinosaur stuffy
• Working in my bullet journal to star the year out right
• Dinners that makes tasty leftovers
• The days are getting longer again
• Sending a mass newsletter and not getting a single undeliverable notice

The Towering Sky
Katharine McGee

I’m now on book three of this YA series. While this has not been the most addictive of YA novels, I’ve rather enjoyed the overall world. I’m intrigued to see where all the characters end up. This feels like the kind of book where everything will be tidied up and presented with a nice, neat bow.

I am realizing that one of the characters introduced in book two is playing more of a side part in this book three. It feels like she doesn't belong. Given how all the plots tend to weave in and out of each other, this is an outlier. That means it's either entirely unnecessary or is going to become a pivotal thing in the last chapters.

​*Books shared here are affiliate links for Bookshop.org

I'm back in action! Yesterday was our required day of faculty professional development and, today, I'm in my cubicle digging out from the break. Our students don't report back to classes until Monday, so I have a few days off the reference desk to work on other things.

Here's where my attention is at:

1. Digging Out of Email: After being offline for work for two weeks, my inboxes are a disaster. I've got hundreds of messages to wade through. While I can easily delete the holiday greetings (and up-sales) from vendors, other things actually need to be read, responded to, and filed. My goal is to hit work inbox zero by the end of the week.
2. Book Chapter: The first draft of my book chapter for Person-Centered Management is due at the end of next week. I'm reviewing the comments on my outline to adjust the draft, then I am going to sit down and do a few sprints of writing. My outline is comprehensive, so it's just a matter of turning bullet points into sentences.
3. New Year Strategic Planning: In my personal life, I did not get a chance to plan for the new year at the end of 2022. Thus, I am doing it now. That includes reviewing my aims and intentions, to do lists, projects, Rule of Life, and anything else I want to tackle in the new year. Unlike last year, my word of the year came to me early: engage. I want to spend less time passively consuming things and more time doing and creating. 

I'm taking a little time off  writing for the holidays. Normal posts will resume the first week of January.

I will be sharing some stuff in my newsletter while I'm on break. Check it out and subscribe here.

My colleagues and I were chatting last week about how we've entered the "meh" time of the year.

In academia, the time between semesters is a mixed bag. As librarians, we are finally free to focus solely on our own priorities. Our space is so empty we are only "on call" for reference work, no one is asking for classes, and most teaching faculty skedaddle after they turn in their grades.  Our calendars are a lot emptier. But, we constantly wrestle with the mental exhaustion and general "eh, do I have to?" feeling that comes after the semester ends. 

Knowing that we are sliding into the holidays, I try to be mindful of my energy levels. Instead of cramming in all the things, I try to complete one major priority and then just tie up loose ends. On my last day in the office - which happens to be tomorrow since I'm using up vacation days - I generally watch some webinars while I clean up my cubicle and write out a to do list for the new year. 

Sure it's not "real" productivity, but at least it's progress. 

How do you wrap up work for the year?

It rained all day yesterday. A cold, dreary downpour the entire day. It was gross and I didn't like it. Today, it may be rather cold, but the sun is shining brilliantly. I'm excited that the days will start getting longer soon.

Here's what else made me happy this week:

• I knocked out almost my entire personal email backlog - and got to Inbox Zero for work.
• When kiddo saw me on the couch with my ankle propped up on a pile of pillows, she ran to her room and came out carrying all her pillows to copy me. The pillows were three times to size of her.
• Managed to Tetris all the baked goods to fit in my freezer
• New sheets on our bed
• We ordered delicious food to celebrate our 8th wedding anniversary
• Got a clean bill of oral health from the dentist
• Kiddo asked if I got to watch Daniel Tiger at the dentist (just like she does)
• Ankle is doing a little bit better every day
• Kiddo after twirling a lot, "Mom! Our house is moving!"

My colleagues and I were chatting today about how we've entered the malaise weeks. Technically the holidays are not here, but the semester is over and our drive to focus on work is gone. We moved a meeting to comments over email because none of us could be bothered. I'm glad we're a team on this.

Here's what little focus I have left is going towards:

1. Website Usability: I finished drafting my final report today. Tomorrow I will edit and share with my colleagues. I have such a long list of things that need to be fixed. At least I know that I can take my time and just tweak our website as time allows. I also learned a better way to do usability testing that will be easier on me and yield more useful information. The goal is to make this something we do once each semester so that we are always improving our website.
2. Holiday Planning and Prep: Even with my bum ankle I still managed to prep a batch of muffins, two rounds of scones, a batch of spinach balls, and two banana breads. Now I'm making a list of our next grocery run and meal planning for Christmas itself. I also grabbed the last of the gifts we need. (Luckily for me, the husband does most of the wrapping.)
   
3. End of Year Wrap Ups: This is both home and work. I'm basically tying up lose ends and making plans for what needs to happen in the new year. I also need to get around to doing my personal strategic planning for 2023...
   

A friend and I went to see poet Rupi Kaur live and now I want to read all her work. Plus one other title.

Friday morning, I wrapped up an optometrist appointment and quick pop in of my favorite stationery store when my plans got a little more complicated. It was gloriously sunny out and I decided to walk the 2 miles home. Stupidly, I was checking my phone as I stepped off a curb and landed awkwardly in a small pothole. 

I crumpled immediately but caught myself with my hand. I felt several pops in my left ankle but didn't hear any cracks or feel searing pain. There was a small seating area a few steps away so I hobbled there and assessed. After the initial shock subsided, I tested my ankle and found it could bear some weight - albeit uncomfortably. 

Luckily for me, the metro station was right across the street. I limped my way over, took the train one stop, and then limped the rest of the way home. Once home, my husband helped me set up shop at my desk with an ice pack and chair to prop up my leg. 

Then began the Googling. I checked various websites to find the difference between an ankle sprain and a break. This is one of those injuries where many of the symptoms overlap. Both are painful, both swell, both cause the inability to bear weight on the joint. The one key difference seems to be where the sight of the pain occurs. For me, nothing was excruciating and, when I poked around, it was only the soft spots that really hurt. I diagnosed myself with a sprain and decided to wait it out. 

As of right now, I'm doing okay. The joint is stiff and I have limited range of motion, but I can control the swelling with ice and the uncomfortable pain with some Advil. 

But it never fails, just when you're at your busiest (this was supposed to the main prep/baking weekend before our holiday party), life puts something in the way to force you to slow down.