August was about change. I switched projects. We are buying a new car and will hopefully start taking more local trips. I’m trying a new trainer – with the amount of travel I’m doing, I need more flexibility. I’ve been changing the way we do women in CS stuff, and trying to decentralize and delegate more. This is ongoing – something about the back to school feel of fall and having had a much needed break on vacation.
September is about saying no. I am currently giving three talks in October. Current (tentative) travel schedule has me being away for about 2+ weeks a month from August to March.
So my challenge – say no. It hasn’t started well, I was hoping to not do a trip (that I’d committed to) to New York this week but when someone announced it to a room of people and made a plan around me being in New York… on top of me realizing that it might be detrimental to my happiness but it would be good for my productivity… I booked flights.
Anyway, tomorrow there will no doubt be something else for me to say no to. Wish me luck!
One reply on “Post-Grad Rehab: August/September”
I’ve been reading about your travel struggle lately and I can totally understand. At the beginning of this year, I had several trips every month and by the end of June, I was sick of it. But then I had no travels for July and I was really excited for a short trip (to an ugly city) in August. I understand how uncomfortable it is to live in hotel rooms, out of a luggage, and not have the intimacy of your own things. But, I was thinking that NY is so great, that you have to find ways to make your trips there more enjoyable. How about doing some things you can’t do in the awesome KW? Like going for a long walk after work in the evening? Or try out some fancy restaurant (I can recommend a Brazilian one in the Upper East Side 🙂 ). Or work for a couple of hours from some coffee shop whenever your presence is not needed in the office. Or go to the Strand and shop for some books (and maybe buy them for your Kindle 😛 ). Or how about renting a bike and touring Central Park? The possibilities are endless… Let me know how it goes!