Bless me internet for I have sinned, I am a bad grad student.
I took the entire past weekend off from the lab (I was here yesterday, though). Yep, I took two whole days off from lab work. I didn’t even do any work-related reading. It was glorious. I did nothing and it was everything I thought it could be. Instead of going into the lab, I did the following:
- Went to the library and checked out books with varying degrees of literary merit.
- Made bread
- Made Dr. Isis’s So-Good-You’ll-Soil-Your-Knickers Pesto Sauce (And it really is that good)
- Read said library books
- Worked on a baby blanket for one of my two pregnant friends (I’m not sure who’ll get it, though. I think it’ll primarily be determined by who hasn’t given birth by the time I complete it.)
- Watched a lot of football (this was not mutually exclusive with the previous activity)
As a consequence, I felt wonderful on Monday and today. I was very productive (for the first time in a while) in the lab yesterday and today. This new-found productivity has made me decide to change my work schedule. From now on I will be in lab for no more than 10 hours a weekday or 5 hours on the weekend and take at least one entire day off a week. If it takes me an extra few months to graduate, so be it. Hopefully, this schedule will keep me more productive than my previous one (and, hopefully, I’ll be able to stick to this schedule).
Now, all I have to do is to figure out some time to exercise and I’ll be doing great.
Teehee, good luck with that. I promised myself that I wouldn't work more than 12 hours in lab about a year ago. It lasted… precisely three weeks. And now I'm working 36 hours in a row. Pain in the ass proteins. >:O
Seriously though, I'm glad you enjoyed your weekend off. It sounds quite rejuvenating, and rather like my Sunday, with the baby blanket and lots of football.
Good for you…and I support your resolution to take some you-time each week. Very important.
I think this is an excellent idea, but I am biased because I did the same thing. Frankly, I found that my productivity in the lab was too low after working day after day for long stretches of time. Now, I try not to go in on the weekends, and overall I get a helluva lot more stuff accomplished.
Good luck with your new schedule.
Sometimes being able to escape work for a weekend is the best medicine. Now, about that pesto sauce…
Oooh…sounds lovely. Good for you!
The trick is not feeling guilty about it, and remembering the productivity thing should help that. Good luck!
I tend to work in a cycle: resolution to take time off during weekends, followed by things going well and being reasonably productive, and not too frustrated with work. Then I somehow fall back into the feeling guilty if not working thing, overextend myself, and feel like crap. Repeat.
I wish I would only do the first half of the cycle – perhaps this is what we should try to encourage each other to do.
Yes good for you. Time off is so important and yet we so rarely allow ourselves to take that break. I hope you keep it up.
I’m glad to hear about your rejuvinating weekend, in part because it reassures me that it’s a good thing that I rarely work on weekends.
Seriously, you cell/protein biologists need to discover other areas of science that don’t require very long and time sensative protocols!
I’m with ecogeofemme — hallelujah for fields that don’t require time-sensitive experiments! You seriously had to make it a goal to take 1 day off each week? I definitely work some very long days, but 1 day every week (and often a full 2 days each week) are MINE. I may think about work, or jot down a few notes, or respond to a few emails, but those days are personal. Football, cooking, shopping, movies, whatever.
I don’t have that option right now so I am just super jealous. Everything about your weekend sounds so lovely.
That’s great! I’ve been sticking to the one full day off each week for a while now, and it definitely helped me feel like less of a slave to the lab. And the guilt for not being there and the “they must all think I’m a huge slacker” feelings are at least much weaker than they used to be…
P.S. would love to see baby quilt pictures!
I’m so glad to hear it! I hope you can stick to your new “better-for-your-mental-health” schedule. 🙂
I think its great that you took the weekend off. I, for obvious reasons, only work 9:15ish – 4:15ish during the week, and am hit or miss on the weekends. Yet I am quite productive, probably more so than when I wasn’t spending such little time in the lab. Perhaps its having the consistent breaks.
Good for you! It’s a win win if your productivity increases… which seems to be everybody’s experience from the comments. I’d subsribe to that too.
EtBr: See above post. Sigh.
AA: Thanks.
Microbiologist XX: I may not come in this weekend after all…
Aunt Becky: Seriously, excellent pesto sauce. I may cut back a bit on the salt next time, though. Still, really good.
SGG: I’m trying to learn that one…
Science Girl: I’ll encourage you, if you’ll encourage me. That marathon pace and all that.
Brigindo: I’m trying…
EGF: Yep, maybe ecology? Field work sounds like fun. 🙂
Nicky: I’ve recently thought that I should have gone into a field with less time-sensitivity. 2 full days! That sounds lovely.
Albatross: But you’re almost done! Color me jealous! (even if I hate writing)
Jenn: I’ll post some once I get more done. It’s not that impressive, though. I’m just doing a printed cross-stitch quilt. 🙂
Heather J: Thanks… hopefully I’ll get more reading in.
Scientist Mother: That has to be very hard, though, cramming everything in during the day. Then again, you are pretty efficient.
Stepwise Girl: Thanks!
ahh… that is what I decided the other week. Not work every weekend.
And the time I had in September when Itook two consequtive weekends off was – absolutetly FANTASTIC 🙂
good job.