Neglect

I wish I could manage my time better these days and keep up with everything well, but it's not working out. I tried reading into the Getting Things Done method, but I never finished the book. So I'm getting some things done, but neglecting a few. I'm neglecting the blog, I'm neglecting my personal e-mails... Fortunately, I still manage to do some exercise and see friends. Bear with me while I'm getting through the last eight months of my insane life of study and work.

It's not that I never have free time, but I'm usually so tired that when I do have some free time, I usually take it easy. I spend so much time on the computer that when I have some free time, I'm more than happy to leave the thing powered off. I read, watch movies, go for walks.

I compiled a bit of data for work yesterday and realized that my two projects are going to use up 1.5 million dollars' worth of the company's R&D budget. It's interesting to get such big projects from the get-go. The timelines are also pretty long. I was joking around the other day and told a colleague that I had been in my position for over a year now and hadn't released anything. It's gonna be several more months before we do release. Things are moving along, which is nice, but it's getting busier.

I also need to find a way to stay focused on my applied project. It's not that I don't want to work on it, but I start reading and what I'm reading opens the door to so many other interesting concepts that I find myself going off path often. I have a structure for the report and I think I'm going to break down an outline this weekend, with dates against sections. My supervisor asked that I send him sections over time, and not submit everything at the very end. I think that's a great strategy.

Bored

I'm bored. Bored of all this efficiency, this almost-perfect management of work-school life. The problem is, I know exactly what I'll be doing until about March 28. No surprises, no "days off", no time spent on silly or unproductive things. Except for a manicure/pedicure on March 16, 5:30 p.m. I even have to bring my laptop to Banff, I'll have a bit of homework to do.

See what I mean?

I guess I shouldn't complain, since having my weeks nicely planned out means I get everything done, usually well enough, without losing much sleep or turning to fast-food (does sushi count as fast food?). But it's boring. I miss weekend afternoons spent just strolling around the city, with no plan.

On a less boring topic, I have a meeting with the Director of the Career Management Center at school tomorrow morning. Apparently, he knows the President of the Globe Foundation and wants to see if we can start building a relationship with the Foundation towards my final project. Even though the final project is not expected to start until Spring 2008, I think it would be nice to have a chance to start some early research in September, when I have no classes. Environmental management and programs are all new to me, it wouldn't hurt to have enough time to understand the industry before writing about it ;) Last semester, when we had a get-together with all current and graduating MBA students, I spoke to a few people who had just finished their project. I didn't sense a lot of excitement, it sounded, in many cases, like they just wanted it to be over. I don't want my project to be like that. I want it to be a project I'm interested in, a project I feel proud to discuss with others.

On balance and support

Wow, it's really sunny outside! After lunch, I'm going out for a stroll along the seawall. I might even stop by Granville Island for a little food and window shopping.

Thank goodness it's the weekend, I had a busy week. But an interesting one as well. On Thursday morning, I was volunteering for the annual Women's Executive Network's Canada's Most Powerful Women: Top 100 event at the Terminal City Club. A few students (all women) from the MBA program were asked to help out. After helping with the setup (starting at 6:30 a.m.) and manning (or womaning?) the registration table, I had an opportunity to attend one of the sessions. It was titled Risk to Win: Take Uncharted Paths to Achieve Career Success. Each session was held as an open discussion with three or four panelists who were all winners in this year's Top 100. The discussions were loosely moderated, which made it a bit difficult to latch on to the points being presented (too many anecdotes). However, I did come out of this session with some questions of my own on balance.

One of the panelists was referring back to a discussion she had with her women (mostly executive) friends. She had asked them if they were to redo their lives all over again, what would they do differently. The unanimous response was "spend more time with their kids." Not that this was a surprise, but it made me realize how difficult it is to make the decision about how to balance your professional and personal (family) life. It also made me think how the path to try and "have it all" is unrealistic and somewhat selfish. Something's gotta give.

Fortunately, at this point in my life, I can allow myself to be selfish. Being single and having no kids means I can focus all my energy on my education and career. I've spoken to a few other students who are not in this situation, and have heard of how some of them are running into problems at home. I'm sure the fact that the MBA seriously cuts into any free time we might have does not help maintain healthy relationships.

Speaking of career, I must say that what I really appreciate about my current job are my coworkers. I've been fortunate enough to deal with people who are professional, respectful, and kind enough to give me advice (when I ask for it). Many of my coworkers are experienced managers and being able to discuss challenges openly makes me feel supported in my new position. I know I'm not "getting" everything or doing everything I should be doing, but if I feel I'm struggling with something, I have people to turn to. They also will kindly hint at my mistakes, without being judgmental. Well, at least not in my face ;)

OK, time for lunch, then a nice walk before hitting the books again.

Winning the war, in three steps

I've recently estimated how much time I spend on work and school every week. It's somewhere between 75-80 hours, which makes sense, work accounting for 40-50 and school for the rest. That's more than ten hours per day, EVERY DAY of the week.

Obviously, something's gotta give. I decided to be really strict about a few things: sleeping and eating well, as well as spending a few hours a week reading something completely unrelated to work/school. What I haven't been strict on is house cleaning. Well, not the actual cleaning, which I done once a month by the lovely staff from Aspen Clean, but the day-to-day picking up, putting away, and so on.

Yesterday, when I came back from seven hours of team work at school, my condo, usually a little oasis of peace and calm, looked more like a war zone. Two or three weeks of not picking up ANYTHING meant that no surface was usable, except for the floor (i.e. I could still walk around). I knew this was the point where I had to act, or else my day of studying today would be spent staring at the mess. It was going to bug me.

As I was making dinner, a very elaborate meal that required no attention from my part while everything was cooking, I attacked on the first front: the kitchen. Emptying the dishwasher was an easy battle, it was already almost empty. The counters and sink were another challenge all together: dirty glasses everywhere (not only in the kitchen, I noticed later on), empty containers that were waiting to be sent to the recycling (at least, they were clean), and a collection of Tupperware containers, including one that was repurposed as a Petri dish.

Then, dinner still on the way, I used the "shock-and-awe" approach to clear the dining room table. The table is often an area of conflict, due mainly to its proximity to the front door. Whatever I have in my hands when walking in ends up on the table as I attend to the alarm. 95% of the paper on the table was instantly directed to where it belongs: the recycling bin. The rest was a collection of bills (some I has already paid), three unread copies of Business in Vancouver (it's a weekly publication OK, give me a break!), and a few other papers I needed to keep (including my annual reminder of how little of my mortgage payments are used to pay down the principal on the condo).

All this in less than 35 minutes. Sweet taste of victory (and my kick-ass tomato sauce).

Finally, the biggest opponent that has been provoking me every night: the caulking around the bathtub. The Tupperware was certainly intended as a distraction from where the enemy was hiding all along. The caulking has a tendency to crack after five or six months, no matter the quality of caulking I apply or the time I spend preparing the surface. Needless to say, it was nowhere near the "bright white" promised by vendors. I had left the caulking tube on my kitchen counter and when I cleared everything else, it resurfaced as a nasty reminder. All right, this had to be done as well.

After all this, I got dressed and dropped by Raf's place for his 30th birthday party. I stayed for a few hours and left when the group made its way to Bar None. I had too much homework today to go to bed late.

I fell asleep almost instantly. Saturday was a good day.

This better not be the way every semester ends...

It was INSANELY hard! The long days at work where I'm having a busy week and starting at 7 or 8 a.m. every day (and usually not out of the office before 6 p.m.)... The entire weekends and week nights spent on research, writing, team meetings... It all took a toll on me and today, my brain resigned. Fortunately, I had nothing planned, only grocery shopping with Lara, but even picking out what I wanted to eat required an incredible amount of effort. At least when considering the energy I have left.

But it's finally over. Until next semester ;)

Now, I'm starting a long process of recharging: a little cooking, a little gym, some time with friends, long nights of sleep... Last night, I went to bed at midnight, after submitting my last assignment and even without an alarm, woke up at 5:30, almost in a panick. It'll take a few days before my body realizes that the source of stress is gone. I still feel a little bit tense.

Wanted: personal assistant

One scholarship application with a letter of recommendation and all kinds of school transcipts? Check!
One leadership assignment worth 70% of the final grade? Check!
One finance assignment about a venture idea, along with the corresponding PowerPoint slides for a class presentation? Check!
One truckload of marketing reading and a short marketing assignment? Check!
18km run? Check! (OK, technically it was 6km on Saturday and 12km on Sunday, but that still adds up to 18)
One hour of salsa to kick off the weekend? Check!

Groceries? Stuff I needed from the drugstore? Laundry?

Right...

How much would a personal assistant cost? Probably my entire salary, I'm guessing :-(

A sign of the times to come

Funny how September somehow forces us to return to a more disciplined routine. At least, that's my take on it. Mind you, I wouldn't be able to do everything that needs to be done if I didn't plan my days a little bit.

Long story short: homework, reading, grocery shopping, laundry, dishes, a few items on my to-do list (three plants now have new homes, they don't look happy yet but it's for their own good), cooking, sorting out paperwork, running, weights at the gym, and a movie. Not bad for two days :-) What I didn't have time to do: bring books to the used bookstore and start an outline for my Leadership assignment (the individual assignment is worth 70% of our grade). Oh! and washing floors. I'm seriously considering getting the cleaning ladies back in here every month for the big items...

I must get back to running regularly. Unfortunately, this week is, once again, not a good candidate for regular runs. I have a course on Monday night and a workshop on Wednesday, I'm having dinner with a friend of the family on Tuesday (although if I make it out of work early enough, I'll be able to go for a short run). Today, I went for a 14km run, stopped probably around 13.5 because my leg muscle were seizing and I feel pretty sore. The Fall Classic is in November...