term recap and public accountability

So, some of you may have noticed the "progress bars" in my side bar creep along very slowly. I tried this motivational technique when I saw it on Dr. Brazen Hussy's blog some time ago and I thought it would help motivate me along to get things done. I thought I would also recap how this method of public accountability worked out for me.

Well, I'd have to say I wasn't nearly as sucessful Dr. Hussy. The only thing I acutally got completed was one of two Christmas presents, which is nice, but doesn't really help with my work, and since I still have another to go, really feels only half finished. I completely lost track of my TA hours as they were flexible and things got done here and there. I'm pretty sure I got more than the 40hrs I last posted, but not the 100hrs I was supposed to do. I still plan to make those up (it was more of a planning position, so in principle I can do it whenever), but now I'm doing an experiment and I'm going home for Christmas on Saturday, so I may have to just double up the work next term. I'm still a bit dissapointed that I didn't do more for that though. The paper, though not complete, and will not be submitted before Christmas, I'm actually quite happy with. I've now sent everything but the introduction around to my co-authors, and I think it is a better paper than the one I had in my head before I started digging here and there, and though I'd like to be faster at writing I really feel it was worth taking the extra time.

So, I end this semester and will head into the next with mixed successes and a whole new list of things in the lab, and writing, to accomplish. Expect more progress bars... we'll see if they work better next time.