commiseration

[voyeurofthemind]

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Just thought I would share as I am sure some of you can commiserate.


Was sitting here sad that my life consists of doing lit reviews on Saturday nights (granted it is a topic I am interested in but...) and PROQUEST is down for scheduled maintenance until 10:00 AM tomorrow...


= no work tonight without the guilt. 👍


I wonder if it is too late to find something fun to get into tonight?

 

[deleted176373]

Just thought I would share as I am sure some of you can commiserate.


Was sitting here sad that my life consists of doing lit reviews on Saturday nights (granted it is a topic I am interested in but...) and PROQUEST is down for scheduled maintenance until 10:00 AM tomorrow...


= no work tonight without the guilt. 👍


I wonder if it is too late to find something fun to get into tonight?

LOL, someone will be posting on Craigslist personals section soon...

 

[KillerDiller]

Heh, last weekend I was feeling sorry for myself because I needed to spend Friday night and Saturday preparing a lecture. This weekend it's that again, plus internship apps. Some day I aspire to actually have a full weekend off. Thanksgiving maybe.

 

[PerhapsMaybeOk]

I've worked on stuff every weekend at least one day for the last 3 years...how I miss weekends.

 

[cara susanna]

I try to only do work on Sundays. It works pretty well, but then Sundays are always terrible.

 

[G Costanza]

Am I the only one that isn't constantly stressed out and has time to do things outside of school? Even my cohort seems to be running around with their heads cut off. I get my work done, turn in my assignments, and even work another job one day a week outside the department.

Sometimes I think people like to trick themselves into being more busy than they really are. I don't complain about what I have to do, I just do it and then relax. I'm sure some of you really have a lot more on their plate than I do, but is it really that bad?

 

[AcronymAllergy]

Am I the only one that isn't constantly stressed out and has time to do things outside of school? Even my cohort seems to be running around with their heads cut off. I get my work done, turn in my assignments, and even work another job one day a week outside the department.

Sometimes I think people like to trick themselves into being more busy than they really are. I don't complain about what I have to do, I just do it and then relax. I'm sure some of you really have a lot more on their plate than I do, but is it really that bad?

At least in my (limited) experience, it tends to be a mixture of a few different things, and varies from person to person. There are definitely people in my program who are essentially always busy, mainly because they're continually looking for new projects to take on. These individuals generally seem to enjoy always having something to work on, though, and so most of them don't appear (outwardly, at least) particularly stressed out. Frazzled, hurried, and disjointed at times, sure, but not often actually stressed or negativistic.

I've always worked with people who, while busy, made things much worse for themselves by (as you've mentioned) continually complaining and/or worrying about what they had to do. Don't get me wrong, everyone's prone to occasional fits of venting; but by consistently spending more time talking about it than taking care of it, they definitely weren't very efficient with their time, at least on campus.

Part of it also just seems to relate to how "ok" people are with continually having things looming over them. Let's face it, when it comes to grad school, there's always something else that could or should be done. Some people are energized by this, some simply accept it, and some feel stressed out.

 

[cara susanna]

Am I the only one that isn't constantly stressed out and has time to do things outside of school? Even my cohort seems to be running around with their heads cut off. I get my work done, turn in my assignments, and even work another job one day a week outside the department.

Sometimes I think people like to trick themselves into being more busy than they really are. I don't complain about what I have to do, I just do it and then relax. I'm sure some of you really have a lot more on their plate than I do, but is it really that bad?

Nah, I feel that way, too (especially compared to most of my cohort). I'm busy, but I still have a lot of leisure time. Of course, each semester I get busier and busier. Last year was a complete cake walk but this semester I find myself running around more. Next semester will be even worse, too.

 

[KillerDiller]

Sometimes I think people like to trick themselves into being more busy than they really are. I don't complain about what I have to do, I just do it and then relax. I'm sure some of you really have a lot more on their plate than I do, but is it really that bad?

I know what you mean. Usually I'm more towards the calm end of things than the panicked one. However, I think the past 4 years have taken their toll. I am moderately skilled at slacking off (see the gaming thread if you need evidence), but I'm still putting in at least 50 hours a week. This is down from the amount of time I put in in years 2-3, but I'm also becoming less tolerant of such a schedule. All the demands simply prevent psych grad students from having as much leisure time as, say, someone with a standard work week. So, every once in a while I get irritated about it. I knew what I was getting into, and I don't regret getting the degree--just venting.

 

[ClinicalABA]

Part of it also just seems to relate to how "ok" people are with continually having things looming over them. Let's face it, when it comes to grad school, there's always something else that could or should be done. Some people are energized by this, some simply accept it, and some feel stressed out.

Correction: "when it comes to LIFE*, there's always something else that could or should be done. Some people are energized by this, some simply accept it, and some feel stressed out."

Consider it job security!

* i.e. "work", "parenthood", "marriage", "kid's softball coaching, "friendship", etc.

 

[PsychPhDone]

At least in my (limited) experience, it tends to be a mixture of a few different things, and varies from person to person. There are definitely people in my program who are essentially always busy, mainly because they're continually looking for new projects to take on. These individuals generally seem to enjoy always having something to work on, though, and so most of them don't appear (outwardly, at least) particularly stressed out. Frazzled, hurried, and disjointed at times, sure, but not often actually stressed or negativistic.

I like to think I fall into the above category. I love research.

I do manage to make it out to social events once or twice a week. It used to be more but I'm currently in an unavoidable work-crunch.

 

[AlaskanJustin]

This is why you have kids, I work at the school or medical center or externship from 7am to 5/8 every night, ride the subway home for about an hour and read some of my journals, come home play with the boys and watch tv until 830 or 9, put them to bed then work from 9 to 1 or 2am every night. Then on weekends either Saturday or Sunday is research day (depending on which day my soccer team is playing, research day is the opposite), and I work on whatever thing I am doing solid from 9 to 6pm. I love it a lot. The only problem is that my boss' grant ran out so I had to teach this year (waiting for my fellowship to start next year) so I am a bit mentally tired cause of the teaching, could do without it, but otherwise the life is great. So moral to the story, have kids!

 

[erg923]

This is why you have kids, I work at the school or medical center or externship from 7am to 5/8 every night, ride the subway home for about an hour and read some of my journals, come home play with the boys and watch tv until 830 or 9, put them to bed then work from 9 to 1 or 2am every night. Then on weekends either Saturday or Sunday is research day (depending on which day my soccer team is playing, research day is the opposite), and I work on whatever thing I am doing solid from 9 to 6pm. I love it a lot. The only problem is that my boss' grant ran out so I had to teach this year (waiting for my fellowship to start next year) so I am a bit mentally tired cause of the teaching, could do without it, but otherwise the life is great. So moral to the story, have kids!

I would NOT love sleeping 4 hours/night. 😀

 

[cara susanna]

Same here! I need a full night's sleep or bad things happen, haha.

 

[PsychPhDone]

So moral to the story, have kids!

Haha, I'd consider that solution...when they figure out how guys can carry them, when grad student health coverage provides for pregnancy/children, and childcare becomes free. Mostly the first stipulation, though.

 

[Quynh2007]

I can commiserate only b/c of internship apps, I enjoy everything else, and do so at a place where I'm not terribly stressed out. I take each day to do something I enjoy, and generally either go out once a week to the movies, dinner, etc. I also don't do anything work-related on Sundays during the fall when the Dallas Cowboys play. Sorry, but that's the rules. 3.5 hours of heaven or hell, it's still worth it.