Greetings from unseasonably-warm-Switzerland! We are now far enough into 2024 that there’s no further use denying it: this is the year I finish up and defend my dissertation. Yikes! The past three years have truly flown by and it feels surreal to have a (mostly) finalized timeline.
Surreal and TERRIFYING.
There’s all the normal run-of-the-mill “what will I do next” discomfort that’s to be expected, but my biggest source of anxiety right now is wrapping my head around the revision process that goes into turning my 80k+ words of “shitty first draft” into an actual dissertation. Alongside this work, I am also involved in a number of conferences and workshops over the coming year and I know I need to continue making comics for my own mental well-being. Taken together, it feels like quite a bit!
One thing I’ve discovered over the years that helps to keep me on track and manage my nerves when faced with a large, multi-stage process is the importance of making a paper log or chart on which I can track my progress. It helps if this chart is large and posted someplace I have to see it every day… like the door of my office at home. (One comics friend very correctly referred to this as “the time-honored tradition of making a gorgeous and meticulous tracker instead of working on things” which I absolutely LOVE. Like so many traditions, it combines the ridiculous and the valuable and, truly, there’s nothing that can replace it.)
Despite now being several years old, I’ve kept the above poster on display for a couple reasons. First, the large red COVID note on it is an important reminder that life can and WILL happen to you, no matter what your intentions. The second reason is that I simply have not made another “focus” poster since 2019-2020 and I like being reminded that I do things. When I started my doctoral work in 2020, I found my focus kind of taking care of itself: the work felt far too large to be captured on a poster and honestly, I did not yet know all that I didn’t know so what might I have listed anyway? I worked those questions out across numerous unphotogenic notebooks and agendas but this year, I knew I needed something more.
TIME FOR A POSTER.
I took my starting point from Anne Lamott’s absolutely brilliant Bird by Bird, a book I pull out and revisit at least once and month (as I have done for well over a decade). If you are a creative person, an overthinker, or an overthinking creative, I cannot recommend this book enough. The title is taken from an anecdote shared by Lamott relating advice on handling a project when it feels overwhelming and it’s a phrase that is never far from my thoughts. “Bird by bird year” seemed like the perfect starting point for my own poster: a reminder to take my year one bird at a time.
The main things I wanted to measure this year are the revision of my dissertation, represented by 100 blocks corresponding with 1000 completed words each, and sending my chapters out as they are completed for fresh eyes and advice from my Very Smart Friends.
I included upcoming events as well as space to add oooooooone more item. In nonacademic work, I would also love to get my cruise comic printed as a minicomic, so I included a chart for those pages and notes on the current status of each. The bottom righthand corner includes a reminder that I probably need to find moments to take mini-breaks or go on fun adventures because being able to cross those things off somehow makes it more likely I will actually take them. (Sad but true but also it’s important to know your own weaknesses!)
I filled in the spaces with pigeons, my forever bird-of-choice, and posted it to my wall just next to my desk. It’s already felt very gratifying to get to fill in a block or two a day and I am hoping this will help me maintain my momentum over the next couple months…
And there it is, up on the wall, looking cheerful and inviting! While it arguably took longer than finding a digital tracker or even just using a sheet of notebook paper, I think this was time well-spent and I’m looking forward to filling all those lovely little boxes in over the coming months.
Enough of my rambling! I would love to hear what you’re working towards this year and how you’re feeling about it. How do you track and motivate yourself when faced with a big project? And with that…
Wishing you a week of just-right-temperature beverages and fluffy greetings from your housepet-of-choice,
K
P.S. The subheading is taken from Chaucer from the Wife of Bath’s Prologue. I love it. All subheadings moving forward will be Chaucer. Until I forget.