I ❤ a plan

Anyone who knows me knows that I love a plan. If that plan can come with a list and/or bullet points even better! It only makes sense that I have some sort of plan for my sabbatical and I do: write a book. Unfortunately, that is a terrible plan.

Maybe some people just sit down and write a book. I am not them. The idea of an entire book is overwhelming to me so I’m going to approach it in manageable pieces using what we know from academic studies on goal setting. There is a lot out there about what works and what does not but I like the ideas around SMART goals. This seems useful and breaks “write a book” down into actionable steps. These are my sabbatical SMART goals:

SPECIFIC

• Weekly or bi-weekly blog posts on academically-adjacent ideas about the invisible burdens on women @ work and tightroping

• Monthly blog posts where I rant about how Sheryl Sandberg sold us all a lie and that leaning in is a bunch of bullshit and/or stories about my son

• Six or seven completed book chapters

• An additional dog

• A book contract with an actual company so that I don’t have to make hard copies of what I write to give as gifts

MEASURABLE

Either I wrote things or I didn’t. I can count the number of dogs living with us (currently one).

ATTAINABLE

These do not seem impossible. Though the whole book is more of a stretch goal, I am feeling good about making these things happen. With the caveat that the dog will happen when it happens but over sabbatical seems like a great time for an additional dog friend.

RELEVANT

These are all relevant to my overall desire to get what I have in my brain out to the world.

TIMELY

I only have a semester to make a lot of progress. I am very much hoping to accomplish* all of these things in that timeframe.

So, that’s the plan.

*Normally I would write that I “will accomplish” these things but I am trying to give myself some slack. I read an article the other day saying that people who set really high goals for themselves are often perfectionists so when they fall short of those goals, even by a little, they tend feel bad and are unable to acknowledge all the progress they made. That hit home. Also, I am imposing these goals on myself. If I don’t accomplish every last thing that is ok (I keep telling myself). So this is me trying to be laid back about getting things done. I am not laid back. Ever. This is hard.