4-day countdown!

OK...four days to go till Friday. And the surprising thing is, I'm actually getting really excited for the prospect of these exams. Finally, a formal opportunity to "show off" my areas of expertise that I have developed over these past two-and-a-half years. This is what I came back to school to establish: what do I do well? How do I market these skills?

Fortunately, the format of the exam is one that fits my personality type. We are to solve an administrative "problem" at a college or university of our choice. First I'll describe the institution, and then I'll discuss how the problem manifests itself at this school. Later, I'll present three areas of expertise that can help toward solving the problem, all the while citing every darn bit of literature I have ever read during this program. Twenty pages later, I should be finished. I pick up the question (i.e. the "problem") this Friday morning and turn in my response Monday late afternoon. Three days later, it's onto question #2, and the whole process starts over again. Question #2 relates to my dissertation topic: I helped to write the question, and my advisor will tweak it as he seems fit. Should be interesting.

I was anal last weekend with my schedule; I planned out how I will spend practically every hour of this entire first weekend. That way, I don't have to think about what tasks I'll do and in which order...I completed all of that sort of thinking ahead of time. Instead, I can now focus on the question at hand and the writing process. I've even set up Word templates so I just can start to write and not get involved in the technical details (frankly, I'd rather do the technical details any day!).

It will be an interesting process for me, because if I follow my schedule, then I'll be done with most of the writing more than 24 hours in advance with plenty of time to proof the paper. The thing is, I typically start writing a paper at the very last minute. I don't know what it is: perhaps it is a fear of commitment to one particular set of written words? I procrastinate like no one's business. So far, I've been OK with this style, and I am almost finished with my coursework. I feel fortunate that I am a fast writer, once I develop the ideas I want to express. However, I often miss out on sleep! It's ridiculous because if I could just write days in advance of a due-date, then I could actually spend some more time refining my work and getting some rest! Hopefully, with something this important, I'll be able to reel in the procrastination and focus on the task at hand.

Today is Valentine's Day, and it reminds me that my endeavor through the Ph.D. program is made so much more easier by the presence of my wife and son. I shared my schedule with my wife, and she is determined to keep checking in on my progress. This is just one of many examples of when she does a fantastic, balanced job of being with me yet giving me the space I need to be alone and get this work completed. We're a good team!