Things that only appear on my to-do list when I’m supposed to be grading finals

~ Amy

(with internal monologue in italics.)

Keeping my publications list up to date is annoying. I mean, yes, I’m in a severe publication drought so it’s not like this is actually a time-consuming task, but maybe someday it will be! Maybe I should write a script to auto-add the N most recent publications to my home page, and also put the full list on my publications page. Or maybe I could make a Zotero library just of my / my group’s publications, and make that public, and link it to my web page, and that could be my “publications” page. Wait, is my Google Scholar page up to date? Oh my god, when was the last time I updated my website? This site is an embarrassment given that I teach the principles of effective web design. I need to start over.

Todos (completion: plausible but not likely)

□ Make public Zotero library of publications

□ Update Google Scholar page

□ Completely overhaul website

I’m going to take a short mental break and stare out my home office window. Ha ha, look at that blue jay chase that squirrel from the tree! It’s a shame that this side yard space is so underutilized. It would make a nice little patio space. Could we replace this window with a sliding patio door? Maybe put in pavers? A little chair and table? Some plants? What would grow well in a north-facing space?

Todos (completion: completely aspirational)

□ Take measurements of existing window / wall space

□ Google “how to replace a window with a patio door”

□ Google “plants that do well with northern exposure”

□ Sketch out plans for complete yard overhaul

Based on what I’m seeing in this final deliverable, I need to clarify this point in the assignment prompt. I’ll do it now while it’s top of mind. Are there other assignment prompts I should revise? I should append the rubric for each assignment to the assignment prompt, so that I don’t have to search Moodle for that information later. Maybe I should reorganize the reading assignments folder, and rename some of these files so that they are more self-explanatory. Should I do subfolders by topic? I should grab all the links to resources I posted on Slack throughout the term. And probably annotate them so that I remember the context. Ooh, and I could organize by topic too! Since I’m re-organizing everything, maybe this is a good time to move everything to a GitHub repository so that I can share my materials more widely.

Todos (completion: plausible, but not anytime soon)

□ Reorganize reading assignments.

□ Gather, curate, and organize links to resources from Slack.

□ Create GitHub repository for course materials and move everything over there.

What does your to-do list of procrastination look like?

Published by Amy

I am a tenured computer science professor at a small liberal arts college, teaching a boatload of students, raising two kids (one in middle school, one in high school), and trying to have some semblance of a life. Oh, and maybe even managing to get some research done. I have way too many hobbies and continue to add more to my repertoire. I suffer from depression and anxiety. I'm passionate about broadening participation in computing and science and about teaching students to use their computer science skills and knowledge ethically and sustainably.

2 thoughts on “Things that only appear on my to-do list when I’m supposed to be grading finals”

  1. You remind me of this cartoon that’s been making the rounds: https://www.writerswrite.co.za/cleaning-service/

    I guess grading is the faculty equivalent of writing?

    It’s spring break here. I started my break by reading some books and writing a nontrivial MVC app in Python. Sure, I needed to do these things to be ready for classes to resume after the break, but the real reason is that coding is more fun than grading…

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    1. Hahaha, I hadn’t seen that cartoon, thanks for sharing! Coding and reading are definitely more fun than grading — I approve of your choices. 🙂

      Like

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