I started my “new” job yesterday.
It was actually pretty exciting. I had minor palpitations while changing my email signature. I feel immense responsibility, which is stressful, but also a refreshing authority to do certain things more in my style (examples: booking things far ahead of time; saving templates for future efficiency; keeping track of things like evals in a comprehensive spreadsheet in one place).
I am still just under half clinical (0.4FTE) though. And I start a week of call today to remind me of that! I honestly think this is a beautiful balance for me.
Q3 as I have defined it officially begins tomorrow. I’m pumped.
Some notes & links:
1- Lagliv is back!! After a 7 week hiatus. So happy she returned.
2- The Frugal Girl‘s monthly challenges have been fun and inspiring to read about this year! This month she did a photo a day. Her post makes me want a DSLR (as handy as phone photos are, her pictures look fantastic).
3- Our second Superficial Things episode is up today. I’m mildly embarrassed about admitting to the world that I would consider Botox but . . . well, it is what it is.
4- I am 40% through Daisy Jones and the Six – thank you for the rec!! I am so torn because I yearn for paper books — there’s something just so lovely and tactile about fresh pages. But I am finding the phone to be so much more convenient, and I’ve read the past few on the kindle app.
I still use paper books for nonfiction, for the most part, because I like to take notes. I don’t want books to go the way of CDs though (and I miss those too even though I love and have embraced Spotify).
5- Something about summer is sparking the decluttering urge and I think I am going to do a mini-konmari. I also want to get a better toy rotation system going because when all of them are out it just creates a jumbled mess and zero interest. I am following @neverhomemaker on Instagram (have read her blog for probably a decade!) and find her decluttering tactics (and realism!) inspiring.
14 Comments
Botox is the best. 🙂 looking at pictures I have fewer forehead lines than I did 5 years ago before residency started. There’s a PA I know who will come to your house to do it. Highly recommend.
maybe I can sneak it in on a future trip in your direction. ha! yeah, i do want to try it. and from what I have seen on many people it works very nicely! You look great — I can vouch for that!!
fresh starts are exciting!!
i switched to nearly 100% ebooks many years ago and i have read SO MUCH MORE ever since. up until early this year, i was doing my reading on a tablet. at the beginning of the year i got a new phone with a bigger screen than my old phone that synced with my tablet reading app and my reading time increased by 1000%.
when i would not have bothered taking out my tablet for a quick few minutes of reading while waiting in line, i can easily read a chapter on my phone. it’s delightful to see the number of minutes i spend on my phone reading compared to my social media app usage. reading more definitely makes me happier.
the reading app i use has a great “highlight” feature that i use for when i want to take notes in a nonfiction type book (i can then write out the passages in my book journal later if i feel like it. sometimes i do, sometimes they just live as “bookmarks” in the app that i go back and look at on occasion.)
daisy jones wasn’t on my original list of mmd summer picks but i tacked it on because a) i am plowing through my list much faster than expected and b) it seems to be getting a lot of hype and great reviews by people i know/trust.
It’s totally a fun read so far!
I am totally unsatisfied by digital highlighting 🙂 but I know some people love it!
I am now almost done with Daisy Jones and can confirm yes it’s a fun (and relatively fast) read!
Sarah, I have a similar job title but in a different field. I would love to see posts about your work, especially how you plan / organize. These are my favorite posts already (you inspire me!) but to see these applied to work would be next level amazing. In my world it’s hard to find colleagues to “compare notes” with, since it’s hyper competitive, plus I think reading about how people approach work is fascinating.
Ooh okay! I will think about some more organizational work-related posts! (Do you listen to Michael Hyatt’s podcast? I’ve actually gotten a ton of practical work related/organization-type tips and hacks from that!)
A question unrelated to your post if you happen to have time: we are seriously considering adding a third kid. Ours are currently 16 months and 3 years, and ideally we’d wait a bit longer but I just turned 39 and so we need to get going sooner rather than later if we do decide to go for it. I just reread your December 2018 post about the down sides of the third baby and all of those really resonate with me. I do NOT love the baby stage and dread going through it again, and I expect that the first year would be really tough on all of us. So I guess my question is — did things get any easier/better once G started being more toddler and less baby?
Ooh, great question. The short answer is . . .um, both? It’s certainly easier that she sleeps at night and I don’t need to pump for her! My work life in particular is MUCH better than it was one year ago. But, she’s at a touch age behaviorally (I’ve always said 12-20 months is my least favorite time — at least they are preciously cute!).
Even though it’s slightly longer than the baby stage though – the toddler stage is still relatively short. I think once she is 3 everything will be easier and then only get better from there. For us it’s been worth this tougher period because with the extra effort she does bring a HUGE amount of joy and fun to our family.
PS: we may answer this on the podcast 🙂 I like this question!
Thanks! this is super helpful. I like the toddler stage — I am having so much fun right now with our 16mo — but the baby stage was hard on the whole family (and neither of them were difficult babies!). I feel like the transition to a single nap is really the tipping point where things get easier — no longer having to schedule around multiple naps is HUGE for my sanity. So many fewer balls to keep in the air, it’s possible to take long morning outings, etc.
It’s a good reminder, though, that all of these stages are so fleeting.
Wanted to share a fun recommendation after listening to the podcast! I also need a lip color that stays put, because I’m constantly kissing my li’l ones. I use Smashbox Always On or Makeup Forever liquid lipsticks. You do have to use makeup remover or soap to get them off, but I usually only have to reapply after I eat. Love of the week!
ooh thank you! I am contemplating experimenting with some more lasting lip shades so I will have to give one of those a try!
Aw, yay! I’m happy to be back too :). Congrats on the new position- hope it works out great for you!