DR. KATHERINE S. CHO

I do my best to keep it to 4-5 color-coded groups because more than that, means I spend more time keeping track of pen colors than doing my work. In the past, the four I stuck with were

1. Dissertation/Writing
2. TA-ship/Classes
3. Network (like conferences, other organizations, etc.)
4. Personal (for cleaning my apt, etc. haha)

But the summer marks where I am usually done with my academic work so that my key becomes:

1. Dissertation
2. Writing (to catch up on all the side projects I had planned)
3. Network (same as before)
4. Personal (same as before)

For me, this is a huge shift in my brain because I've been trying to make this summer a summer of writing. Any tips are greatly appreciated on how you all stay productive! 

I had a meeting with my advisor today. Prior to our meeting, our program asks us to fill out a "mentoring form" where we reflect on the year, achievements, goals for the next year, etc. During our meeting, while we talked about this form, she asked me point blank: 

​WHICH JONES ARE YOU TRYING TO KEEP UP WITH?​​

The question, was based on the multiple times I had written in the form, that I felt "not competitive." She asked me to name names: who were the people I kept comparing myself to? And in that moment, I realized I couldn't name any. They were all figments of my imagination-- an amalgamation of my own insecurities and a person I would never measure up to...  

I don't know if I'll ever get over imposter syndrome-- and from all the TedTalk videos I've watched, it doesn't seem like it's something to "get over," but the conversation, and this question was a much needed reminder, and somewhat of a relief, to realize I was competing against an impossible me.