Date: 24 September 2011 12:18:19
It's been a bit of a manic start to the year, but nothing like the stress of the previous two Septembers. So far, I can cautiously say I am enjoying the new timetable, apart from the three mornings extra early start, (and the corresponding wilting by 9.00 p.m., which I dislike intensely) though I am missing the department I mostly worked in last year. (And, they have been kind enough to say they miss me!)
So, the bonuses? It's less physically tiring work this year, but there are more stairs to climb. I get home slightly earlier two days a week, to compensate for the hideously early starts. So far, I'm not working to my limits, either mentally or time-wise.
In fact, this might be the year, if this continues and (I'm under no illusion that it will remain this way), that I begin to get a bit of a life outside of work during term-time. In a lot of ways, the summer of three days a week in work and two days a week painting/decorating, meant I kept to a good pattern of work hours and it's been less of a shock going back to full time work three weeks ago.
In the meantime, I've had sufficient energy on Sundays to test out a few theories... which have been interesting.