small manageable bits

I have to make more progress on my course designs today, and I have to manage my rising anxiety and distraction about work, upcoming travel, and the fact that Old Girl is having a biopsy today at the vet hospital. So, here's a list of course related things that I'm going to focus on today and tomorrow:

• make final choices of readings from textbook for course A
• read through last year's assignments for course A
• plan new assignments for course A
• revise boilerplate for syllabus A
• calendarize course A
• plan first day activity for course A
  
• write new policies for course B
• finish revising assignments for course B
• decide about library trips for course B
• select supplementary readings for course B
  
• revise boilerplate for syllabus B
  
• calendarize course B (this is going to be the tricky one)
• plan first day activity for course B
• create WebCT module for course A
• create WebCT module for course B

and my "when all else seems too difficult" list of small tasks:

• delete/file emails
• purge filing cabinet

I'll be so much happier once the semester really gets underway. I'm teaching courses I like, updated with some new books, and I have a good schedule. But right now there's a lot to do and I'm feeling distracted.