I’m finally in the rhythm of summer, but that rhythm has been accompanied by an unexpected symptom: opinion fatigue.

After two years of steadily churning out research papers, writing application essays, and interviewing for fellowships (while also working full time), I have noticed that my mind is suddenly reluctant to form any well-constructed and articulated analyses. I am having no problem with input; it has been fantastic to explore or finish a number of television shows, read lots of books, and watch more movies. But when it comes to converting the input into thoughtful output, a wall of exhaustion hits me. Writing is a discipline, so I’m tackling this exhaustion head-on, but at the same time, I know I need to give my mind and body a rest before I start grad school phase II in August.

For those of you who also work within academia, how do you handle this brain fatigue? How do you juggle brain burn-out and the need to remain disciplined about writing and output? I’d really love to hear your thoughts and advice.

Unrelated to this topic (or maybe one of the sources of my current fatigue?), next week I’m hosting a film camp for high school and lower level college students at the university where I work. This is my first time organizing a camp like this, so I’m a bit nervous, but also excited to see how things pan out. We are bringing in some of our talented alumni to teach workshops on directing, camera and lighting, audio, and editing, etc. I’ll also get to help lead a workshop on film analysis.  😀 
As a result, this week has been one of running around confirming catering orders, equipment reservations, and parking permits, and now this weekend, I am writing this from San Francisco where I dashed up last night for a friend’s wedding today. We’ll be dashing back down again this afternoon, but at least last night my friend Jess and I got some time in the city. A bit of a whirlwind.