it's the little things

two things i consider the most important items i have learned in my phd thus far:
1. communication style of your boss is very important.

my advisor doesn't communicate in the same ways i do. i like written information and direct statements. my advisor talks and is vague.

2. goal definition, progression, and termination

how do you define a goal, what information do you feel you need vs. what other people feel you need, and when is the goal accomplished or abandoned? i like to have a short goal with a list of subgoals, i like to be well informed about how and why things work or are used (not just approach and solve a problem willy nilly), and i like a time limit on my goal (can be revisited but needs a definite end to reanalyzed).

so in the future i will look at potential bosses and companies for the qualities that will work best for me. i would rather work at a job below my abilities rather than try an work in an enironment that frustrates me to the extent my phd has thus far.

oh ya... what brought me to revisit my thoughts on this, again: group clean up day. i didn't know when it was scheduled to begin (8? 9? apparently 9:30), there was no list of things for me to do (just ask everytime you finish something), and it continues even now even though it was two days ago. before i left monday i made it clear i wouldn't be in on tuesday but would be back monday. i had suspected my desk was going to be moved but nothing from the advisor. i came back today and found my stuff moved. it would have been nice to have been told since pretty much everything on my desk and shelves is my personal items (my monitor, computer cables, power strip, books, eyeglasses, plant). it just irritated me. probably irrationally, but it did.