Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · You are not broken. You don’t need fixing. One of the comments I got from my editor when working on the Short Guides was “What do you want them to do with this information?” She was really not happy with a prompt that asked the reader to notice something […]
Read More »Audio Version Available
A category for all posts that have an audio recording of the text available in podcast format. Most blog posts will have the Soundcloud player embedded into the post, or will have a link to the Soundcloud track.
Resting & recharging is preparation for the new academic year
Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · Resting & recharging is preparing for the new academic year I wrote this just before taking a 2 week holiday and mentioned how important it is to prioritize rest at this time of year. Fatigue impairs cognitive function. This is a fact. There is lots of research to back […]
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How do you think about meetings when you are planning your day/week/month?
Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · How do you think about meetings when you are planning your day/week/month? When you are planning your week (or your day or your month) and you look over what’s already in your calendar what is your reaction to scheduled meetings? When someone contacts you to organize a meeting, how […]
Read More »Are meetings really a waste of time?
Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · Are meetings really a waste of time? One of the core practices of my work with clients, and my engagement with academics on social media, is to remind you to notice what you’ve done. I wrote about this practice several years ago: You get a lot done. I send […]
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Writing & research in the summer of the pandemic
One of the issues that has come up in the Academic Writing Studio is the relationship between motivation to write and finding the writing you need to do meaningful. This is not a new problem but the current crisis may have brought it to the fore. You may already struggle to prioritize writing or treat […]
Read More »Time perception and how long things actually take
Another issue that came up in Office Hours recently was this feeling that things that should take 15 minutes are taking 3 hours, or just a general feeling that you aren’t really accomplishing anything. (Office Hours is a group coaching session I do with members of the Academic Writing Studio. We talk about what’s going […]
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The case for getting dressed for work
I’ve been working from home for over 10 years now and the question of pyjamas versus getting dressed properly is a pretty standard one amongst the work at home crowd. Academics often work at home at least some of the time. At least, those in the humanities and social sciences whose research does not involve […]
Read More »Emotional labour is real work
As I watch all the academic twitter conversations about transitioning to remote teaching and generally figuring out how we live and work in pandemic conditions, I see a lot of people being surprised at how tired they are. Emotional labour is a big part of why. It is easy to dismiss emotional work. This kind […]
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Transitioning to summer
Note: I wrote this just before the pandemic situation started to impact academic workloads in the UK, US, and Canada. I am re-publishing it now as a reminder that things would already have been in transition at this time of year. For more on the specific impacts of the pandemic response on academic life… …head […]
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Thoughts on academic freedom, scholarly publishing, and mundane practices
This post is something I initially wrote for my newsletter. I had come across something that I wanted to write about even though I didn’t have a neat conclusion or lesson. I value freedom and autonomy. I know freedom and autonomy are important factors for many people who choose an academic career. I also value […]
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Are you taking breaks?
Fatigue impairs cognitive function. In the planning classes I run in the Academic Writing Studio, I talk about the importance of sleep and rest. I suggest things like taking a break away from your desk to each lunch and/or do some kind of movement activity. I talk about doing stretches or something between activities. […]
Read More »How to feel like you are moving forward
I’ve had a few conversations with clients and colleagues that reminded me that your gremlins might have some very weird rules. “I feel like I’ve been working really hard but I haven’t ticked anything off my to do list.” “I have been working really hard and I have nothing to show for it.” These statements […]
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