This post was originally written during a time when many universities and workplaces had shifted to remote work in response to the COVID pandemic. Although circumstances have now changed for many people, much of what I say in this post still applies. I start and finish A Meeting With Your Writing with some gentle stretching. […]
Read More »Developing a Practice: Self-care
Self-care is not a luxury. Self-care is the foundation of everything else you do. You need sleep, good food, exercise, love, nature, etc. We could debate Cartesian dualism all day but you have a body and it needs to be looked after or you can't do anything with your mind.
Emotional labour is real work
This post was originally written during a time when many universities and workplaces had shifted to remote work in response to the COVID pandemic. Although circumstances have now changed for many people, much of what I say in this post still applies. As I watch all the academic Twitter conversations about transitioning to remote teaching […]
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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. […]
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Mid-semester burnout
Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · Mid-semester burnout During a period of widespread university staff strikes about increasing workloads, insecure pensions and low pay, I observed increased discussion amongst academics on social media about being in the overloaded and overwhelmed category. I read on Twitter that some folks were so overloaded they are apologising in […]
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Cycles of the academic year & intensity of work
I am a wee bit bossy about sleep and rest. In this post I want to talk about something related: intensity of work, what is normal, and the importance of cycles in the academic year. You are tired at the end of the academic year. I am writing in April. Although the exact dates of […]
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Sleep is not a luxury
It seems that there is an epidemic of sleep problems and inability to actually relax out there. I’m going to share a few thoughts. Sleep is important. Not only does lack of sleep impair cognitive function, it can mess up your metabolism and cause all kinds of health problems. There is some evidence that the […]
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Taking a real break between semesters
Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · Taking a real break between semesters In the past week or so I’ve had a few conversations with clients about the relationship between accomplishing their writing goals for the semester and taking a real break over the Christmas holiday. As one of them put it: “How do I not […]
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Introducing That Selfish Bastard
Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · Introducing That Selfish Bastard A couple of recent client conversations renewed my motivation to write more about managing the number of things you are juggling. Those conversations made me realize that you want to say yes to things. You value community, collaboration, and collegiality. There’s just a lot more going […]
Read More »Have you come down with something?
Universities bring together people from a wide range of places, each with their own strains of common viruses, and put them in close quarters. Students are perhaps not eating as well as they should, sleeping as much as they need, and partying a bit too much. You letting your own basic self-care practices slide in […]
Read More »You’ve (almost) made it
It’s December. You’ve worked hard this semester. You could really use a real break between semesters to rest and recharge. To make it more likely that you will take that break and be refreshed by it, I propose a couple of things. Tie up the loose ends on this semester so it feels finished. Have […]
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Taking on a leadership role
Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · Taking on a leadership role Taking on a management/leadership role, even at the department level is a big deal. You might be really excited about the possibilities and have all kinds of plans for how you can make things better (for some value of “better”). But you also know […]
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How to take the weekend off
Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · How to take the weekend off Academic life is demanding. During term time you are juggling teaching, administrative and service work, graduate supervision, and your own research and writing. During the summer and your sabbatical, you feel like you need to devote as much time as possible to your […]
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