Writing is central to your scholarly work and identity. And yet, you struggle to find time and motivation to do it. I argue that it is more effective to focus on the process of writing as a whole and establish an effective writing practice that enables you to pursue your curiosity, create knowledge, and communicate that knowledge […]
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Of Many Minds: An interview with Lee Skallerup Bessette
Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · Of Many Minds: An interview with Lee Skallerup Bessette When I saw that Rebecca Pope-Ruark and Lee Skallerup Bessette had a new book out that focused on the experience of neurodiversity and mental illness as faculty and staff in higher education, I knew I wanted to talk to them. […]
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Focus isn’t just a mind problem
Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · Focus isnt just a mind problem The idea of doing your writing work at home sounds lovely, easeful. But the reality is often like wading through molasses. The soft couch and soft cat call you to nap. Your partner’s loud on Zoom. Laundry and dishes are never done. Your […]
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Make Your Manuscript Work: An Interview with Laura Portwood-Stacer
Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · Make Your Manuscript Work: An Interview with Laura Portwood-Stacer Jo VanEvery 0:00 It was my great pleasure to talk to Laura Portwood-Stacer recently about her new book: Make Your Manuscript Work. I’ve been subscribed to Laura’s newsletter for years and often recommend her earlier book The Book Proposal Book, […]
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Hyperfocus and intensive writing styles
Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · Hyperfocus and intensive writing styles Short writing periods regularly don’t work for everybody. @jovanevery thank god. Every time I see someone tweet that I think why doesn’t it work for me. I write 6 hours straight. Can’t do short. — M.M. (@ProfessMoravec) March 7, 2013 Or Tony’s comment on […]
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End of summer writing panic
As the long summer break nears an end and the beginning of the academic year looms larger on the horizon, you may have a tendency to panic about your writing and research. You wonder whether you’ve done enough over the summer. You fear that you won’t get to it at all once teaching, student advising, […]
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Spotlight On: The Power of 15 Minutes
Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · Spotlight On: The Power of 15 Minutes When it comes to writing the primary challenge most scholars face is how to find and protect time for this work. I use 15-minutes as a short hand for any amount of time less than 30 minutes, or so short it feels […]
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Treating each day as a new opportunity
Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · Treating each day as a new opportunity “My challenge is treating each day like a new opportunity to get things done without letting the perceived inefficiencies of the previous cast a dark cloud over a new working day.” – Planning Class participant (2023) If this is also your challenge, […]
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Reflections on 20 years of self-employment
Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · Reflections on 20 years of self-employment In April 2005, I found myself unemployed. April 2025 marks 20 years of self-employment. My approach (and my advice) is often to take stock of the context, look at the opportunities available, and pick something to try. As I said in a post […]
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Is it perfectionism? Or impatience?
Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · Is it perfectionism? Or is it impatience One of my coaching clients mentioned that their reluctance to allow themself to write a “shitty first draft” may not be perfectionism but rather impatience. Re-reading Jeanette Hannaford’s review of The Perfectionists Guide to Losing Control in the light of this conversation […]
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Pulling a thread from your tangled mess
Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · Pulling a thread from your tangled mess In Untangling Your Thoughts As You Write, I outlined a way to get started that leans into divergent thinking in the early stages of writing about your research. In it I said Yes, the published version will need a clear central point. […]
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Untangling your thoughts as you write
Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · Untangling your thoughts as you write One of the strengths of ADHD and other types of neurodivergence is ‘divergent thinking’: the ability to see connections that others don’t see. As a neurodivergent academic, this can be a real benefit for generating original contributions to knowledge. However, it can also […]
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