One of the issues that has come up in both Office Hours (a group coaching session for members of the Academic Writing Studio that I’m holding weekly at the moment) and in the Establishing a Writing Practice class, is the relationship between motivation to write and finding the writing you need to do … [Read more...] about No, you don’t need to completely change your research focus
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 … [Read more...] about Time perception and how long things actually take
Autonomy in pandemic conditions
One of the things you value about an academic career is the considerable autonomy it affords you. This autonomy is not absolute and always involves making difficult decisions to manage your workload. (see Flexibility, autonomy, and boundaries and Unpacking "busy" the importance of being proactive … [Read more...] about Autonomy in pandemic conditions
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 … [Read more...] about The case for getting dressed for work
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 … [Read more...] about Emotional labour is real work
Adjusting to pandemic conditions, part 1
My business is all about helping academics juggle their work and life responsibilities so they can get the important stuff done. I focus on writing (e.g. Academic Writing Studio) because that's the one area of academic work that seems to get pushed aside for more urgent things. Finding time for … [Read more...] about Adjusting to pandemic conditions, part 1
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 publishing it as a reminder that things would already have been in transition at this time of year. I will be publishing more about the specific impacts of the pandemic response … [Read more...] about Transitioning to summer
Not contributing to other people’s email overwhelm
As a companion piece to Managing email when you’ve rapidly switched to remote working, I thought I'd also share some tips to make email more effective as a means of communication. Modelling good email practices does create change. If other people find your email easy to triage and deal with, they … [Read more...] about Not contributing to other people’s email overwhelm
Managing email when you’ve rapidly switched to remote working
You probably have a hard enough time keeping on top of your email at the best of times. The changes you have had to make to respond to the pandemic are likely to make things worse. It is possible you will discover how many meetings could have been emails, but that still means more email. You will … [Read more...] about Managing email when you’ve rapidly switched to remote working
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 … [Read more...] about Thoughts on academic freedom, scholarly publishing, and mundane practices
