making decisions is one of the most energy-intensive things we do as humans. Making a decision just plain takes a lot of calories. With a complex life, our brains are exhausted most days, too exhausted to make good decisions. Mark Silver A common scenario You have a sense that you should be writing regularly. You […]
Read More »Search Results for: making decisions
Opposite Day as a decision-making strategy
Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · Opposite day as decision making strategy An article in Inside Higher Ed about saying “no” and a question on a forum that I participate in combined to make me aware of a strategy that might be helpful when faced with a difficult decision. What if the default was “No”? […]
Read More »Making progress on projects
There are two basic ways to approach a writing project. You figure out what the final product will look like and make a plan to achieve it. You start writing. I am reminded of a passage in Alice in Wonderland: “Cheshire Puss,’ she began, rather timidly, […] ‘Would you tell me, please, which way I […]
Read More »
Are you dropping the “eating well” ball?
When you are busy and tired making decisions about what to eat and preparing healthy meals is more difficult. This is particularly difficult if you eat your main meal in the evening. The Covid pandemic just makes it worse. Principles for solving this problem and ideas to try.
Read More »
How do I know when my book is ready to submit?
Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · How do I know when my book is ready to submit? You are almost finished with your book! You plan to submit it to your publisher in a couple of months. You’ve been working on it for a long time. You’ve not only got a full draft but you’ve […]
Read More »
You don’t have to start with an abstract
Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · You don’t have to start with an abstract Do you use conferences as a way to start new writing projects? In my experience it’s a pretty common practice. You are working on some research. You need to transition into the writing phase. A conference offers an impetus to make […]
Read More »
Do you struggle with planning?
Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · Do you struggle with planning? The Anti-Planner is the brain-child of Dani Donovan, an artist who’s been working on support materials for ADHD and other neurodivergent types for a while. It’s designed principally for people with ADHD, but it seems to be useful regardless of what brain type you […]
Read More »
Spotlight On: Peer Review
Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · Spotlight On: Peer Review Peer review is central to academic freedom. It ensures that the criteria for evaluating the quality of scholarship are in the control of scholars and not subordinated to commercial, government, or other interests. My writing on peer review over the years has primarily focused on […]
Read More »
Peer Review is worth saving
Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · Peer review is worth saving There is a crisis in peer review. It affects all disciplines. It affects all types of publishers. It adds delays to the publishing process, which was already frustratingly long. I suspect it is also affecting the reviews themselves in various ways. The Peer Review […]
Read More »
What is Real Writing anyway?
At the beginning of every planning class in the Academic Writing Studio, I ask participants a set of questions about what they did in the previous period. We focus on writing, and I ask questions about how much time they protected, what they worked on, and how those projects advanced. I do this in the monthly […]
Read More »
Starting a new project
Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · Starting a new project Once you’ve found and protected time for writing, your next challenge is to decide what to work on in that time. In Making Decisions About Your Writing, I talked about prioritizing amongst multiple projects. In this post, I want to talk about starting a new project […]
Read More »
Saying No: Do you suggest an alternate?
Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · Saying no: Do you suggest an alternate? One issue that comes up reasonably frequently in relation to saying no, especially for research related things, is whether or not you should suggest someone else. There are 2 sides to this question. Would the person asking you welcome your suggestions? Would […]
Read More »
