Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · Thoughts on wrapping up teaching for the summer Academic work is cyclical. There are seasons to the work. You need to account for those cycles when you plan. Summer may feel like the research & writing part of the year. If you value teaching and being a good teacher, […]
Read More »Procrastination
Everyone struggles with procrastination. It may be limited to a particular project or task. Or it may pervade a whole area of your life. Procrastination is not laziness . It is resistance. Posts tagged procrastination look at different things procrastination may be telling you and what to do about it. You might also want to check out posts tagged Focus. Optimizing Focus: 3 elements to consider is a good place to start.
So tired you could cry? Enable Low Power Mode.
This post is part 2 of a mini-series called So Tired You Could Cry. The 1st part can be found here. You know when your phone warns you about the battery being low, it also asks if you want to enable Low Power Mode? You need to figure out what that looks like for you. […]
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So tired you could cry? Permission granted.
This post is part 1 of a mini-series called So Tired You Could Cry. The 2nd part is available here. You can cry! In fact, put it on your to-do list. Cry in the shower every morning. Cry in bed wrapped up in your blankets. At a minimum stop trying not to cry. Tiredness isn’t […]
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Email overwhelm as a collective problem
Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · Email Overwhelm as a Collective Problem. This post was prompted by the renowned classicist, Mary Beard, stoking up the embers of email stress recently over on Twitter. for all you guys (women and men) recommending 'delay delivery',. do you know what that means? It means that at 9.00 my […]
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Is this Real Writing or procrastination?
A recent Twitter interaction with another writing coach helped me clarify some of the principles that underpin my approach to academic writing. Please, please, please remember that what is good advice for writers of young adult fantasy is not necessarily good advice for early career researchers! #AcWri https://t.co/hY9GjO51ml — Thomas Basbøll (@Inframethod) January 31, 2018 […]
Read More »Is tidying your desk procrastination?
As you may know, my definition of writing as “anything that moves your writing project forward”. Typically, this expands your sense of legitimate activities to include reading, taking notes, going for a walk so you can think through the ideas you are working on, or sorting out your project files. A couple of things have […]
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Pressure vs Ease
Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · Pressure vs Ease Deadline Day? I have noticed in social media posts and in conversations with clients that a lot of people use deadlines as a way to motivate themselves. Or at least the story they tell themselves, is that they need a deadline to ensure that they will […]
Read More »When your writing project needs to be left alone
Sometimes what your project needs to move forward is to be left alone so the ideas can mull, ferment, or percolate in the back of your mind. This stage will feel painful, unproductive, and like you are procrastinating. Strategies for the mulling phase Physical work is a good option. Our brains work better when we are […]
Read More »One thing at a time?
I don’t know about you, but when I was growing up my mother was big on finishing one project before starting another. In my life, I’ve found that this kind of advice isn’t very helpful. What tends to happen when I get stuck and try to “not give up”, “push through”, “drive on”, or whatever, is […]
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Abducted by aliens
I’m fond of this Eisenhower quote: Plans are worthless, but planning is everything. (From a speech to the National Defense Executive Reserve Conference in Washington, D.C. (November 14, 1957) ; in Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States, Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1957, National Archives and Records Service, Government Printing Office, p. 818 ) This is […]
Read More »You are not a procrastinator: Is this a “no” in disguise?
I’ve had more than one client recently worry about their inability to get down to their writing. This is not a minor problem. It can lead you to question your ability to do the work you are doing and to question your own identity. If you aren’t an academic and a writer, who are you? […]
Read More »You are not a procrastinator: Will you look like a fool?
I’ve had more than one client recently worry about their inability to get down to their writing. This is not a minor problem. It can lead you to question your ability to do the work you are doing and to question your own identity. If you aren’t an academic and a writer, who are you? […]
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