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Are you taking breaks?

Posted on February 14, 2020 by Jo VanEvery

 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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woman sleeping on bed under blankets

Sleep is not a luxury

Posted on April 12, 2019 by Jo VanEvery

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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A waterlily flower just about to open amongst a reflective pond of waterlily leaves

Meditation as practice & metaphor for focus

Posted on February 22, 2019 by Jo VanEvery

This post is part of a series on Optimizing Focus. Finding it hard to focus is normal. Self-flagellation does not work to improve your focus. Furthermore it takes time and energy that takes you away from your writing; it is another distraction. I firmly believe that you can approach your work compassionately rather than violently. […]

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A group of bright red pillar candles are lit in the foreground with an unfocused background of fairy lights adorning a christmas tree.

Taking a real break between semesters

Posted on December 21, 2017 by Jo VanEvery

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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A white cup full of tea and saucer sits next to an open ring-bound notebook with a silver pen on top. Lay across the notebook is some pink flower cuttings with stems and leaves.

“Write all the things” is not a summer plan

Posted on May 25, 2015 by Jo VanEvery Leave a Comment

Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · Write All The Things! is not a summer plan As the semester got busier, chances are you started saying “I’ll get to that in the summer” about a lot of things, especially writing. At this point you’ve probably got a list that is roughly “Write all the things.” Of […]

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How to take the weekend off

Posted on May 18, 2015 by Jo VanEvery Leave a Comment

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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What does Reading Week mean for you?

Posted on February 16, 2015 by Jo VanEvery Leave a Comment

Many universities now have a Reading Week or mid-semester break in one or both semesters. (It may or may not be called Spring Break.) This means no (undergraduate) teaching. Students tend to disappear so probably little or no advising either. It is a break from the usual term-time routine. So what can you do in this week? […]

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When your work doesn’t look like work

Posted on June 15, 2014 by Jo VanEvery Leave a Comment

You’re tired of the popular misconception that academics get the whole summer off. Are you letting that public perception affect how you work? Are you working indoors at your desk? Are you working during “normal working hours”? Are you avoiding the hammock? The patio? The dock? Are you saving gardening, long walks in the woods, and […]

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Beware the long list and wide expanse of time…

Posted on December 9, 2013 by Jo VanEvery Leave a Comment

As tough as this semester has been and as happy as you are for it to end, the transition from a heavily scheduled term to an unscheduled break is tough. You’ve probably got a long list of things too do. Too long, I suspect. A long list + an open stretch of time = procrastination […]

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Enjoyment and hard work

Posted on December 2, 2013 by Jo VanEvery 1 Comment

My friend Norma Miller posted this picture with a jokey comment her friend made: “A friend told me that if I was smiling, I wasn’t trying hard enough.” That kind of joke is not a joke That kind of joke causes injuries. That kind of joke makes you doubt yourself. You push yourself harder. You stop trusting your own […]

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black and white photo of a person holding a hand up to the camera in a "stop" gesture with palm facing outwards and all fingers stretched up. The outstretched hand covers the person's face with dept of field perspective.

The importance of quitting

Posted on January 10, 2011 by Jo VanEvery

Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · The importance of quitting Quitting has a bad rap. Winners never quit and quitters never win. When the going gets tough, the tough keep going. I can see how you don’t want to give up at the first hurdle, but sometimes quitting is actually a good option. The option […]

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A cosy living room scene with a small decorated christmas pine tree with electric candle lights in the right-hand foreground, with an old vintage armchair in the background next to a warm yellow standing lamp and house plant.

You can ignore the grading, reprise

Posted on December 16, 2010 by Jo VanEvery 1 Comment

Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · You can ignore the grading, reprise This post refers to the break between the first and second semesters of an academic year, which in the Northern Hemisphere tends to incorporate the Christmas holidays. Often the exams and assignments that come in at the end of the semester need to […]

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