Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · Making time blocking work for you One of the strategies I encourage people to use when planning is time-blocking. It is what I am thinking of when I talk about boundaries as one of the principle elements of a good plan. Over the years I’ve realized that there are […]
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Are meetings really a waste of time?
This post was originally written during a time when many universities and workplaces had shifted to remote work in response to the COVID pandemic. Although circumstances have now changed for many people, much of what I say in this post still applies. Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · Are meetings really a waste of time? […]
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You are not behind!
When I read Burnout by Emily and Amelia Nagoski, one of the things I noticed was the way that expectations affect stress. I’ve been a fan of low expectations for a long time and there is an entire chapter in that book that summarises the science behind this practice. I encourage you to read (or listen to) […]
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Where does confidence come from? Part 2: Security
This is part 2 of a series about confidence. In Part 1 of this series, I talked about meaningfulness. Part 3 is about support. The introductory section is repeated so you don’t have to read them in any particular order. Or, listen to the whole series in one track here: Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · […]
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The impact of time available on your focus
In Focus: 3 elements to consider, I outlined three elements that affect your focus during a writing session: the task itself, how you are feeling, and the context. This article is updated from one published 21 April 2014 to connect it more clearly to that framework. I use the term “optimize” purposefully. Your goal is […]
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The power of 15 minutes a day
This is an excerpt from Finding Time for your Scholarly Writing (A Short Guide) which was published in late March 2018. In the Short Guide, I expand on the concept of 3 types of writing time. This excerpt is from the chapter on how “Short Snatches” of time can help keep your motivation going. One of […]
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Incorporating writing into your workload: The Research Day
This is an excerpt from Finding Time for your Scholarly Writing (A Short Guide) which was published in late March 2018. The research day is a full day each week kept clear of teaching and meetings. The advantage of this way of thinking is that it makes a clear temporal boundary between different responsibilities and […]
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Making writing less scary: Develop a habit
There is no point thinking too much about the publishing part until you have actually written something. Writing is a habit. The more you write the easier it is to write. And the better your writing becomes. Like any habit, you can develop it. In this post, I talk about what developing a writing habit might look like in practical terms.
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Is “number of hours” the right measure?
Recently a client asked me to help her figure out how to work less. She is frustrated by long hours, working weekends, and so on. She figures at this stage of her career, she should be able to have a better balance. As we worked together, it became clear to me that the number of […]
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