"I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I sit down to write in the afternoon, but after only 15 minutes, I get so distracted that I can't make any progress on my writing. I schedule my session for two …
Junior Faculty: Plan Your Most Productive Writing Summer Yet, Part 2
As I lay out in my post about how and why to plan your summer before the semester ends, summer break tends to sneak up on faculty, professors, and graduate students. During the hectic semester, we …
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Professors: Why and How to Plan a Productive Summer Before the Semester’s Over
It might have snuck up on you, but summer (at least for most US faculty) is right around the corner. Especially if you have a heavy teaching load right now, I bet you're thinking two main things. …
Interruptions Steal 23 Minutes: How to Protect Your Focus
Your brain tricks you constantly. You think you are a good multitasker. It never feels like your attention and focus suffer when you quickly answer a text message during a writing session. In fact, …
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A Weekly Writing Review: One Hour You Can’t Afford Not to Spend
So many junior scholars quickly find themselves in research "survival mode." You might find yourself saying "I don't have time to write, especially on teaching days! I barely have enough time to …
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Set Product-Focused Weekly Writing Goals to Boost Academic Productivity
In previous posts, I outlined how to publish more articles by tracking your writing, how to use opening rituals to make each writing session productive, and how to use closing rituals to set yourself …
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Obliger Professors: 3 Unconventional Ways to Say Yes to Your Projects
Do you feel like you've read every writing and productivity book published for new faculty and scholarly writers, but still struggle to make progress on your projects? Do you make commitments to write …
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Humanities Faculty: How a Closing Routine Helps You Publish More
In another post, I describe how using an opening routine can help you start your writing session more easily. But there's something else that I do at the end of each session--my closing routine--that …
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Write More, Effortlessly with an Opening Routine
Do you intend to write, but never start? Or, are you overcome with anxiety the moment you open your computer? Maybe you tell yourself that you will write "in the morning," but get sidetracked cleaning …
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Overcoming Academic Writer’s Block, Part 2: The Two Questions
Are you stuck with a stubborn academic conference paper, journal article, or book chapter? Are you experiencing academic writer's block and are looking for unique solutions to help you get unstuck? …
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Overcoming Academic Writer’s Block in Two Sentences
When revising my book manuscript, one chapter stubbornly refused any and all revision efforts I threw at it. It wasn't academic writer's block per se, but I was still hopelessly stuck. …
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How to Publish More Academic Articles: Track Weekly and Daily Writing Goals
The summer before I began the tenure track, I read as much about how to balance the competing demands of the tenure-track as possible. How did successful faculty publish more than others? One of the …
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