Why creating tasks is so hard.

Have you ever sat down to make a to-do list and felt overwhelmed by the enormity of your goals? Many academic writers struggle with this feeling. There’s just so much to accomplish (publish these articles for tenure, prep an entirely new course, plan this conference, etc), and the journey to achieving those goals can feel […]

Semester Writing Plans: Don’t Fixate On The Wrong Goals

The beginning of the semester brings a new opportunity to make a semester writing plan. For academics, late summer can have a New Year’s resolution vibe. But, just like the New Year’s plans that end up in the resolution graveyard, your writing plans can be similarly unattainable.    The problem of unattainable goals has two […]

Kinder, Gentler Resolutions

Happy New Year!   Did you make a resolution for 2019? Do you normally make resolutions?   I used to love making resolutions. I’d spent a good chunk of December thinking through what I wanted for the new year, and what I wanted to leave behind. I always had a lot of hope for those […]

How to Prioritize Projects: A Simple Strategy

Congratulations! You just got a revise and resubmit. The necessary revisions will be extensive, but nothing you can’t handle. Unfortunately, the editor gave you a strict deadline, and you’re working on your book proposal. You didn’t expect this revise and resubmit to reach your desk so quickly, so understandably, you feel a bit panicked. You […]

Goals, Reviewed. Join the 5-Day Goal Setting Challenge!

Congratulations on completing another semester! You probably feel a great sense of relief. Unfortunately, this feeling is probably short-lived. This is what usually happens: We finish the semester in a frantic way (although hopefully less frantic than usual if you’ve been taking my blog posts to heart). We feel exhausted, and are just grateful to be DONE. […]