Finding time to write is not always easy, but sometimes the even more difficult task is committing to writing once that time is found.
Do you do your best writing when you’re on deadline? If so, you might be what Gretchen Rubin calls an “obliger.” Rubin is a lawyer turned writer who researches happiness and how people develop habits. In her podcast, she describes an “obliger” as a person who responds to external expectations, but is not very good at meeting internal expectations. Basically, you can meet a deadline imposed by someone else, but you can’t develop a daily writing practice. It’s difficult for obligers to form habits, because habits don’t include external accountability.
What does this mean for academic writers?
There are many academics that struggle to write consistently, leaving article and chapter drafts languishing on their desks. Being an obliger in a field with a high level of autonomy can be a real challenge. There is plenty of external accountability for some parts of the job, like teaching and service. For instance, you have to be prepared to lecture, and grades are due on a specific date. Similarly, you wouldn’t leave your fellow committee members waiting for you at a meeting. But when it comes to writing, there isn’t anyone waiting for us to finish. This is part of the reason why graduate students who excel during coursework find themselves floundering when left to their own devices – they have lost the sense of accountability to their instructors and peers.
So how can you create what Rubin calls an “infrastructure of expectations” to support your writing? Here are some suggestions:
Have an accountability partner. Your partner doesn’t have to be in your discipline, or read what you write. What your partner should do is support you in your writing goals, and push you to meet or even exceed those goals. You can do the same in return. This article includes tips on how to be a good accountability partner.
Present, present, present. Go to conferences, workshops, and brown bag presentations. If there is an opportunity to present your work – especially one that requires you to submit a paper – do it, to force yourself to meet a deadline.
If you’re a graduate student, ask your advisor to set deadlines for you. You can work together on a calendar, and set deadlines for submitting drafts.
Join a writing group. You’ll not only have an opportunity to write, but also to share your work.
Hire an editor. An editor that you pay to revise your work can enforce deadlines for you. For some writers, the act of paying creates a sense of accountability (although this doesn’t work for everyone – remember that gym membership you purchased in January?).
There’s no single approach that works for everyone, but to be as productive as you desire to be, its important to know what types of motivation and incentives work for you.
Do you do your best writing when you’re on deadline? If so, you might be what Gretchen Rubin calls an “obliger.” Rubin is a lawyer turned writer who researches happiness and how people develop habits. In her podcast, she describes an “obliger” as a person who responds to external expectations, but is not very good at meeting internal expectations. Basically, you can meet a deadline imposed by someone else, but you can’t develop a daily writing practice. It’s difficult for obligers to form habits, because habits don’t include external accountability.
What does this mean for academic writers?
There are many academics that struggle to write consistently, leaving article and chapter drafts languishing on their desks. Being an obliger in a field with a high level of autonomy can be a real challenge. There is plenty of external accountability for some parts of the job, like teaching and service. For instance, you have to be prepared to lecture, and grades are due on a specific date. Similarly, you wouldn’t leave your fellow committee members waiting for you at a meeting. But when it comes to writing, there isn’t anyone waiting for us to finish. This is part of the reason why graduate students who excel during coursework find themselves floundering when left to their own devices – they have lost the sense of accountability to their instructors and peers.
So how can you create what Rubin calls an “infrastructure of expectations” to support your writing? Here are some suggestions:
Have an accountability partner. Your partner doesn’t have to be in your discipline, or read what you write. What your partner should do is support you in your writing goals, and push you to meet or even exceed those goals. You can do the same in return. This article includes tips on how to be a good accountability partner.
Present, present, present. Go to conferences, workshops, and brown bag presentations. If there is an opportunity to present your work – especially one that requires you to submit a paper – do it, to force yourself to meet a deadline.
If you’re a graduate student, ask your advisor to set deadlines for you. You can work together on a calendar, and set deadlines for submitting drafts.
Join a writing group. You’ll not only have an opportunity to write, but also to share your work.
Hire an editor. An editor that you pay to revise your work can enforce deadlines for you. For some writers, the act of paying creates a sense of accountability (although this doesn’t work for everyone – remember that gym membership you purchased in January?).
There’s no single approach that works for everyone, but to be as productive as you desire to be, its important to know what types of motivation and incentives work for you.
