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How to Segue into the Semester: Six Tips
Argh! Summer's almost over and I haven't
written enough! How will I ever keep writing
during the school year?
 It's
that time of year where academics start to get nervous. The
1st of August seems to be a signal that summer is going
to end. This is especially true for professors,
although many grad students who teach suffer from the
same angst.
You don't want to spend another year like a
chicken with your head cut off, do you?
Here are some tips and reminders to help you keep
your head, and to prepare yourself for the onslaught.
Practice saying "No." If
you are clear about what you must do in order to succeed
in your career, you will be clear about what you should
NOT do. Don't be the first to volunteer
on the most time-consuming committee, if your publication
record is not where you want it to be. Don't
agree to give bonus assignments so that your students
can raise their grades, if you will be overwhelmed
when it's time to grade those projects. And
say you'll pick up the speaker at the airport
if you're already pulling your hair out over
how little you've written.
Do your share but not more than your share. Those
people who do it all for everybody can get taken for
granted. I know that sounds harsh, but it's
an important survival tip, especially if you happen
to be a really nice, accomodating person.
For most people in academia, the one thing you want
to say, "Yes" to is writing.
During the semester, plan to write for short,
even very short, time periods most days. Have
reasonable expectations of how much time you can
spend writing each day during the semester. When
you have other responsibilities, such as preparing
for class, grading, teaching, and meetings, it's
unrealistic to expect yourself to write a lot each
day. Whether you're working on a dissertation,
an article, a grant proposal, or your second book,
even 10 minutes on your busiest days will move the
project forward.
Make working on your long-term project a priority. If
you're only spending 15 minutes a day writing,
it is really not hard to put your writing front and
center. As Stephen Covey points out in The
Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, it's
easy to fall into the habit of responding to the urgent
needs of others, and to put your own important needs
last.
Write writing into your schedule. Write
it down as if it's an important appointment,
because it is. Use an Unschedule,
and try to schedule it early in the day, before the
urgent demands of life take over.
It's especially easy to stay busy with other
things when your important need is the need to write. That's
because writing is so painful. Wouldn't
you rather answer a friend's email, or spend
extra time coming up with a way to perfect your next
class than figure out the thorny problem in your manuscript?
Limit the time you spend on class prep and
grading. These two activities can
eat up the majority of your time, but be aware that
they are tempting sirens. Many professors have
admitted to me that they spend way too much time
on both, without necessarily improving the quality
of their teaching. The key is to find balance
and moderation, as Robert Boice points out in Advice
for New Faculty Members. Also, check
out this previous newsletter for some quick hints
on planning classes that involve less work on your
part.
One trick I've seen more experienced professors
use is to limit the amount of time they spend on class
prep by leaving it until a certain amount of time (e.g.
two hours) before the actual class. They say
that this technique focuses them wonderfully and forces
them not to overdo it.
Plan now, a little at a time, for an easier
semester later. If you start now thinking
through how you will approach the coming academic
year, you can ultimately make your life more livable. Do
a moderate amount of preparation each day before
September. Then you won't so you won't
start off the semester off harried and frazzled.
I hope these tips will help you to keep your cool
and enjoy the rest of the summer!
Warmly,
Gina
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