What is your WORD for 2010?

I don't know about you, but 2009 was a very tough year for me. I'm glad to kiss it goodbye and welcome the New Year/New Decade.

In that spirit, here's a post from Jayne London, my Associate Coach and the Manager of the Academic Writing Club. This letter was sent to members of the Writing Club, but I thought I'd make it available to all.

Happy New Year! Wow --- 2010! It's time to turn a new page on a new decade. This is an opportunity that won't come along again for another 10 years. Imagine back to 2000 and what you thought you would be doing 10 years later.

I hope you can acknowledge all your accomplishments from the past 10 years and enjoy that feeling in the days to come.

There will be many opportunities for you in this new decade. Are you ready for them?

For this upcoming year, a simple but powerful suggestion was offered by a graduate student in the Writing Club. She calls it ONE LITTLE WORD TO LIVE WITH.

She wrote: "About this time last year, a friend of mine challenged me (and others) to choose a word to “live with” for the coming year (2009). She got the idea from a scrapbooking website (http://onelittleword.typepad.com/). As a middle-aged, dissertating woman with lots of life distractions, I have no time nor energy for scrapbooking, but decided I could choose a word, put it on my desk, and think of ways to let that word inspire me – much easier than writing New Year’s resolutions that I wouldn’t keep! My word for 2009 was HOPE. I found lots of ways to live in hope, and the reminder was helpful during some very difficult struggles – with my dissertation, my committee, my health, and some difficult losses."
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My “word” for 2010 will be "SMILE." (I love feeling that positive surge of energy and happiness when I smile. I love to smile, and want to more of it, and make others smile as well.)

I challenge you to think of a word, keep it near you each day, and see if it makes a difference for you in 2010. Please post your WORD on the Message Board so we can know what you're focusing on during this new year.

Here are some ideas that came from my fellow coaches:
CREATE PATIENCE ORGANIZE RELEVANCE

Happy New Year!

Jayne

And I wish all of you a Happy New Year, too. I think my word will be REBIRTH.

If you're not in the Writing Club, please post your WORD here. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Waiting for your dissertation advisor's feedback

I like to ask people who sign up for the "Dissertation Writer's Toolkit" what the biggest challenge is in writing their dissertation. Here is what one wise responder wrote:

Feedback. Writing something, say a chapter, and getting feedback from the supervisor on it. Somehow it always goes on the 'to do' pile ....and you wait and wait. I found it was much more helpful to agree to a deadline, and push push push (in a nice way) to have my supervisor look at it. It doesn't work long distance; you have to be right under their noses and booked on an airplane and out again 10 weeks later. Somehow the whole thing will be done, written, corrected and finished in that time. Worked for me.

Sometimes students are just too 'in awe' of their supervisors to expect action, and politely sit back and wait for the feedback. I have friends who waited 6 months for chapters to be returned. I waited too long, too (I was 20,000 km away), then I just got fed up, shipped the kids off to Grandma and got on a plane.

I'm very much in agreement with this writer. Professors are human; they sometimes need deadlines, they often operate in "overwhelm mode." So especially if you are writing your dissertation long-distance, consider the airplane and grandma method that is recommended here.

A New Year's Toast (that fits my life)

This is from Louis Schmier, professor and philosophizer extraordinaire. He describes how he will toast the new year. (To read his whole blog post, go here.)

"I'll pour a quiet glass of champagne then or on 2010 January's first day and lift it to this coming year's surprises, to all the coming unawares, to the inevitable reshuffling of the deck, to the complexity of it all, to what I cannot now know, to what I cannot now guess, to what I have no clue, to what I cannot now control, to what I cannot now guarantee, to the out-of-the-blue bolt of lightning, to the unpredicted, to the unexpected, to the unfamiliar, to the without warning, to the out of nowhere, to the unforeseen, to never stepping into either the same river or class, to all the twists and turns in life's road that will keep me from falling asleep at the wheel, to the unplanned interruptions that like an earthquake will shake me from the doldrums of routine, to the as yet unknown challenges that will keep me from atrophying, and to the unanticipated adventures that will keep me questing for truer answers."

Later in his post, he goes on to say:

"But, as M. Scott Peck had once said, our shining moments are more likely to occur when we are deeply shaken from our smug comfort and complacency. After all, what else but "new" can teach me lessons from the rich experiences of everyday life, pose alternatives thoughts and feelings and actions, alter courses, transform hopelessness into hopeful, disbelief into belief, resignation into expectation, an ugly "ugh" into a beautiful "wow, "blah into spirited, unhappiness into bliss, dream into real, plod into dance, "no" into a "yes," numbness into aware, pessimism into optimism, and callousness into love? What else would keep me better focused on and moving towards my vision, as well as working my way there? What else would offer me a tool to avert being hypnotized into sleep walking into class and teaching in my sleep? What else would stimulate my mind, heart, and soul? What else would keep every fiber of my being on full alert? What else would rouse my curiosity? What else would fuel my imagination and creativity? What else would give me the chance to sow, blossom, and ripen? What else would give me an opening to become a better person? What other occasions would be as exciting, adventurous, enriching, satisfying, meaningful, and significant?"

So, will you raise your glass with me? Here's to the wondrous blessings of discomforting serendipity in the coming New Year! See you and talk to you all in 2010! May you each be joyful and blessed in the inevitable coming unknowns of the New Year!!"

In case you follow the writing plan from the previous post...

In case you decide to follow the options in the writing plan in my previous post, I wanted to remind you that we now have gift certificates to the Academic Writing Club. Ask for membership to the Club as a holiday gift, and get something you really need, for a change. The Club will help you implement your writing plan on a daily basis.

Or maybe some nice dissertation advisor or department chair will realize that the Academic Writing Club will increase their graduation rate and decrease time to degree, and give all the graduate students a gift. Well, I can dream, can't I?

The Academic Writing Club Gift Certificate!
Give the gift of peace of mind . . .

Now you can give (or ask those who love you to give you) a gift certificate to the Academic Writing Club. You can give 1, 4, or 12 sessions, each consisting of 4 weeks of membership in the Academic Writing Club.

To learn more, go to (or tell your loved ones to go to): http://writinggift.notlong.com

Or print out and give this hint page (a pdf) to someone who loves you!

Write or Rest During Your Break? Here’s a Plan!

Aaah – The holiday break. For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, it’s time to sail away to an exotic location*, or more likely to collapse and then visit relatives.

But many academics are torn about whether and how much to write during the holidays. On the one hand, they’re exhausted from the semester, and need a rest. They want to spend time with family and friends. Yet they know that the holiday break may be the best time to get some writing done.

As usual, I’m talking about the long-term writing projects that must be done in order to advance your career – either finishing your dissertation or writing articles/books towards tenure or promotion. These are the projects that get pushed to the back burner because their completion really only matters to you.

Write or Rest -- How about a Compromise?

Which should you do during your break -- write or rest? Well, here’s a compromise plan (with a 9-step or 10-step option) that has worked for many people.

1. Give yourself some time off. There’s no point in being unrealistic and deciding to force yourself to work when you’re exhausted, unless you have a grant proposal deadline or something of the sort. The reason for not forcing yourself is that no matter what you decide to do, you probably won’t do it, and then you won’t fully enjoy your time off because of the guilt.
2. Decide several days ahead of time on which day you’re going to start writing, and put that in your calendar. You can also decide which days you will and won’t work and write those days down. By doing this, you will be more likely to bypass the repeating “I’ll start tomorrow” syndrome.
3. While you’re at it, if you can stand this degree of regimentation, write down what time you’re going to write each day. In general, especially if you’re staying with family or friends, first thing in the morning works the best, for two reasons. First, you’re more likely to actually do it, before other interesting distractions come your way. Two, you won’t spend all day dreading and avoiding the writing time that is waiting for you. For some people, there is a third reason – you may work best in the morning. If only that were true for me.
4. Decide how much time to spend writing each day. This is the biggie -- it will determine your success in following through on the entire plan. Note: When I discuss writing in this context, I’m referring only to writing, editing, revising, or in some cases, statistical analysis. I’m not referring to time spent reading and researching. Those are necessary tasks, but people do not tend to avoid them as they do the actual writing. Hence this plan.
   

Before I suggest what to do in this step, I’d like to explain why this is so important.

If you’re like some people who have long days of vacation ahead of them and who want to accomplish a lot, you will eagerly say to yourself, “I’ll have all day, so I’ll plan on 3 solid hours of writing in the morning and 4 hours in the afternoon.” Here’s what happens to the majority of these people:

They spend miserable days staring at their computer, with long “warm-ups” of checking emails, reading their favorite political bloggers, or looking up Britney Spears’ latest weight, followed by anxious staring at a blank page, followed by a break involving checking emails, writing emails, and playing computer Scrabble (yes, that’s my latest – there’s an app for that).

They can’t believe at the end of a long day how little they actually wrote, if anything. After a couple of days of this, they give up on writing during their break. This is not a conscious decision, but one that is made by default, gradually, as they find a “good reason” each day that they can’t work that day.

They do not enjoy their holiday break at all, because they know at the bottom of their heart that they are making a big mistake by not writing. At the end of the break they are completely guilt-ridden, panicked and mortified that they have accomplished nothing.

How do you avoid this terrible fate when carrying out your own writing plan? There are two options here, and which option you follow depends mostly on how much writing you need to get done.

• Option 1: Follow this option if you have a busy holiday schedule, don’t have a looming deadline, or probably wouldn’t tend to write at all over the holidays without this plan. It also works well if you’ve been blocked.

• Option 2: Follow this option if you either must write a fair amount (based on deadlines, such as grant proposals, book editors demands, or demanding dissertation advisors) or you are the rare bird that can write for more than an hour a day when you don’t have a deadline hanging over your head.

Option 1: Steps

1. Decide the previous day what you will specifically be working on. I’m assuming that you’ve done any reading or research that is needed in order to write the next day. If you haven’t been writing for a while, you might need to get your document ready and open.
2. The previous day would also be a good time to find a timer, either at home or on the Internet.
3. Eliminate all possible distractions or the chance of interruptions (e.g. email program off, sign on door, letting your family know that you won’t be available for the next 15 minutes).
4. Do NOT set a goal of number of pages written, or how much of one section you will finish. Your only goal is to write for a certain number of minutes.
5. Set your timer for 15 minutes.
6. Start writing, (or editing and revising, if you’re in that stage of the project). When the timer goes off, STOP.
7. For many of you, that is all that you will have time for that day. That’s fine. You did more than you would have without this process, and you may have more reading to do to prepare for your next writing session.
   
8. Make sure you write down what to start on tomorrow.
9. If you feel like working a little more, set the timer for a 10 minute break, then repeat steps 1) through 8).
   

Option 2: Steps

• Steps 1) through 4) follow steps for Option 1 above.
• Step 5) Set your timer for any amount of time up to 45 minutes.
• Steps 6) through 9) are the same as for Option 1.
• Step 10) Because you have a looming deadline, you will probably spend more time writing. Always take as refreshing a break as you can – walk, dance, make a snowman. Then after 10-15 minutes you can go back to your writing. Repeat this as often as you can throughout the day. Ideally, you can do 2 or 3 productive writing sessions, then do some reading and preparing for your next writing session, then go off and enjoy your day.

The aim for both of these options is to:

• Have a reasonable, doable, time-oriented writing goal that you won’t put off because it fills you with dread.
• Allow you to accomplish something during the winter break.
• Allow you guilt-free time each day to enjoy with family and friends, or to take a long nap.
• Enjoy your time off!

I hope that with this simple plan, you’ll be able to actually do what seems impossible: get some writing done AND relax, rest, recreate, rejuvenate, and enjoy the break!

Warmly,
Gina

* Digital painting, "Anna Near Naples," by Gina Hiatt © 2009.

How to Shut Off the Overly Busy Mind

When you try to write, do you find that your mind races -- jumps from thought to thought and you just can't seem to settle down and write productively? Well, you're certainly not alone -- my mind simply won't rest.

Our wonderful Writing Club Coach, Rene, has some great ideas for those of us who have an overly busy mind. I think you'll enjoy her tips for how to regain your focus and be more productive with your writing.

Enjoy!

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How to Shut off the Overly Busy Mind
by Rene Hadjigeorgalis, Academic Writing Club Coach
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Have you ever been in a situation where you just could not shut your brain off? This is our tendency to not let it go mentally and to insist on analyzing and re-analyzing something until we have done it to death.

The busy mind is not a good thing. Continuously and obsessively thinking about something to no end doesn't get us our solution. Just like our body, our brain needs rest to function well and to figure out the answers we are looking for. But, you say, I go to sleep and I keep on thinking about it (whatever it is)? Yes, you do, because the busy mind is persistent. It will forge on while you are driving, while you are exercising, while you sleep even! And of course it is alive and well when you are trying to write. How to turn it off? Where's the switch?

The key to quieting the busy mind is to recognize that the brain has a mind of its own (no pun intended). It will keep on thinking and thinking and ignore your inner pleas to at least think about something else! To derail the busy mind, you need to engage the brain in some other thinking activity. Here are some suggestions:

1. Free write This is particularly helpful if you are having trouble concentrating because your brain is stuck on some other issue.

Okay, persistent little brain, here are your 15 minutes. Just write and write without stopping about whatever the issue at hand is. Make a list of what you need to do to deal with the issue. Tell your brain in this writing that you will not forget about the issue, that you are working on it, that there is a solution, but for the next 30 minutes you need to work on something else and then you will come back to think about it. Writing about it gets it out of your brain and onto paper so that your brain can think about something else.

2. Read an entertaining/engrossing book. This is particularly helpful when you retire at night and can't stop thinking about something. Now, to make yourself sleepy you are supposed to read something not so entertaining, but this doesn't work if you have psycho-brain going. Mr. Thinker Brain is just going to get bored with the text and start thinking about the problem again.

By engaging the brain in another interesting activity you distract it from the thinking chain.

3. Play some Sudoku or other kind of thinking game. Personally, I have never gotten the hang of Soduku, but I find it very engrossing and hard to think about anything else while I am playing it. Crossword puzzles and word searches work well also.

4. Do some concentration exercises. Here is my favorite. Pick up a book and a nice sized paragraph and count the number of words in the paragraph without using your finger to follow along. Easy peezy lemon squeezy you say. Ha! Try it and see if you don't have to really concentrate to not lose count.

5. Meditate This is a great practice to cultivate, but meditation won't work for you in your hour of need if you have not already practiced it. Start today, start small (1 minute, 2 minutes). Or take a yoga class and learn there (see below). Meditation is something you definitely want in your toolbox when you are hit with the busy mind.

6. Practice breathing deeply in and out for 5 minutes Set a timer. I have found that when my brain is really in overdrive, 5 minutes doesn't do it, but it is almost impossible not to calm down your mind and body if you continue to take long, slow breaths for 5-10 minutes. 7. Take a yoga class This is also an activity that requires your concentration. I find that it is easy to continue on with the busy mind during a spinning class, but less so in yoga where, quite frankly, you will just fall over. An evening hatha yoga class of about 90 minutes can really do wonders to clear your mind and improve your sleep.

8. If stress is what you are feeling rather than an overactive mind, get some vigorous exercise -- very long walk, run, biking, swimming. It will tire you out and provide a release for all that energy.

What tips or tricks do you use to calm your busy mind?

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If your overly busy mind makes writing a challenge, we have just the answer for you! The Academic Writing Club provides the structure, guidance, accountability, coaching feedback and interactivity with peers that you need in order to write productively.

With the Club you will discover how much more you can get done, and how much less painful writing can be when you have the right support.

In addition to the online program, you will get extra tips on how to become a more productive writer and how to maximize your time in the Club, in our free teleclass, "Six Strategies for Successful Academic Writing."

All this, plus our free telephone group coaching Q & A session, will help you jump start and continue your productive writing throughout the year. (You will receive recordings of both teleclasses in downloadable MP3 format). Just the teleclass and very popular telephone group are worth the Writing Club fee!

Check out the Writing Club at: http://www.academicwritingclub.com/

or to join right away go to:
http://www.academicwritingclub.com/#joinnow

Learn how to run regressions and ANOVAs in SPSS GLM accurately and efficiently

I am no statistics expert, but I'm frequently asked if Academic Ladder can help with statistical problems. The best I can do is refer you to specialists who know what they're doing. I believe that The Analysis Factor, a web site that specializes in helping people with the statistical aspect of their research, has a lot to offer.

Here is an announcement that I just received from Karen Grace-Martin, the owner of The Analysis Factor. For those of you struggling with running regressions and ANOVAS in SPSS GLM accurately, I suggest you check it out.

Here is the registration page for those who just want to sign up: Learn how to run regressions and ANOVAs in SPSS GLM accurately and efficiently.

Imagine understanding your statistical software well enough to just write the program, choose the menu options you need, get the right output, and be able to read it easily. Think of the time and frustration it would save!

I am inviting you to my Running Regressions and ANOVA in SPSS GLM Workshop, which starts November 3. If you use SPSS for regressions or ANOVAs in your research, this 3 hour workshop (plus 1 hour Q&A) will help you get to that place.

I've decided to try out something new in the second Question & Answer session, which meets on December 15th. Send me your data and one research question, and in 10-15 minutes I'll show you how to run the appropriate analysis through the GLM or regression. You'll see me analyze it using menus and syntax, I'll explain why each option is appropriate in this analysis, and we'll go over the results and what they mean. Then I'll send you the syntax program, for you to use or edit.

I was already offering this second bonus as a Question and Answer Session, but I thought we'd try this out. I've been thinking about how great of a learning tool consulting is—there's nothing like seeing the statistical analysis in terms of your own, real data.

An additional benefit is it exposes you to other kinds of models and data. It's when you see a variety of models that you really start to get this stuff. You'll see how similar the methods are, even when the topics aren't. So you'll know what to look for.

I'm limiting this bonus session to the first 10 people who register so everyone who wants to send data can participate. There are only 3 spots left to receive this bonus.

On top of that, the Early Registration discount ends tomorrow, October 21, at midnight eastern. It's $30 off the full price.

So if you're intererested, I suggest you register now: http://theanalysisinstitute.com/workshops/SPSS-GLM/index.html

And if you're not sure if it's for you, just give me a call. 607-539-3216. I'll be here all day today and I'm happy to help you figure out if it meets your needs.

Happy analyzing,
Karen

The Analysis Factor

I hope this is of help to some of my readers and clients!

Warmly,
Gina