This post delves into some of the key activities that faculty and grad students might engage in during their weekly planning sessions. Before I go into my list, remember that all the things that are written below won't necessarily work for you and your needs. You've got to find processes that work for you. Like I've mentioned before, experimentation is a really important part of the planning process. Try things out, see what works, leave behind what doesn't.
Read MoreThis post delves into some common misconceptions I often hear floating around in the academic community about planning for the week (or just planning in general).
Read MoreWhether you're in the first year of your PhD program or you're a tenured faculty member, chances are you've come across (and most likely engaged in) weekly planning. For me, my weekly planning process is the glue that holds everything together. In this post I'm highlighting 6 reasons why weekly planning is super important for people in academic spaces, from grad students to tenured faculty and everywhere in between.
Read MoreLast year I wrote a post all about summertime in academia, when there are unspoken (and spoken!) expectations that you'll be working even though you're "off." I feel really resistant to unpaid summer work and at the same time I don't know that I could feasibly remain on track for the next year without it. Like most things in life, there's no easy answer. In last year's post I shared what my summers, up to that point, had looked like, as well as the strategies I was planning to use to set boundaries around work.
Read MoreJuly is here and even though at the start of June I was feeling exhausted and energized, this month I think I’m just feeling exhausted. The end of the school year has come and gone and any energy I had has disappeared. Which brings me to my next point, like last summer, I’ll be pausing updates, picking back up in October, or maybe September depending on how I’m feeling.
Read MoreThis academic year has been a perfect example of embracing fluidity in the planning process. Although structure is one of the reasons why I plan, structure doesn't necessarily mean rigidity. I want my plans to work for me, not against me! In this post I'm sharing how my plans shifted (and how things stayed the same) across research, teaching, service, and personal life.
Read MoreWe were getting ready to have dinner one night when Ellie came into the kitchen and asked, “what’s wrong with the world?” Clearly, she’s been listening to Mike and I talk more than she lets on.
When the pandemic started ramping up in the US, my strategies for moving through grief began to change. I started pushing aside any feelings that came up, telling myself, "not now, just get to the end of the school year, and then you can more fully process everything." Turns out, that doesn't work so well, especially when the hits just keep coming.
Read MoreIt's officially June and I'm simultaneously exhausted and energized. It's the end of the term, which means summer is so close. In this month's newsletter I shared a bit about the weekly rhythm that I've gotten into (see above image), how it's working for me, along with what an actual week looked like. Here are my main takeaways from this schedule...
Read MoreWhenever I hit a roadblock with a project, whether its writing the discussion section of an article or figuring out how to move across the country, it usually means that my next steps aren't crystal clear. The one thing that I've consistently found that helps with forward momentum after feeling stuck is the brain dump.
Read MoreGoodbye April, hello May. Here’s an abbreviated version of the reflection I shared in this month’s newsletter about potentially pausing my tenure clock.
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