When you are always early....

You never feel rushed.

Dissertation Recovery

Some time ago, I wrote about the dissertation process often leaving wounds.  It can be such a hard and painful process, even when things go well. When things don't, it can just be devastating.

Even more true, for many, is that the dissertation process, when it does not go well, can accentuate vulnerabilities or issues that we have not addressed (or have addressed, but that remain soft spots). Many blame academia and/or the actual process of writing a disseration, or problems with their committees, for these problems and lingering concerns. There is no question that each may contribute greatly to the exacerbation, and at times creation, of psychosocial concerns. Often, the oppressive and abusive people and processes we have encountered are horrific, and must be dismantled.

And then, there is you. What you are left with, your life, your present, your future.

Your life.

Let me be clear: I would never discount the structural problems you have encountered in your doctoral programs, the academic job market or in faculty positions (or in hoping and praying for a faculty position, against the odds).  These probably are significant contributors to your current psychosocial concerns (e.g. anxiety, depression)  or concrete, really life problem (e.g. underemployment, unemployment, debt).

Yet, you are the one stuck with these concerns--the systems in which we work (academia, industry, healthcare, the non profit world, etc.) will continue along their merry (or not so merry) way.  You are the one that is left with the impact, and you deserve help and support, you deserve therapy, coaching, whatever your path is, to help you transcend your dissertation or other traumatic experiences.

And reaching out for help is hard.

And reaching out for help is essential.

And you deserve it.

9 Tips for Writing While Traveling

I started writing this post while flying back from Asia last year, and forgot that I had it. I am excited to have found it.

Airplanes are often not the most conducive places to write. You are often camped, can barely extend you laptop on the tray in front of you (and depending upon the configuration of the airline and aircraft, not at all), have to tuck your elbows so close our body that you feel constricted and tense, and may be exhausted from travel.

So, I write these words, 35,000 feet above the Pacific, about five hours from landing in Taiwan. I just finished a short writing session on a fairly new article, and while it was not the most productive session I have had, I feel about having done it, about staying connected to the piece, and for making this time “count.”

Many of us travel a good deal. For many, travel is not the rare exception in our lives- it is the norm. I thought I would share a few tips on getting writing done while travel.

1)    Have a process goal, or a timed-session goal. Don’t set grandiose outcome goals that you are most likely not going to achieve.

2)    Print out your what you are working on (or at least a chunk of it large enough to be useful). This is a good time to read and make notes in the margin for future writing sessions.

3)    Have multiple entry points that can be worked in in short blocks. Order them prior to your flight.

4)    Focus on shorter writing sessions rather than longer ones. Even fifteen minute blocks can be productive when we have clear entry points, rituals and processes that habituate ourselves to these shorter sessions.

5)    Use this time to edit and wordsmith. Plan for your travels accordingly, saving editorial work for planned travel.

6)    Give yourself a reward for having completed your process goal(s). I am not a huge believer in massive rewards every time you write, but this is a good time to treat yourself.

7)    Get to the airport early so you have time to settle down and have a session or two.

8)    See if you can find a way of getting airport lounge passes so you can have a comfortable place to write. Investigate a wine bar or a place that would be fun for you to write at. By writing in this pleasurable way, you learn to associate writing with joy.

9)    If you are at a conference, consider taking a break from back to back to back sessions for a writing session.

Paralysis by Analysis

I was recently asked why I advocate having a predetermined entry point for each writing session. It was pointed out to me that this advice seems to contradict another principle I have championed, that we should “go with our energy” when we are really feeling as if we can get some good writing done on a project or place within a project.

While they may seem to pull writers in opposite directions, these two principles are not antithetical, in fact, they can complement each other well.

One of the factors that gets in the way of a quality writing session, and may often lead to inefficiency or frustration, is having a hard time getting started by over-analyzing where we should begin. We ask ourselves, in the moment that we wish to begin to write, “what is the best place to start? Hurry up, time is ticking!” We subsequently start  to feel anxious or stressed, which contributes to indecision or having a hard time with making a choice.

When we get in the habit of choosing an entry point--an exact page, paragraph and sentence where we should start-- it is far easier to enter our work easily. Not having a clear idea of where to start a session can often lead to a great deal of wasted time. Therefore, picking your entry point the day before--or whenever you last wrote--allows you to begin writing fairly quickly after the end of your writing ritual. Don’t worry about “the best”—pick a place to begin that makes sense: a place you can move forward!

However, while selecting an entry point helps us not spend too much time on counterproductive deliberation, the goals is for this decision to act as a guide for channeling our energy. If we are feeling excited about working on another place in our article, or perhaps our secondary or tertiary writing project, it is often wise to “go with one’s energy” and begin there. The previous entry point can be saved for our next writing session. Wherever we start, we want to get to writing as soon as we can, and not be overcome by “paralysis by analysis.”

So, use your entry point unless your energy pushes you into another clear, actionable direction.

New Year Reminder About Writing Goals

Make it your goal to develop sustainable, healthy, quality writing habits and processes.

And that is that.

Boom