There is no ‘one true way’ to write (or sleep, as Max demonstrates). Whatever works for you, works for you. Morning, evening, afternoon, middle of the night, bingeing, daily dribbles, multiple drafts - if it’s effective for you, do it. This is a no-judgement zone!

Academia is an environment of people w. unstable social skills in a context that doesn't really value being nice. It revolves around us making an internal (or even external) hierarchy of people whose work is better than others'. Breathe. It's not YOU, it's THEM & the circumstances we live & work in.

Academia is an environment of people w. unstable social skills in a context that doesn't really value being nice. It revolves around us making an internal (or even external) hierarchy of people whose work is better than others'. Breathe. It's not YOU, it's THEM & the circumstances we live & work in.

It's NATIONAL LIBRARY WEEK! Academic librarians: What's one thing you WISH we would ask you? What's something you offer or could do for us faculty that we probably don't know about? What's something we should know about working with you?

I'm sitting here eating leftovers that are so good I feel the need to tell somebody. It's these: www.budgetbytes.com/chicken-meat... They are NOTHING fancy. But OMG are they so good. The smell and taste are both incredible. We serve over pasta.

HELP. I need ideas for a process tracing study or comparative cases study based in the Harry Potter world. (I don't support the TERF, but it's just the most widely known fictional world I can think of.) Simply using the world as a platform to make something up is FINE. I'm just out of ideas. ☹️

HELP. I need ideas for a process tracing study or comparative cases study based in the Harry Potter world. (I don't support the TERF, but it's just the most widely known fictional world I can think of.) Simply using the world as a platform to make something up is FINE. I'm just out of ideas. ☹️

Monday Giggle! Need a smile on a rough start to your week?

Monday Giggle! Need a smile on a rough start to your week?

Sunday Planning time! We’re midway through the term. How are you doing on your goals? What needs to scale back so you have a reasonable plan for accomplishing it?

REMINDER: The US changes its clocks this weekend!! If you're scheduled to meet with a US-ian next week, check with them to confirm meeting times! www.timeanddate.com will help you coordinate!

You never know where your research will take you. Today I was reading up on the hierarchy of vulgarity in German curse words.

REMINDER: The US changes its clocks this weekend!! If you're scheduled to meet with a US-ian next week, check with them to confirm meeting times! www.timeanddate.com will help you coordinate!

Self-Care Saturday! How are you planning to REST this weekend? Rest is the foundation of productivity, not the outcome of or worse, reward for it.

REMINDER: The US changes its clocks this weekend!! If you're scheduled to meet with a US-ian next week, check with them to confirm meeting times! www.timeanddate.com will help you coordinate!

REMINDER: The US changes its clocks this coming weekend!! If you're scheduled to meet with a US-ian next week, check with them to confirm meeting times! www.timeanddate.com will help you coordinate!

I'm planning out my newsletter schedule for the next couple months. Any thoughts of things you'd like a research & book coach to talk about? (Newsletter. Once - maybe twice - a month. NOT all disguised sales pitches [very little, actually]. Actual useful insights. Join me at eepurl.com/dBR-6P )

It's Five-Minute Friday! What's one small thing Today You can do to make Monday You's life easier? No ideas? Open the window for a bit to air the room out, reply to a coauthor, or review your writing plan for next week.

The best thing you can do to make writing your dissertation easier is to read some of them first. Check you university’s library and skim a few from your program. Get a sense for scope, depth, writing style, citation patterns. What elements of this are missing from your plan?

You cannot write without reading. You cannot write without thinking. You cannot write without analyzing. Stop thinking about research productivity as only words on the page!

Crap, I found a second one. That's what I get for sucking it up and guilting myself into opening the file. I should stop now.

I have ONE MEASLY SLIDE left to make for tomorrow's class session. I cannot even bring myself to open the file. It's going to be a looooong afternoon.

You cannot write without reading. You cannot write without thinking. You cannot write without analyzing. Stop thinking about research productivity as only words on the page!

Your voice is what we want to hear in your writing. Every time you quote, you are literally handing over your voice to someone else. Is that a person we REALLY need to hear from? In qualitative evidence, often yes. In your lit review or theory section? Almost certainly not! Those are YOURS!

My motivation is missing today. If you find it, please send it back.

I still have 6 weeks until I move. I am now out of sambal, sriracha, dijon mustard, and gluten-free panko. And now the kitchen conundrums start: What should I buy and open knowing that I'll be leaving before I can finish it??

Question for pol sci: Has ANYONE managed to get an article accepted with only one round of R&R in the last couple years? If so, do you mind telling me what journal?

Monday Giggle! Because the world burning needs a grim smile for relief every now and then.

Monday Giggle! Because the world burning needs a grim smile for relief every now and then.

Hey political science/international relations folks: Does anyone have an article they're struggling to find a placement for? I'm doing an activity with a class this week where they have to propose a journal for an abstract that I give them. I'm happy to workshop actual abstracts - DM or email me!

Sunday Planning time! Synch your calendars & check the meal plan. When does Chaos Season start for you & your family this term? What steps can you take (freezer meals, shared childcare, etc.) NOW to minimize the Chaos?

Does your department have trouble getting PhD students out on time? My small-group dissertation support program has an over 80% success rate at one participating institution. Group rates & custom sessions available!

Self-Care Saturday! Give yourself a good long soak this weekend, or if you don't have a tub, a long shower. An inexpensive shower steamer or bath bomb (yes, they even come in guy-friendly scents!) will make it feel like a nice indulgence!

Five-Minute Friday! What can Today You do to make Monday You's life easier? No ideas? Review and prioritize your to-be-read pile, or review your notes for a class next week.

Don't forget to feed your inner geek! You came to academia because you've got a driving internal curiosity. Make sure you nourish that regularly with unrelated-to-work geekiness. Help pique someone's curiosity today by sharing a quirky fact with us! What makes you go Hmm?

I've had errand day planned as today for two weeks now. What happened to the forecast two days ago? IT CHANGED TO RAIN. ALL FRIGGING DAY. Gaaah.

You can do more in a short period of time than you think you can. Put on ONE song on your playlist to delete email. ONE song to declutter your desk. ONE song to open your writing file & find your place. You can do it!

Academic librarians: What's one thing you WISH we would ask you? What's something you offer or could do for us faculty that we probably don't know about? What's something we should know about working with you?

I know there's such a thing as "girl dinner." Do we have "girl lunch" too? I've had my 3rd cup of 'morning' tea (2 hrs late), a handful of peanut butter M&Ms, a slice of homemade bread, & a cup of applesauce. That's a good meal, right? caffeine, chocolate, carbs, & a bit of gratuitous 'healthy'?

One of my most-favorite days of the term: When I get to make book covers for the Book Incubator folks! Hopefully they'll let me share!

Monday Giggle!

Sunday Planning Time! Synch all your calendars for the coming week. Then book some explicit time for you: a mani or pedi, time in a cafe with a book, lunch with a friend, an evening alone with a videogame. Whatever makes you happy!

I am absolutely stoked that I'm going to start teaching again - a 6 week online course for a non-US institution on academic writing in English. What I've conveniently failed to remember is how much WORK goes into prepping a class, especially an online one where so much has to be posted in advance.

All right folks... what terms or things go on our State of the Union drinking game bingo boards?? I'll make the bingo cards if people help me populate them. :-)

Self-Care Saturday! Make a plan to eat something from the fridge or pantry that is expiring soon or nearly empty. Being budget-smart is self-care, too!

Five-Minute Friday! What can Today You do to make Monday You's life easier? No ideas? Reshelve 3 books in your office, check for overdue library books (and return them!), or review your notes from one of this week's classes and mark any needed changes.

Struggling to commit to time to write? I do coworking on Mondays 2:30-4 and Tuesdays 10-11:30 (US ET). FREE - DM me your email and I'll add you to whichever day(s) you tell me. Same link through the end of April.

I tried to go to a coffee shop to work after my mammogram this afternoon. It's a gorgeous 75 degree day, so I walked over. They were about to close. This is the world telling me not to work and go enjoy the nice weather.

Overwhelmed by a too-long To Do list and facing decision paralysis? DON'T DECIDE. Let the world decide for you. Number the top 6 things and roll a die or ask a random number generator. Do whatever it lands on for 15-25 min, take a 5 min break, & repeat until you have momentum or feel accomplished.

Guys, I did all my business taxes today.... please clap. It's a 2-3 hr job, but it feels SO HUGE that I put it off every year.