It’s no secret that the semester presents many challenges for faculty. What we commonly see is:
- Uneven accountability structures. Teaching and service have higher accountability while writing and health/wellness have lower accountability.
- Varied and time-consuming commitments. Every time we say yes to something, we are giving away a piece of time, without realizing the time it takes to actually do what we agreed to.
- Work-crastination. You’re working all the time on low-priority tasks at the expense of the high-priority work that is necessary for your long-term success, specifically, tasks related to your research and writing and tasks related to your health and wellness.
- Lack of clarity on how long research and writing tasks actually take. This makes us feel like we are constantly behind.
- Institutional cultures glamorize working all the time. While it may be normalized on your campus, it is unhealthy and a challenge to overcome.
- Fantasy: large uninterrupted blocks of time. We often think that, somehow, we are going to get large uninterrupted blocks of time, so we wait to write. But for the typical faculty member, we never see that large block of time.
So the question is, how can we create a structure to overcome these challenges? Better yet, how can we create a structure to overcome these challenges and support our research/writing productivity and health/wellness?
Here are 5 things you can do:
- Create a strategic plan. A strategic plan will help you to clarify WHAT needs to be done and WHEN you will do it. Start by listing your writing goals for the term and the projects that are necessary to meet them. Then map the projects onto your calendar so that you know which blocks of time you will devote to each one. There’s a finite number of weeks in the term, so it’s critical to determine what specific weeks you will devote to each project on your list.
- Experiment with empirically documented best practices. Commit to daily writing, block out your time so it aligns with your goals, and show up every day. Daily writing will not only consistently move you towards the completion of your writing goals, but it will also reduce your anxiety by aligning your daily schedule with your institution’s promotion and tenure criteria.
- Join a Supportive Community. Too many of us try to do everything alone and expect ourselves to be perfectly motivated and disciplined at all times. This is not only unrealistic, but it’s also a recipe for isolation, alienation, and frustration. The Faculty Success Program offers a particular cultured environment that is truly supportive, which is often missing from departments on campus. Our program offers a community where you can celebrate the process, that can help you get your needs met, and where everybody is wholly committed to each other’s success.
- Create accountability. Accountability for teaching and service is built in. Accountability for writing and work-life balance is not. There are lots of different ways to create accountability structures for your writing and research, including the 14-Day Writing Challenge (free) and the Faculty Success Program.
- Having dedicated mentors. If you’re going to have a breakthrough in how you work and how you live, there are going to be ups and downs. It’s important to have dedicated mentors who will be there for you when you need it.