Lately, I've been feeling like work is piling up. By work, I mean manuscripts. I mean its kinda frustrating when old work piles up and then there is all of sudden so much new work. And I'm not unhappy about all the work, but I am struggling with how to get stuff out the door. And I'd like to take advantage of my new found motivation.
And if you've been following my excursions through academia, you're probably thinking why care about manuscripts if you've decided it isn't for you. Ahh because I'm not so sure. It's funny because BFF always reminds me when I change my mind. And I know that I've changed my mind so many times about academia. Meh.
I am currently working on Manuscript#1 from Postdoc#1 because this is the closest thing to being finished. But when I sit down to write, I find myself
a. Writing a new blog post about something that really isn't relevant.
b. Checking email or writing an email. Checking fb.
c. Going to the lab and starting an experiment.
d. Thinking, I can't write this paper without further analysis. And then opening up R only to find that 3 hrs have passed and although I made a pretty picture with multiple figures and pretty colors, I can't use it in the manuscript.
e. Thinking "hey I should read that paper by ObscureGroupInTibuktu."
This last one is my all time favourite. I tell myself that I can't possibly write a paper without reading all the literature on the subject. Of course, if I really wanted I could probably think of millions of tangential papers that are also related to the work. And so you see, how the writing doesn't get done and the work piles up.
So, I've decided to make an academic To Do List of things I want accomplished before the years end (see the sidebar). And I realized needed help. So I asked a super bright and highly productive Assistant Professor how is she so productive. She had some awesome advice. Here it is.
1. Write every day for a given block of time.
"The important thing for me is that I do this every single weekday morning so that I never get out of the writing mentality and then have to re-activate to get back in. Also I like it because I use my best hours for the most difficult and creative part of my job so then I am less annoyed when the rest of my day gets chewed up by random crap."
2. Only write during the writing block and don't chase down another paper or do one last analysis. If you need to - keep a "to do" list and anything that comes up during the writing block tcan be filed on a do list or as a "comment bubble" in the manuscript in prep.
3. Pick one project and be serially monogamous.
4. Set small goals. Like I'm going to write a single paragraph in the Results section.
5. Take short little reward breaks like checking email or having a snack after you write a paragraph or a page or whatever little goal you have set.
6. Lower your standards as much as possible and work iteratively. Don't try and make it perfect before you get comments. Try to share manuscripts in prep earlier. Let go of needing it to be perfect.
"I don't try to produce beautifully polished paragraphs each day - I just try to get new words on paper every day and then go back and edit things I wrote the previous days - I make much faster progress this way because I am less hard on myself."
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10 comments:
Some anti-procrastinating manuscript writing suggestions that I find helpful:
1. Use an outline, preferably handwritten, sitting next to your computer. That way if your mind wanders you can quickly go back to where you left off and know what you have to do next.
2. Turn off any internet software when you are writing. The temptation is too great.
3. Blurt things out. Just write something even if it sounds bad. Once the ideas are down you can revise and refine the writing.
4. Snacks.
Good luck!
Excellent advice! I have tried dedicating a couple hours a day to writing but somehow that got lost during a flurry of grant applications. This was a great reminder. I agree that the temptation of internet can be too great - but difficult to escape if you are using reference software that requires an internet connect. During the last paper I worked on I signed up for a trial of RescueTime (http://www.rescuetime.com/).
You can identify which activities are time wasters (such as e-mail) and the number of minutes you will allow yourself. Once you have reached that limit the program will launch a pop up to let you know that your productivity is low and block access to things like your e-mail site and facebook.
Namnezia is right on: totally turn off browser and email client while doing serious work. I also find that putting on headphones and listening to music (or not!) helps.
Writing something, anything, any words, gets the writing juices flowing. I find it takes me 5-10 minutes of just rubbish typing to start getting some proper sentences out.
And of course, just write write write write write while the momemtum carries you. Revise later.
Good luck!
So what is the evolution theory explanation for procrastination? Shouldn't evolution favor an impulse toward diligence and hard work? Do other animals exhibit procrastination?
Actually, my question may be too vague. Procrastination is a response to an uncomfortable feeling. The real question, then, is why do certain activities make us feel uncomfortable and others produce a good feeling.
I love reading obscure papers and going off on tangents. Makes my brow furrow and everyone at work thinks I'm really busy and they leave me alone for a while...
@Namezia and GMP
I like #4 that's seems to be half the battle. Getting over the proverbial blank page.
@Canuck
Thanks for the website, I'll try it out.
@Edward - I don't know if the question you're asking would have a direct evolutionary basis.
@MuKa - I like tangents too but if I want to get stuff done, I find I use them as a procrastination tool.
@Girlpostdoc:
Its probably not a very tractable question. It just seems odd to me that evolved creatures such as ourselves aren't productive all the time, like worker bees. Evolution should favor more productive animals over less productive ones, right?
@Edward: Maybe letting your mind wander and explore random thoughts is a more evolutionary advantageous activity than writing manuscripts.
@namnezia
There must be some subtle explanation along these lines. All the same, why should it feel uncomfortable to think about a difficult problem? I understand why it should be unpleasant to touch a hot stove, but why should mental exertion be difficult?
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