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Productivity – Where To Find It?

By Karen Kelsky | May 22, 2017

After U of Manchester Productivity Workshop

Kel and I just got back from our 3 1/2 week speaking tour of Ireland, Scotland, and England. We visited University of Manchester, University College Dublin, Maynooth University, St. Andrews University, University of Glasgow, SOAS (in an event hosted by a group of London universities), Oxford, and De Montfort University in Leicester.  We had a wonderful time.

University of Glasgow
During the trip I spoke on the U.S. job market and career planning, and Kel spoke on
The oddly sauna-like meeting space at Wadham College, Oxford

academic interviewing and productivity.  But no matter the posted topic of the talk, it was inevitably the themes of PRODUCTIVITY and IMPOSTER SYNDROME that prevailed.  These challenges seem to be universal to the academic experience, especially right now in the current political turmoil. Whether in Ireland, Scotland or the rest of the UK, whether at De Montfort University or Oxford–everyone is struggling to get their

Speaking at St. Luke’s Chapel, Oxford

writing done, and to battle the voices in their heads saying…  you’re not good enough; you don’t know what you’re talking about; you’ll never finish this; nobody will read it; this will never get published…  and on and on and on. Kel ended up doing versions of her Unstuck Productivity coaching almost everywhere we went, focused on overcoming the two elephant-sized roadblocks to productivity — procrastination & isolation.  Kel especially focuses on writing and productivity as *feminist* and *anti-racist* interventions in a world that was not built for those who come from outside the ranks of elite white males.

A TPII reader who randomly ran into us at University College Dublin!

As I watched Kel lead workshop after workshop based on her coaching principles, and the ways that her audiences responded to her elemental but fierce principles of honesty, integrity, boundaries, and self-care, I was struck anew that no matter where you are in the world, the academic career can inculcate an overwhelming sense of inadequacy that is truly, if it’s not checked,

With Valerie Heffernan, who invited us to Maynooth U in Ireland.

damaging to your mental and physical health. What her coaching does is provide not only tools for writing, but also a vocabulary for a newly energized ethos of self-value, ie, a valuing of your ideas, your research, your time, and your boundaries. It was truly transformative, not just for those lucky enough to be in her audiences, but for me as well.  (Many of you may not know that it was Kel who inspired me to start The Professor Is In in the first place! I tell that story near the end of my book). Anyway, working with Kel is quite wonderful, as her clients can attest. I am a professional slacker! Can a weekly hour long writing workshop actually change habits that took almost a decade and a half to solidify? The answer is a very strong yes! I have written and worked more on my research in the last six weeks than in the last several months combined. The wonderful coach that Kellee is, the very structured approach to writing she teaches, the methods I learned on how to approach writing when it appears to be a very angry Hulk, have indeed changed my work habits. I still get anxiety about writing, I still get the nagging feeling that my work is not good enough, but now, I work as opposed to just worrying and being anxious about tenure. When I read my paper now, I see progress. It is not a paper I have been sitting on for a year now, it is a project that is getting close to submission. I write and I make lists and approach the paper from an entirely new and much improved perspective. I have also noticed an improvement in my non-work related habits. I have just become so much more proactive about so many other things.  I might actually stop seeing my therapist as regularly so it saves money too!! ???? 


Kellee with happy Productivity Workshop participants at Oxford
Stop Struggling Alone
Unstuck: The Art of Productivity is a 12-step, self-guided course that walks you step-by-step through acquiring the tools and practices of a productive academic writing practice. Membership includes access to daily blog posts, checklists, coaching videos and live webinars with Productivity Coach Kellee Weinhold as well as interaction with a writing community. Each part of the course is designed to help you identify your negative habits and rewire your brain for regular and enjoyable writing! (NOTE: The content is “dripped” M-F over 12 weeks, but your access to the course and the community does not expire)

 

 

A new session of Unstuck: The Art of Productivity begins each Monday.

Registration deadline is the Friday before at 5 p.m. Pacific.

Learn More About Unstuck Click here to join Unstuck Cost: $600 Note: This is price for those with academic funding. If you do not have funding and have limited economic resources that make the price prohibitive to participation, please feel free to use this 50% off coupon. Find out how to ask your department for funds.

 

Similar Posts:

  • Just One Thing: Managing your Momentum Pyramid
  • Productivity Tuesday: It’s Not About Being a “Better” Worker
  • You Need a Refueling Stop – Productivity Tips from Kellee Weinhold
  • The Art of Facing Criticism
  • Productivity: The Stories We Tell

Filed Under: Productivity, Publishing Issues, Surviving Assistant Professorhood, Tenure--How To Get It, Writing, Yes, You Can: Women in Academia

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  1. Revisiting the Cover Letter: Research and Contribution | The Professor Is In says:
    August 11, 2017 at 10:16 am

    […] to do zzz.” The verbs are not only vague, they also hide your identity as a researcher. During productivity Tuesdays, we talk a lot about the different ways to take agency back. This is one! When you talk about your […]

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