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Dear friends,
We made it to November of 2025. It’s been a hard one, and I can only hope that better times are ahead. As I write this, I am thinking about the imminent threat to SNAP benefits just as the holiday season approaches. What gives me hope is your activism and generosity. I don’t think we can fill the gap, but positive actions still matter.
Lately I have been thinking about struggle and ease. In our academic work, it is very easy to focus on the struggle, right? Recently, I was prompted (literally) to think about ease. I am working my way through The Book of Alchemy, a series of 100 journaling prompts collected and edited by Suleika Jaouad. It is a beautiful book which I highly recommend. A few days ago, I came to the following instruction from Hollyn Huitt, “Write about a time when you dreaded something, but it turned out to be okay- maybe even easy or pleasant. Try to isolate that moment of realization. How did it feel?”
What a useful exercise for those of us in academia! I have a feeling of dread related to the many items on my to-do list at least once a week. When I’m running between meetings, clinic, teaching, and obligations, it feels like I will never be able to meet my commitments. Then after a couple of hours of focused work time, I realize that my tasks were not as insurmountable as they seemed. My anxiety about workload is not proportionate to the amount of undone work- it is an indicator that I need to sit down and do my head’s-down work. I am not sure how to avoid the cycle of a growing to-do list, followed by stress, followed by catch-up, but it is reassuring to remember that I can actually get a lot done with a few hours to myself and a clear work plan. So can you! I am sure you can bring your task list from endless to manageable in less time than you think. I find that having a block of two or more hours makes a huge difference. If I have 1 hour, I can spend it between email and slack, and while that advances the work of the lab and our collaborations, it doesn’t feel the same as sitting down with the writing.
Next time you are dreading something, try blocking out some time to get started. Don’t worry about whether or not you can finish it in that time block, just schedule 2 or more hours to get started. It’s okay if you have to postpone or cancel a meeting to find the time. I predict that you will get further along than you expect. Let me know if I am right!
As always, I love to hear from you. Please share widely, as usual, and let others know they can sign up here.
Warmly,
Urmimala