I’m late in writing to you again this month, but you have been on my mind. I had planned on writing this email about how to build a great team, and I have changed my mind. We’ll save that for November. All of you who I see on a regular basis have been shaken by the news cycle, and I have had enough conversations about how to balance our obligations as engaged citizens with our professional and personal imperatives that it’s time to talk about it. Usually I try to advise you from my own experience. In this case, I don’t have any answers. I have been looking around and seeing what strategies seem to be keeping my friends, colleagues, and peers afloat. I’d welcome your thoughts and I will send around any additional insights you share with me.
Gooooooaals!
September snuck up on me. The new (school) year is upon us, and it’s a perfect time to reflect on our progress and set some goals. If you’ve ever dipped into self-improvement books or articles, the topic of goals is confusing and overwhelming. Should you make “Big Hairy Audacious Goals” or SMART goals? Or perhaps goals should be discarded in favor of “Implementation Intentions”?
For these purposes, let’s consider a goal to be, as Merriam-Webster would have it, “the end towards which effort is directed.” For example, writing daily is not a goal, it’s a (good) habit. Successfully disseminating your study findings is a goal, and writing every day is the habit/ action that fosters reaching that goal. With that in mind, let’s set some goals:
Timing is Really Everything
Hope you are all having a wonderful summer! Today I want to share some thoughts on time and energy. Many of you have heard me talk about the work of my friend and colleague Dawna Ballard, PhD, a communications scientist at UT Austin. Even if I have told you about her mind-blowing re-conceptualization of time, please keep reading! I have some concrete strategies for acting more in concert with our natural rhythms below.
280 Characters of Summer Homework
I am sending this a bit late because – it’s summer! I’ve enjoyed seeing some of you and meeting others for the first time at our summer Research in Implementation Science for Equity (RISE) program. I was part of a panel discussing social media and academia, and I thought it would be an opportune time to pontificate on this topic. There are many social media beginner’s guides available online (here’s one), and I am confident that all of you can figure out the mechanics. Instead, I hope to share the rationale for using social media, some of my best practices, and pitfalls to avoid. I’ll end by giving you summer homework! (for the new people, aren’t you glad you asked to get these emails?!)
Hang On, Little Tomato!
It’s the start of summer! Vacations and sunshine can mean a lovely slower pace, and it can also be harder to get work done. Continuing the basic productivity theme from last month, let’s talk about when you sit down at the computer to work- and realize 20 minutes later that you haven’t even started. Whether it’s Pinterest or online shopping or Twitter or email, it’s easy to lose time online. I’m going to give you a very simple strategy to avoid procrastination- the Pomodoro Technique.
Thou Shalt Make a List
Take the Elevator!
Hope this message finds you well! I am enjoying spring’s creative energy and writing lots of grants.
This month I want to talk about your elevator pitch. This is a 1-3 minute statement about what you work on. Potential audiences for an elevator pitch include future collaborators, employers, mentees, and funders.
Do you feel resistance at the idea of an elevator pitch? I gave a talk about elevator pitches in my friend’s class last year and here are some common concerns and my responses:
Brand Yourself
Hope this message finds you thriving! This month’s message is inspired by a meeting with a wonderful colleague who was invited for one of our department’s visiting professorships. (I hope I’ve already suggested to all of you that you should always try to get onto the schedule for visiting professors.) He asked me, “What is your brand?” According to my colleague, a brand should capture who you are professionally, not just what you are doing now. This seemed particularly daunting for me since I have varied research and professional interests. However, advice is only good if you act on it, so I started looking into it.
Best Diet Ever
It's a Sprint, Not a Marathon
Winter (Vacation) Is Coming
I hope you all had a wonderful thanksgiving. Mine was filled with cooking, eating, and family time. I’m thankful for that time, and for all of you! December can feel like a sprint to reach your year-end goals, and in this post, I want to think beyond the frantic pace. Let’s take on that critical career development topic known as-- vacation! Our work fundamentally relies on our creativity, and we cannot maintain that without resting our brains. The problem is that everyone else seems to be answering email or writing grants while they are allegedly on vacation, and then they expect us to do the same. Many of you already know this, but I do take vacation, and I don’t work through it. Here are some of my tips:
When a Conference Is?
Be an Email Ninja
Hope this message finds you all thriving! There is a particular irony about my sharing my advice this month about email. Many of you know that I struggle to keep up with my email. I recently read the book Unsubscribeby Jocelyn Glei, and I learned some new email management strategies. You will have to tell me if you think they are helping!
September is the Real January
The title of this email comes from an observation that September, not January, is the right time to initiate new habits or enact resolutions. (Of course, it is the new year for the Jewish side of our family. Early Shanah Tovah to all of you who are celebrating!) Perhaps it’s the start of the school year, or the end of summertime adventures that heralds a return to routine and, hopefully, productivity.
Essentialism
Happy almost August! This is the second installment of my monthly mentoring email- sharing an idea, usually from a book, that has helped me in this academic life. I’m leaving shortly on a two-week vacation, and it seems like an apt time to re-visit my most difficult career challenge- saying “no.” I think most people have an innate “yes” or “no” inclination, and the first step is to know yourself. I am most definitely a yes-woman by nature. The advice that follows is from the “do as I say, not as I do” school!
Seven Habits
The father of all personal development books is The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. This book is a classic for a reason. In addition to the seven habits, which can be accessed on Wikipedia, I find two ideas especially helpful.