Real Academics Blog

Dear Real Academics, We hope the semester is winding down for you in a positive way. Please read on for some news and an application challenge below. I promise you won't be disappointed if you read through to the end! ☺ CONGRATULATIONS As I look at our calendars, I see finals and then graduation (and for us, moving out of state -- eek!). For those graduating and/or graduating students, congratulations! For those finishing the semester, congratulations as well! For those not in traditional academia, congrats on making it half way through the year! GRATITUDE I also see that we've been putting out blog posts fairly consistently each week for one year. Our first post was back in May of 2021. And to sound totally cliche simply because I don't know how else to say it, time really does fly.  With that said, we are taking a PAUSE.  First, the PAUSE is to thank you for being part of Real Academics and for your readership and engagement. It means more than you know. PRODUCTIVITY Seco

Dear Real Academics, Since Dr. Garza and I are moving, we've been having to make a lot of decisions -- everything from what moving boxes to purchase to how we'll actually move our stuff. Let's just say it is a lot to manage. The point is that I've been reflecting a lot on asking, what are we willing to pay for?   In the grand scheme of things, I think this is a good question to ask in the context of managing life related to productivity. Now, I'm not a financial guru, though I really enjoy learning about financial management. I also fall into the category of "saver" vs. "spender". So, writing advice about spending money is hard for me. But, sometimes prioritizing productivity means being willing to pay for certain things.  Let me give you some examples (Note: I don't necessarily follow all of these but I've seen all of them work for myself and/or others depending on the circumstances): (1) Pay for someone to clean your house.  If it's