Real Academics Blog

Dear Real Academics, Are you feeling as though you have too many things on your "to-do" list? Are you wanting to get things done, but feel directionless about where to start? Try these 3 ideas to help you (1) start, (2) get things done, and (3) get the weight of the "to-do list" off your shoulders. (1) Do the hard things first. “Do the hard jobs first. The easy jobs will take care of themselves.” — Dale Carnegie It might sound counter-intuitive, but doing the hard things first will psychologically take a huge weight off of your shoulders and make everything else you need to do feel easier. Take a look at your to do list, and prioritize 2-3 of the most important things you need to get done. Highlight them in some way and commit to doing getting these tasks done (or started) before doing any of the rest. Note: This is why it's often helpful for academics to get their writing done before anything else, especially when they understand that writing is priority for...

Dear Real Academics, If you live in the United States, Halloween is around the corner, and in other parts of the world you may have similar/related holidays. Consequently,  it's hard to not be thinking of things like "scary" and "fear" (even if you do so in a fun/lighthearted way). Instead of dwelling in the darkness, I'd like shed some light by way of solutions. Academia is not devoid of fears.  Here's a running list that could generalize to other aspects of life and work. Not being smart enough. Not belonging. Not graduating. Not getting a job. Not publishing. Not getting tenure. Not being able to find happiness or purpose at work. If you can relate to any of the above, read on for 5 ways to help you get over your fear(s). (1) NAME YOUR FEAR(S). Specifically naming and acknowledging the fear is step one to getting over your fear. Use the list above to name any fears or specify them further. The more specific, the better. (2) SHARE YOUR FEAR(S) WITH SO...

  Dear Real Academics, Are you a graduate student trying to finish your dissertation, but having a hard time getting your dissertation advisor to respond to you with feedback? Having been on BOTH sides as a student and as a professor, I've drafted 5 ideas to get your dissertation advisor to respond to you. After you read, whether you are a student or a professor , share your helpful ideas and/or thoughts on the topic. Email   inforealacademics@gmail.com Post your comments on LinkedIn  or YouTube . Subscribe  to the  Real Academics Newsletter  to not miss out on future posts like this one. (1) WHAT TO SEND DO NOT send your advisor your entire dissertation to read (unless they ask for it).  Most likely, your advisor will not respond to a giant file attachment.  DO   send a smaller portions of your writing in regular chunks (e.g., 5-10 pages). Doing this, in combination with the points below, will likely get you a faster and more substantive r...

Dear Real Academics, Are you tired or frustrated with not being able to get to your academic writing? Do you schedule your writing times, but find other things get in the way? If so, you are not alone. Brief, personal anecdote on being tired of not getting my academic writing done. If you skip it, just know I empathize with you! Years ago, I learned that to be able to finish my dissertation, I had to schedule my writing time and protect that time as if it was the most important meeting of my day. I would schedule my time during my office hours in the afternoon, sit down to write, and inevitably there was some interruption. Either someone urgently needed to meet with me at that time, or someone would spontaneously knock on my door, even after I had worked so hard to unplug from social media and texting! Almost guaranteed. I decided that my writing schedule was some sort of invisible magnet calling others to come talk to me or need me.  Can you relate?  What I learned was that s...

Dear Real Academics, When I started my career in higher education, I thought conferences were places to connect with others and network and learn new information and develop as a researcher. They were supposed to be places for anyone who wanted (and could afford) to go.  And, they were. As a graduate student, I was lucky to have my fees and travel paid for, and I enjoyed traveling with my research group to new places. I was excited to hear "famous" academics speak in person. As I moved into my tenured position, conferences were great places to connect with colleagues from other universities.  In the last few years, however, many academic conferences have become anything but places to connect and learn new information or develop as a researcher.  And it's not just me. I am hearing from other colleagues and graduate students about the same "complaints" I'm listing below, though they would not likely say this publicly as it's not "academically kosher...