Tired of Not Getting Your Academic Writing Done? 4 Tips on How to Change That

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 scheduling and vowing to protect my writing time was simply not enough. I needed several other things in place for my writing to happen. 

Here are FOUR supports to getting your writing done, apart from scheduling.

(1) Get enough sleep. It never hurts to be reminded of this one and of the "why" related to writing and productivity.

Sleep is VERY important for your brain and body to function efficiently and to help you not give into distractions. As I write this, I can testify to a series of sleepless nights (completely my fault) that have not helped with my productivity or ability to create. I was convincing myself that I was just so "on a roll" or that things were "so urgent" that I didn't have time to stop. Wrong. The long-term result is actually less productivity and hurting my mind and body. Ever been there? I finally determined to stop this cycle and allow implement routines that helped me sleep better (e.g., no screen time an hour before hitting the pillow). 

How much is enough sleep? Only you know how much enough sleep is -- I know people who are perfectly fine with 4 hours of sleep and others who absolutely need 10 hours of sleep. Wherever you fall, you should have ZERO guilt for how you are wired. Accept it, and plan accordingly. The important thing is that when you wake up, you are rested and able to be ultra-efficient. Time is of the essence.

(2) Schedule your writing time at a time when others cannot possibly need you. 

When? Schedule your writing early in the morning before others are awake or at night once everyone is asleep. Or, if you are in a space where your afternoons are quiet, then schedule then. If you don't know what to do, analyze patterns of energy in your daily routine and environment. 

Here's an example: Scheduling to write in the late morning, when I was most naturally awake and energized, never worked for me when I was at my university office. Meetings were often scheduled at those time or there were urgent emails or knocks on the door of people needing things. Afternoons were more of a lull, but that's when people wanted to stop by to chat or I needed to shift my focus to prepare to teach my afternoon/evening classes. So, I learned I either had to schedule my writing early mornings before getting to the office or evenings once I was at home (but not on days I taught as I was usually exhausted and completely inefficient then).

Disclaimer: If you are the mother or father of a young child/young children, this may be extra challenging as might be point #1. I've not experienced this phase of life, but I do know people who have and who have been able to establish routines and accountability at this phase with success. See the following points.

(3) Establish routines. 

During intense times of writing, routine is critical. Routine is also critical for maintaining writing productivity with less stress.

Regardless of when you schedule your writing time, make sure that it is a time when you can still be efficient with your writing. Pay attention to your body and when it is most energized. I have heard night owls observe that writing in the morning -- as hard as it is for them -- makes the rest of their day go more productively. So, if you schedule an early morning time to write, make sure you go to sleep at an appropriate time to get enough sleep.

Once you figure out your routine, STICK TO IT. The body and mind have an amazing way of being positively triggered by routine and habit. If you stick to your routine, you'll strangely find yourself WANTING to write at the same time every day. 

During intense times of writing, routine is critical. Routine is also critical for maintaining writing productivity with less stress.

For ideas on how to establish routine, check out Dr. Tracey Hodges', super helpful post, "Routines Inspire Routines".

(4) Establish accountability. 

Accountability can and should come in different forms. 

Social Accountability. If you are able, find a writing group or writing buddy who checks in with you and how your writing is going. This usually works when you find others who are mutually benefiting, believe in the accountability, and are committed. And, I totally get it. Sometimes it's hard to find people who care about your writing well-being, especially in a high-stress and competitive environment like academia. That's why we are here.

Individual Accountability. That aside, you can and should set up accountability with yourself, too. This is where keeping a writing log, perhaps with a streak, can be incredibly helpful. Watch this brief video, The Power of Logging to learn more.

Ideally, you put as many accountability structures in place as needed for your writing phase: individual, internally social like with colleagues and fellow students, and externally social like coaching services or external writing groups. Depending on the urgency and intensity of your needs and your writing phase, you can adjust accountability structures as needed. More urgency and intensity = more structures in place.

Closing

That's it, Real Academics. I hope this post has been helpful to giving you ideas to help get your academic writing done. 

What tips, ideas, and/or questions do you have regarding this topic? 
Please share your ideas by emailing us at inforealacademics@gmail.com and/or posting a response in the comments if you are reading this on social media.

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At Real Academics we help individuals be joyful, productive, and successful in their academic, learning, and life pursuits. Find out more about us and what we can do alongside you at www.therealacademics.com. As always, we love to hear from you! Send us an email at inforealacademics@gmail.com.

Until next time, happy writing, productivity, and truth-seeking,

Maggie