Real Academics Blog

Dear Real Academics, At certain times of the year -- particularly the beginning, middle, and end of semesters -- I start feeling anxious about all the large and many small projects ahead of me. Large things could be dissertations, manuscripts, grants, large assignments to grade... Smaller things could be a seemingly endless "to do" list such as scheduling meetings, attending meetings, answering emails, setting up classes for the next term, and/or learning new systems.  If you are not an academic by profession, you may still relate to some of the above types of tasks. Everyone may also have long-term goals related to health (e.g., eating healthier), finances (e.g., getting out of debt), or other (e.g., figuring out life changes).  Whatever your large project and/or many tasks, one way to NOT feel overwhelmed is to break things down into small steps.  This is by no means a new idea. Perhaps you've heard the staying, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single s...

Dear Real Academics, There's an old Frasier episode where two of the main characters -- who, by the way, have Ph.D.'s -- are trying to co-write a book manuscript. For those of you who don't know, Frasier is a sitcom from the 1990's. 😊 They try to write at home, but they draw a blank on how to begin the first sentence.  So, they decide to lock themselves in a hotel to be free of distractions.  As one poses his fingers over the keyboard, the other finally comes up with one sentence, while the other elaborates on it.  But it's too late.  The sun comes up and they managed to only write one sentence by their due date. Of course, this is what I want to NOT happen to you.  But... Have you ever felt this way?  Perhaps you have so much you want to say but you don't know where to start. Or, like the sitcom characters described above, you are afraid of getting that first sentence perfect. Perhaps you just don't know what to say. Or,  you are afraid that if you s...