Writing Productivity Tip: Block Double the Time and Commit to Half

TAA member David Stehlik, an associate professor of Management and Leadership at the University of St. Francis, shared his approach to increasing writing productivity during TAA’s August 2024 Conversation Circle on the topic of productivity:

“I block double the time and commit to half. So, if I think I could write it in two hours, I book a full morning/afternoon, and then I commit to getting half of it done. It’s more realistic. When I’m on the ball, the productivity is energizing. When I’m not, it’s less debilitating.

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Three Simple Science-Based Strategies to Create Happiness at Work

By Angelica Ribeiro, PhD

Imagine this: You get a new job, which makes you very happy. But soon you realize that the job involves the following aspects, to mention a few:

  • too much sitting, too little movement
  • too much computer work, too few social interactions
  • too many demands, too few flow experiences

After experiencing all those issues on a daily basis, you notice that they negatively impact your well-being and happiness level. What do you do then?

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Habit and the Love of Wisdom

By Dave Harris

As a writing coach, I focus on practice and the idea that, for any skilled activity, practice develops skill, and that no matter what our level of mastery, we always benefit from practicing the skill. In this context, “practice” means both small-scale, focused, repeatable, low-consequence activities to increase a skill that will serve their larger purpose (e.g., musicians practice scales to support their ability to play music, tennis players practicing serves to support their ability to compete effectively) or, at a larger scale, an entire career involving actual performance (e.g., a doctor’s medical practice, which has very real consequences for patients).

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3-Minute Guided Meditation After Writing

By Kimine Mayuzumi

Some time ago, I created an audio for guided meditation before writing, and it touched the lives of many, helping them set the right intention for their writing sessions.

Recently, it was a reader’s comment on that guided meditation that inspired me to take a step further. The reader, like many of us, longed for a way to wrap up their writing sessions, to savor what they had achieved, and to quell the constant self-doubt that they hadn’t done enough. They yearned for a moment of closure, a brief yet powerful ritual to honor their efforts and embrace a sense of fulfillment.

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Productivity and Confidence

By Dave Harris, PhD

The August 2024 TAA Conversation Circle on productivity reminded me of how much productivity depends on confidence. This insight can guide us: confidence can be built through practice. I offer some suggestions on building confidence, and thus productivity, through practice.

Degrees of self-confidence and behavior

Speaking generally, emotions shape our behavior: the optimist behaves as if things will work out, while the pessimist behaves as if things will not. Metaphorically speaking, the optimist will buy a lottery ticket, and the pessimist will not. The optimist submits a draft for publication, where the pessimist does not.

Self-confidence varies for each person, and, generally, the optimal degree of self-confidence lies between the extremes: too little self-confidence leads to paralysis; too much leads to arrogance and an inability to learn.  Ideally, a scholar has enough self-confidence to move forward with their projects and to present their work to others while also remaining open to correction when errors arise.

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5-Minute Guided Meditation Before Writing

By Kimine Mayuzumi

Do you have difficulty in writing lately? What gets in the way? Procrastination, distraction, lack of motivation or imposter feelings? A productive and sustainable writing experience often requires a good state of mind and physical wellness.

As my partner Riyad A. Shahjahan, a professor at Michigan State University and former certified coach for National Center for Faculty and Diversity Development (NCFDD), suggests, we as writers need “a mind that is decluttered so that we can give our full attention to the task at hand.” For that, we need a ritual. Why?

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