Head Space

Calm productivity for academics

Author: Michael Rowe

  • [Note] Attending to emails

    “My inbox isn’t a place for leisurely reading. When I open my email it’s with purpose. If I want to catch up on my newsletters and blogs I follow, I can flop down on the couch, open my RSS reader, and enjoy them when I’m not also trying to work.” – Herman Martinus.

  • How to break down academic tasks: Stop setting yourself impossible goals

    If you’re struggling with productivity, the problem might not be your motivation—it could be that you don’t know how to break down academic tasks effectively. Most academics create to-do lists filled with projects disguised as tasks, then wonder why they feel paralysed when it’s time to start work.

  • [Note] Start before you’re ready

    “Waiting for the right time is seductive. Our mind tricks us into thinking that waiting is actually doing something… Waiting rarely makes things easier. Most of the time, waiting makes things harder. The right time is now.” – Shane Parrish

  • Read-it-later apps for academics

    Academic reading in the digital age demands systematic curation, yet most scholars manage incoming information chaotically. Read-it-later apps for academics transform scattered consumption into intentional workflows, offering unified reading experiences, robust annotation systems, and reliable export functionality that supports sustained intellectual engagement across disciplines and research projects.

  • [Note] It’s easy for the years to slip by

    “A year from now you may wish you had started today.” – Karen Lamb

  • Storing task information together is a simple fix for workflow friction

    Academic work becomes frustrating when tasks and their required information live in separate places. This post suggests storing task information together with your tasks to eliminate friction, reduce procrastination, and create more sustainable workflows. Learn practical strategies for information co-location that transform scattered work sessions into focused, productive academic activities.

  • [Note] Curiosity is a compass

    “There’s a kind of excited curiosity that’s both the engine and the rudder of great work. It will not only drive you, but if you let it have its way, will also show you what to work on. What are you excessively curious about — curious to a degree that would bore most other people?”…

  • Annie Duke (2023) Quit

    Annie Duke’s “Quit” provides essential tools for academics who face intense pressure to persist despite diminishing returns. Her research-backed frameworks offer systematic approaches to complex decisions about research directions, career transitions, and resource allocation that typically rely on intuition or cultural pressure. The book’s combination of cognitive psychology research and practical application makes it particularly…

  • [Note] When a draft is completed, the job of writing can begin

    “When students complete a first draft, they consider the job of writing done – and their teachers too often agree. When professional writers complete a first draft, they usually feel that they are at the start of the writing process. When a draft is completed, the job of writing can begin.” – Donald Murray

  • Walking meetings: A simple shift for busy academics

    Steve Jobs famously conducted important business discussions whilst walking around Apple’s campus, noting that that movement changes how we think. For busy academics struggling to find time for exercise and meaningful work, walking meetings offer an elegant solution that addresses multiple challenges simultaneously.

  • [Note] Turn your attention from inputs to outputs

    “turn your attention from inputs to outputs. Identify the most valuable thing you do in your job, and then figure out what actually helps you do it better. This is what you should focus on.” – Cal Newport

  • Deranged pleasure of email management

    There’s something deeply, almost embarrassingly pleasurable about declaring an entire day dedicated to email management. The unsubscribing, the brutal deletion, the methodical filing of correspondence that’s been lurking for months. It’s the kind of day where you roll up your sleeves and prepare to wrestle your inbox into submission.