Head Space

Calm productivity for academics

Notes

Notes are short quotes that might stimulate a reflection or act as a quick tip to change practice. Sometimes they include a brief comment.

  • [Note] Sounds and vibrations are the worst kinds of notifications

    “Sounds and vibrations are the worst kinds of notifications since they grab your attention even when not using your device. Because of this you’ll notice that only calls, calendar and reminders, and uptime monitors have sounds enabled, since these are the time sensitive ones. But even then I still have sleep mode active after 7pm,…

  • [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.

  • [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

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

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

  • [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?”…

  • [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

  • [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

  • [Note] Good writing is essentially rewriting

    “Most readers underestimate the amount of rewriting it usually takes to produce spontaneous reading. Roald Dahl, the popular children’s writer, states, “By the time I’m nearing the end of a story, the first part will have been reread and altered and corrected at least 150 times…Good writing is essentially rewriting.” – Donald Murray

  • [Note] Treat perfection like a process

    “Treat perfection like a process, not an achievable state. Perfectionism is crippling to productivity. I’ve known academics that can’t even start projects because of perfectionism.” – Matt Might

  • [Note] Specify concrete actions

    “Your goal, for example, shouldn’t be to get your next academic paper accepted into a better journal, as it doesn’t specify a concrete action you can schedule and execute. A better approach might be to focus on banking 15 hours of deep work on your paper per week: this you can control, and it’s likely…

  • [Note] Start immediately

    “Once you know you’re going to do something, start on it right away: create a blank document file, create a blank presentation file, start drafting the email (with To: field blank). Then, if at any point in the future, you’re moved to work on it, the transaction cost of doing a little more work is…

  • [Note] Write daily with shared goals

    “One study suggests that academics who write daily and set goals with someone weekly write nearly ten times as many pages as those without regular writing habits.” – Pat Thomson