Head Space

Calm productivity for academics

Category: Building Momentum

  • Building momentum towards sustainable productivity

    In academia, it’s common to feel perpetually busy while at the same time, not making any meaningful progress. True productivity comes from establishing a steady rhythm of shipping important work, not just completing a high volume of tasks. Building and maintaining positive momentum is key to sustained progress.

  • Effective breaks for academics: Real rest and productivity

    Most academics fill their breaks with pseudo-productive tasks like checking emails or social media. But these aren’t real breaks at all. Learn how taking genuine academic breaks and productivity go hand in hand, and why the most effective breaks are often the ones that feel the least productive.

  • [Note] Hobbies are a way of letting stress go

    “Even the best jobs create stress. Hobbies are a way of letting stress go before it explodes.” – Matt Might

  • [Note] Send a voice note instead of a text

    “Send a voice note instead of a text; they sound like personal mini podcasts.” – The Guardian

  • Simple guide to writing effective AI prompts

    Writing effective AI prompts is crucial for academics looking to reduce administrative workload. Using a simple framework of defining the AI’s role, stating your goal, and providing clear instructions can help you get better results. Learn how to write AI prompts that free up time for meaningful academic work.

  • Google Scholar PDF Reader

    The Google Scholar PDF Reader extension provides additional functionality to help with reading PDFs in the browser.

  • How to write a good email

  • [Note] Urgent email is not a thing

    “Questions you can wait hours to learn the answers to are fine to put in an email. Questions that require answers in the next few minutes can go into an instant message. For crises that truly merit a sky-is-falling designation, you can use that old-fashioned invention called the telephone.” – Fried & Hansson

  • Email-free mornings: The simplest productivity tip you’ll ever see

    Stop letting your inbox dictate the outcomes of your day by aiming for at least 2 hours of email-free mornings.

  • Writing precise AI prompts for better outputs

    Learn to write precise AI prompts that generate more useful, contextually relevant outputs. For busy academics, crafting clear, detailed prompts is essential for leveraging AI effectively. Discover practical strategies for better prompting that help preserve your cognitive energy for high-value academic work.

  • Non-academic AI prompts to build confidence and experience

    Discover how non-academic AI prompts can help you explore generative artificial intelligence without the pressure of academic concerns. From student wellness planning to life skills development, these practical examples show how to build confidence with AI tools while avoiding worries about plagiarism and academic integrity.

  • Getting started with generative AI

    Getting started with generative AI is as simple as setting aside a few hours for experimenting with the technology. This will help identify what it’s good at, and where it fails. In this post I share a few simple ideas and prompts to help anyone interested in getting started with generative AI.