Calm productivity for academics
No longer active
This site is now an archive of my previous work. I have moved all my ongoing writing to https://michael-rowe.github.io/home-michael/
Category: Establishing Systems
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Use small routines to build good habits
Building good habits when you’re short on time means that you reduce the scope of what you want to do, but stick to the schedule. James Clear (2018). Atomic Habits. Building a habit means that you integrate the activity into your daily routine, even if you can’t do the activity at the scale you’d like.…
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Jason Fried and David Hansson: Rework
Rework by Jason Fried and David Hansson challenges conventional approaches to work and management, advocating for a minimalist, practical mindset. By focusing on essential tasks, rejecting unnecessary meetings, and embracing constraints, the book empowers readers to maximise productivity and create a sustainable, impact-driven work culture.
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From collecting to creating: Managing your reading backlog
Many academics struggle with managing reading backlogs – collecting papers, articles, and books that never get read. While gathering resources feels productive, it often becomes a substitute for real engagement. Learn how the one-week rule can help you break free from collecting and start creating meaningful academic work.
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Step back and let it go
If you’re under pressure and feel like it’s all you can do to keep yourself from going under, it’s OK to take a step back and let some things go. It’s more important to be kind to yourself when times are hard.
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Set side time for monthly reviews
Try to set aside 2-3 hours at the end of each month to review the progress you’ve made on your important projects, and to plan for the work you’ll do in the next month. It’s a great way to remind yourself that you’re moving things forward.
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Set aside 10 minutes for daily reviews
Spend the last 10 minutes of every working day going through what you’ve achieved on that day, and updating your plan for the next. These daily reviews help you to switch off from a working mindset and ensure you go home in the knowledge that you have nothing more to do for the day.
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Increase the quality of incoming information
In addition to reducing the amount of incoming information, you would also do well to increase the quality of that information.
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Cull your inputs
We spend a lot of time trying to build better systems for managing more information. But maybe a better approach is to cull your inputs so that you can focus on your outputs.
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Fried & Hansson: It doesn’t have to be crazy at work
It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson champions a “calm company” approach, where productivity doesn’t equate to relentless busyness. By minimising distractions, protecting time, and setting realistic expectations, the authors propose a sustainable work culture that prioritises well-being alongside impactful results.
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Creative thinking with Obsidian
For academics, the early stages of a writing project should be a time of exploration and discovery. Yet the tools we use often constrain our thinking in subtle but powerful ways. Most of us default to writing in linear documents like Google Docs or Word. While these tools excel at many things – including collaborating…
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Academic freedom requires cognitive freedom
Academic freedom creates a protected space for you to think about – and talk about – challenging and controversial ideas. But there’s no point in having academic freedom if you spend your life in your inbox.
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Navigate uncertain career decisions with small experiments
When facing uncertain career decisions in academia, many scholars get stuck in analysis-paralysis. Discover how small, strategic experiments can help you gather real-world information to make more confident choices about research directions, institutional moves, and leadership roles.