Head Space

Calm productivity for academics

Category: Refining Practice

  • Avoid information overload with an effective knowledge cycle

    Learn how to combat information overload in academia with a systematic knowledge cycle. This five-step approach helps busy academics convert overwhelming information into valuable insights through purposeful capture, regular processing, deliberate connection, consistent creation, and continuous improvement—all without simply working longer hours.

  • Academic stand-up meetings

    Discover how academic stand-up meetings can transform endless faculty updates into focused, efficient check-ins. Learn practical tips for implementing this time-saving format in your department, handling common resistance, and protecting more time for meaningful academic work. A practical guide for academics tired of meetings that could have been emails.

  • Build an academic prompt library for AI using templates for common tasks

    Learn how to create and maintain an academic prompt library to streamline your administrative tasks. This practical guide shows you how to start a personal collection of pre-written, tested prompts that reduce cognitive overhead and create space for meaningful work, helping you develop sustainable systems for academic productivity.

  • [Note] Academics speak only to each other

    “Researchers, scientists, academicians marshal their facts to a higher standard, but with their neglect of the emotive power of language they often speak only to each other, their parochial words dropping like sand on a private desert.” – Sol Stein

  • Designing learning spaces for deeper student thinking

    Moving beyond equating teaching with telling, this post explores how academics can design learning spaces that encourage active thinking. Learn practical strategies for creating environments where students engage deeply with ideas, transforming passive listening into active learning while making your teaching more sustainable and fulfilling.

  • I am not my h-index: Rethinking scholarly impact metrics

    Academic metrics like the h-index can drive unhealthy behaviours and distance us from our core purpose as scholars. While these traditional academic metrics provide comfortable validation, creating meaningful impact often requires looking beyond citation counts to measure how our work benefits real people outside academia.

  • Steven Pinker: The sense of style

    The Sense of Style, by Steven Pinker, is an evidence-based guide on writing that blends linguistics, cognitive psychology, and practical techniques to help writers achieve clarity and readability. This modern approach, suited for academics and professionals, emphasises the “classic style” that presents ideas conversationally to engage and inform readers.

  • Building academic momentum: Why rhythm beats volume

    Building academic momentum isn’t about working longer hours or multitasking. It’s about finding your natural rhythm and maintaining steady progress. Learn how to move beyond busy-ness to create sustainable patterns of meaningful academic work through practical steps like protecting creative space and leaving intentional re-entry points.

  • [Note] Ask your coworkers to push back

    “Ask your coworkers’ to push back. The most basic way to understand what people think of you is to ask them. If you’re not soliciting dissent, it’s unlikely you’re hearing the truth about what it’s like to work [with] you.” – Ron Carucci

  • Rethinking your week: The case for a scholarship day

    Dedicating one day a week to scholarship can transform your academic productivity. Drawing inspiration from Iceland’s successful shorter work week experiment and Google’s 20% time policy, explore how protected time for deep scholarly work can help you produce better outputs without working longer hours.

  • Beyond productivity: Why academic mental health support matters

    This post explores the challenges of balancing academic success with personal well-being. Redefining productivity, embracing vulnerability, and prioritising mental health can lead to a more fulfilling academic career. Explore strategies for speaking up and seeking support in the high-pressure world of academia.