Head Space

Calm productivity for academics

Category: Career

  • [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?”…

  • 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] 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

  • Cultivating gratitude in academia

    Academic culture often overlooks the collaborative support behind scholarly achievements, from peer reviewers to administrative staff. The myth of the solitary scholar masks how scholarship actually works through networks of assistance. Expressing gratitude strengthens academic communities, creates positive feedback loops, and counters competitive isolation. Simple practices like maintaining acknowledgement folders and scheduling reflection time can…

  • [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] Build a life around mastery and mattering

    “…we live in a world full of options for mastery and mattering. Unfortunately, the cultural current is flowing strongly in the opposite direction. Few people—perhaps nobody, unless you live in a monastery—are immune to the vicissitudes of modern life. But most of us have at least some agency to fight back with our actions. The…

  • [Note] Can parents in academia “Have it all”

    “…how can we presume that parenthood detracts from one’s professionalism, when, in reality, it often amplifies it?”

  • [Note] Why do we all work such long hours?

    “So with the sector facing yet another financial crisis, do we all just get on the grindset straight away? Put your snowflake-y demands for a work-life balance on the back burner. Take one for the team. Pull that working weekend, that all-nighter. Let’s face it, you’re not even going to do anything as a result…

  • 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.

  • Quality over quantity in academia: Balancing institutional demands with sustainable practice

    Discover how embracing academic productivity through quality over quantity can transform your work life. Instead of constantly expanding workloads, learn to focus on meaningful impact, sustainable practices, and deeper connections. Doing less, but doing it better, can lead to more valuable academic outcomes.