Head Space

Calm productivity for academics

Tag: high-value work

  • Stop using email as a to do list

    Using your email inbox as a to do list seems convenient but creates a chaotic system where other people’s priorities dictate your workflow. Learn how to separate email communication from task management with a simple approach that helps academics regain control of their daily priorities.

  • 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.

  • Use AI to focus on meaningful core work

    New research shows how AI tools might transform academic productivity by enabling knowledge workers to focus more on meaningful core work while reducing administrative burden. Like software developers using GitHub Copilot, academics can leverage AI to streamline workflows, work more autonomously, and explore new research directions – particularly benefiting early-career researchers.

  • 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.

  • Strategic scholarly retreats

    Strategic scholarly retreats offer academics a chance to step back from daily pressures and focus on career planning. These retreats, whether a full day or a few hours, provide time for reflection on research goals, teaching methods, and professional development. Regular retreats can lead to more impactful research, effective teaching, and a fulfilling academic career.

  • Tony Fadell: Build

    Build, by Tony Fadell, combines career insights and product innovation advice from the creator of the iPod and Nest thermostat. His book provides a blueprint for high-impact career choices, iterative development, and leadership, making it valuable for anyone interested in innovative design or who is looking for a radical perspective on academic career development.

  • Managing information overload with fewer inboxes

    Learn how to manage information overload by streamlining your information channels. Rather than managing multiple inboxes across email, reference managers, and note-taking apps, discover practical strategies for consolidating your information flow. Create a sustainable system that reduces cognitive overhead and creates space for meaningful work.

  • Saying no in academia: A guide to protecting your time and focus

    Academic life thrives on collaboration and contribution, but constant invitations to participate in new projects can quickly become overwhelming. Learn how mastering the art of saying no in academia isn’t about disinterest, but about strategic self-care and intentionality that allows you to contribute meaningfully on your own terms.

  • Cal Newport: Deep work

    Deep Work by Cal Newport explores how focused, undistracted work boosts productivity and fulfillment in a world filled with digital distractions. Through strategies and routines, Newport shows how cultivating deep work can lead to higher quality output, helping professionals, especially busy academics, achieve more meaningful results in their work.

  • 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.

  • Goal-driven motivation: Writing when you don’t feel like it

    Goal-driven motivation is the incentive to do something I know is valuable when I don’t feel like doing it at all.

  • Managing academic reading lists

    Managing academic reading lists can feel overwhelming. Rather than trying to read everything, treat your reading list like a river – selectively sampling valuable content while letting less important items flow past. This mindset shift helps create a more sustainable and effective approach to managing academic literature without the guilt.