Head Space

Calm productivity for academics

Tag: information management

  • You’re saving everything and finding nothing—here’s why

    Your research is scattered across browser bookmarks, note apps, screenshots, and email drafts. When you need information, you can’t find it. The solution isn’t better organisation within each platform—it’s refusing to use multiple platforms. One capture method, one structure, for every source format you encounter.

  • Storing task information together is a simple fix for workflow friction

    Academic work becomes frustrating when tasks and their required information live in separate places. This post suggests storing task information together with your tasks to eliminate friction, reduce procrastination, and create more sustainable workflows. Learn practical strategies for information co-location that transform scattered work sessions into focused, productive academic activities.

  • Avoid information overload with an effective knowledge cycle

    A systematic knowledge cycle helps academics transform information overload into meaningful scholarly output. The process involves purposeful capture, regular processing, deliberate connection-making, and consistent creation. Rather than processing everything perfectly, this approach converts selected information into valuable insights through intentional research, note-taking, and writing practices that compound over time.

  • 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.

  • How to manage email overload

    Create a practical system for how to manage email overload that transforms your inbox from a source of stress into a productive workflow. Learn why traditional email management advice falls short and how treating your inbox as a temporary processing point rather than permanent storage can reduce anxiety.

  • Managing information in my personal learning environment

    In this video I demonstrate how I manage information in my personal learning environment. I talk about the flow of information, from deciding what to pay attention to, then how to filter, capture, and process it, and finally how I share it.