While I was reading the book ‘Deep Work’ by Cal Newport, about the value and challenges of doing focused work, I started paying more attention to the instances of deep vs shallow work in my life and, in particular, how it impacted on how I felt. I kept a diary for a couple of weeks. … Continue reading Day in the Life of an Academic #8: fragmented vs focused work days
Category: Academic writing
Book review “Deep Work” by Cal Newport
I have finished reading the book “Deep Work”, authored by Cal Newport. These are my reading notes about what is, in essence, a book about productivity. Its premise is that, to succeed in today’s information intensive economy, we need to be able to deal with, and learn about, complex subjects. As the author writes in page … Continue reading Book review “Deep Work” by Cal Newport
Six reasons to blog, (even) if you are an academic
Last Sunday marked the 9th anniversary of this blog. I know that blogs are a bit old-fashioned, but I still enjoy blogging, and, overall, I have gained much from doing it. Hence, as a sort of celebration, I thought that I would share with you some of reasons why you might consider blogging, if (or, even, … Continue reading Six reasons to blog, (even) if you are an academic
Book review: “Finish – Give yourself the gift of done” by Jon Acuff
I am in two minds about Jon Acuff's 'Finish - Give yourself the gift of done' (no affiliate link). On the one hand, I find the writing style a little bit off-putting (dad jokes galore… it is a bit too much). I also think that, at £13.96 (price on Amazon, at the time of writing) this … Continue reading Book review: “Finish – Give yourself the gift of done” by Jon Acuff
Book review: Paul Silvia’s How to Write a Lot
This is a short book (only 149, A5 pages), targeted at those that need to write in an academic context – papers, books, grant proposals, etc… As promised by the book’s full title - “How to Write a Lot: A Practical Guide to Productive Academic Writing” – this book offers guidance on how to be … Continue reading Book review: Paul Silvia’s How to Write a Lot
Giving back to research participants
How can I give back to my research participants? This is a question that has been in my mind, since I came across the transcript of a talk describing data collection as a gift exchange relationship. I have since lost the link to that talk*, but the main idea was that we should see data … Continue reading Giving back to research participants
6 steps to promote your work on social media – a guide for academics and other researchers
Let’s face it: social media can be overwhelming for new comers. There are so many different platforms that it is difficult to know where to start. Yet, social media are firmly part of mainstream culture, and can really help extend the reach and impact of research. With that in mind, I developed a 6-step … Continue reading 6 steps to promote your work on social media – a guide for academics and other researchers
