Tag: AcWri

Day in the Life of an Academic #8: fragmented vs focused work days

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

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

August and September 2016 round-up

August was taken up with conferences and time off with the family, so I decided to skip the usual monthly round up post and merge it with September’s. And, then, September flashed through, as well, with back to school matters, and dealing with various cold viruses and man-flu in the house. Here are the highlights. … Continue reading August and September 2016 round-up

10 amazing tweeps I met in 10 years of Twitter

Twitter turned 10 years old, and I, like many others, have been reflecting on what it means to me.   Twitter tells me that I joined it in July 2008. I remember the day, vividly. I was following a thread on an online forum, where academics were sharing experiences of using Second Life, Facebook, Twitter, … Continue reading 10 amazing tweeps I met in 10 years of Twitter

Umberto Eco’s advice to young writers

Umberto Eco died last Friday (Feb 19th 2016). You may know him as the author of great fiction books, such as 'The Name of the Rose' or 'Foucault’s Pendulum'. However, Eco described himself as primarily a ‘university professor who has found a nice way to spend his weekends’.     His academic work has been … Continue reading Umberto Eco’s advice to young writers

Day in the Life of an Academic #4: No, I am not on holiday

Classes ended last week and, already, I have lost count of the number of times someone asked if / said that I am now on holidays. So, I thought I should do a “day in the life” post, to give you a glimpse of what an academic gets up to outside of term time.   … Continue reading Day in the Life of an Academic #4: No, I am not on holiday