As a new academic year gets underway, you may be coming into the term with several concrete goals. “I want to publish an article, go to a conference, write my first dissertation chapter, manage my work-life balance better, start doing yoga . . .” These are some of the many and various goals, personal to your circumstances, that you may consciously or unconsciously be thinking of as the academic term invites us to plan a fresh start. But which goals should you prioritize? What steps will you need to take to achieve them? And how can you make time for the things that are most important to you amid conflicting responsibilities?
I recently ran a workshop for the Fellowships & Writing Center titled “Annual Planning for Academics,” offering strategies for answering these questions, so you can plan a successful academic year true to your values.
Here are some of the key takeaways:
- Really think about your goals. Does this matter to you? Does it reflect your values? What larger goal is it supporting? Tapping into your motivation can make it more likely you will stick to your goals. One framework we use for thinking deeply about a goal is the SMART framework. SMART stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. In this case, deciding how the goal is relevant to your life can reinforce why you are pursuing it.
- Prioritize your whole self. Think about what will help you to thrive as a researcher, writer, teacher, and human, and include that in your plan. It can be tempting to pile on research or professional goals, but including the things that support your health and happiness is vital as well. Putting your daily yoga session on your calendar will make it more likely it doesn’t get lost among other demands on your time.
- Break down goals into smaller tasks. It is one thing to have a goal and another to know how you are going to get there. SMART goals help with this aspect too as they force you to be specific about what you are going to do and when. If your goal is submitting a dissertation chapter to your committee, think about all the tasks you need to complete before sending it, then pencil those tasks into your calendar.
- Work on estimating your time. How long does it take you to write a page? Read three articles? Conduct an analysis? Do you know? Even if you are not sure, practicing estimating how long it will take you to complete a task can help you to map out realistic timelines and figure out how much time you need to be devoting to each goal. You can also flip this question and ask yourself, how much of my time does this task deserve? This can help keep you from spending too long on less important tasks.
- Set up check-points for yourself. Once you have tasks on your calendar, set up some accountability checks for those goals. Planning and setting up a meeting with your advisor or a workshop in a graduate student peer group can be a great way to help you stick to your self-imposed deadlines and provide you with helpful feedback.
To help you actually put these ideas into practice, here are some specific strategies and tips:
- Try time-blocking. Time-blocking is a strategy where you set aside specific times or days of the week for specific projects. For example, you might block out Thursday and Friday as dissertation days, during which you will only work on dissertation-related tasks. As another example of designating different times for different tasks, you may decide that you’ll only answer emails from 2:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m. This time-management strategy allows you to focus on a specific project rather than constantly switching gears.
- Use technology that works for you. Many people live by their digital calendar. Others love a good spreadsheet. Find what works for you and put everything there. You can also think about ways technology can help you streamline time-consuming tasks or keep track of responsibilities. For example, you might try setting up automatic email filters to tag and sort emails related to teaching.
- Do a little bit every day. Staying in contact with your project or goal by doing a little bit every day is a great way to progress and maintain your momentum.
- Join an accountability group like the Fellowships & Writing Center’s Writing Oasis, or the Academic Resource Center’s various Accountability Groups.
Ultimately, the goal of the planning process is to get clarity on what matters to you and to build in supports and strategies that will allow you to make steady progress over the course of the year. If you are ever feeling stuck, you are welcome to come brainstorm with us at the Fellowships & Writing Center.
Banner Image: Carved Tall-Case Hall Clock with Pendulum, Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Bequest of Grenville L. Winthrop.
