academiblog

..................................... Where I Used to Procrastinate Lyrics by Gina Hiatt Sung to the tune of Where I Used to Have a Heart , by Martina McBride ...................................... There were times I’d want to eat Paint pretty toenails on my feet Do anything but write I’ll get to it later tonight ——————————– Find me another closet to clean Make a call to my Aunt Jean Think I’ll read another blog Or maybe go out for a jog ——————————– Then I found you, Writing Club Almost as fun as my old pub

You're probably already convinced. But here's a nice way to convince skeptics of the necessity for action.

" The graveyard is filled with indispensable people. " A recent NY Times article, " Unhappy? Self-Critical? Maybe You're Just a Perfectionist ," discusses the price you pay for expecting too much of yourself, engaging in all-or-none thinking, and being too self-critical. In other words, if you act like 99% of academics. Although this article does not mention academics, it does describe three types of perfectionists. Academics tend to fall into the first category: "Self-oriented strivers who struggle to live up to their high standards." These unfortunate people are at risk for self-critical depression. The article describes how a counselor at U.C. Davis had some perfectionists "slack off, " in order to discover that the world didn't collapse when they didn't push themselves to excel. Although I wouldn't prescribe slacking off for most academics I work with, they probably could use some help in being more reasonable in their ex

Food for thought...

Graduate students who participate in departmental dissertation groups or groups led by their dissertation advisor (which I will call "formal groups") can count themselves lucky. The vast majority of grad students, especially in the humanities and social sciences, are not members of a dissertation group. The good news is: You can start your own dissertation group It might even be more useful than the formal groups mentioned above. I've written about the difference between such formal groups and the coaching groups we run at Academic Ladder . There is another solution, however, for those of you who don't have access to a formal group and cannot afford to sign up for a coaching group with us. Start your own group! The trick is to start thinking outside of the box. Here are some features of the standard formal group, which I would suggest you consider changing, in order to meet the needs of your particular group: They meet monthly They meet in person. You submit a chap