Increasing Your Writing Productivity
Writing and publishing is a major area of concern for most academics. Many of us struggle with finding the time to write within our daily routines. The OTL recently sponsored a workshop conducted by Dr. Tara Gray, called Publish and Flourish. Dr. Gray provided many wonderful, concrete strategies for increasing writing productivity, and faculty who attended have let me know that they found the experience to be extremely beneficial.
We would love to invite Dr. Gray back next year, so for those of you unable to attend this year, be on the lookout for the workshop in the upcoming 2008-2009 academic year. In the meantime, some of Dr. Gray’s suggestions include:
- Post your thesis statement and write to it
- Write EVERY day for at least 15 minutes, preferably the same time every day
- Make time by scheduling writing on your calendar and write without interruptions (shut your door, turn off the phone, and close your email)
- Document your progress by keeping a daily log of the minutes you wrote and report it to someone else
I noted a theme in Tara’s presentation, which often comes up in other discussions around writing, and that is the notion of consistency and accountability–writing every day and reporting your writing results to someone else.
To jump start your writing, you might consider joining an online Academic Writing Club. There’s a small fee involved, but many who participate claim the expense is offset by their increase in productivity. Check it out and let me know what you think!