Creating a Satisfying Academic Career with Jo Van Every

The time you have available for writing in summer is very different from when you start teaching again. This track is an older blog post about how to think about making the transition so you can keep working on your writing projects and get them finished. Read the post here: https://jovanevery.co.uk/turning-summer-writing-plans-autumn-writing-plans/For more content like this, sign up to the monthl...

I invited Studio member and client: Myriam Houssay-Holzschuch to share something about her experience of burnout. She preferred an interview to a guest blog post.  I learned a lot from this conversation and I think you will too. Fixing this requires systemic changes that are out of our control. That is frustrating, or even enraging.  As Emily and Amelia Nagoski point out in their excellent book on...

In this episode I address the challenge of treating each day as a new opportunity to get things done, whatever happened yesterday. The opening statement is from a participant in one of my Planning Classes. I offer practical tips for figuring out what will help you face this challenge. You can be trusted. You are competent. You do know what’s important. Read the post here: https://jovanevery.co.uk/...

On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of my own self-employment I reflect on the journey. Although the context in which you might be considering career options is very different from mine in 2005, I try to indicate broader issues to consider and give a sense of what my choices meant for me. I hope it is helpful for you. Read the post here: https://www.jovanevery.co.uk/reflections-on-20-years-of-...

Do you struggle to get the first draft on the page? In this track I consider something a client said about assuming perfectionism was the root of this problem but realizing it might be impatient. I clarify what a first draft needs to do, and propose that trusting you have a process to get from "shitty first draft" to publishable work, helps you get it on the page so you can begin the pro...

Following up on Untangling Your Thoughts As You Write, in this track I suggest some strategies for next steps in the process of writing a first draft of an article or other publishable output from your research. Links:Pat Thomson - "Tiny texts" 1) https://patthomson.net/2019/02/11/tiny-texts-if-not-beautiful%e2%80%8b-small-is-pretty-darn%e2%80%8b-useful/2) https://patthomson.net/2023/05/...

One of the strengths of being a neurodivergent academic is divergent thinking. You see connections other people don't see, which leads to original contributions to knowledge. Divergent thinking is also a curse. Your main argument gets lost in a tangle of threads and your reader doesn't understand. You need a writing process that works with your amazing brain, not to try to make your brai...

Committing to a conference presentation is a common way to help motivate you to make progress on a larger writing project. It can work really well but you also risk feeling worse about your project and your ability to finish it, if you end up not meeting your own goals for the presentation. In this track, I talk about how to set yourself up for success with some contingency for unexpected events t...

Inspired by a recent trip in which I realized I'd finally got the balance right and didn't need a holiday to recover from my holiday. Some tips on using the Two Questions to Avoid Burnout to guide travel planning. Examples for both travel to visit people and travel for work. Related Tracks:Two Questions to Avoid BurnoutHow to Make December Less StressfulRead the post here: https://jovane...

One of the Academic Writing Studio team told me about a great book they’d read that they thought might be helpful for many of our people. I asked her to write about it. Jeanette Hannaford has been part of the team for a long time. Perfectionism is something many academics struggle with. You are not alone. You are not broken. Like many things, perfectionism is only a problem if it is preventing you...

This track introduces the Spotlight on saying no by providing an overview of the main themes and setting the other tracks into a larger context. Written and recorded in April 2022. Updated in November 2024 to add a paragraph to the section "Reconsidering existing commitments". An additional track, "Letting Go of Unfinished Projects", was also added to the playlist. An addition...

Do you have a book that's been in progress for a long time? You are not alone. I've helped several mid to late career scholars who have been weighted down by unfinished projects. In this track, I use one such example as a starting point to suggest questions you can ask yourself to clarify your purpose and then get started on finishing it. For more support: Link to StudioThere is an ebook...

You've finished a full draft. You have a target submission date. How do you know your book manuscript is good enough to submit? In this track I talk about how shifting from a chapter by chapter approach to a whole book approach can help you refine the book and increase your confidence. I introduce the idea of focused revision passes based on what the book needs. I also talk about the relation...

Sharing some specific options for your satisfying career and how the framework outlined in Part 1 can change how you approach them. The focus is on 3-5 year positions like post-doctoral research fellowships, and tenure track or equivalent positions. There are some notes about how this might also apply to more precarious positions. Don’t let the broken system steal your joy. Read the post here: htt...

In a labour market that can legitimately be described as dystopian is it even possible to have a satisfying academic career? In this track I talk about what it means to create a career and provide reflection questions to help you figure out what a satisfying academic career might look like for you. Read the full post here: https://jovanevery.co.uk/creating-a-satisfying-academic-career-part-1/ For...

Reconsidering the concept of work-life balance and the role boundaries play in helping you maintain the balance that is right for you. Read the post here: https://jovanevery.co.uk/boundaries-balance-and-the-whole-you/For more content like this, sign up to the monthly newsletter: https://jovanevery.co.uk/newsletter Or join the Academic Writing Studio: https://academicwritingstudio.co.uk Support me...

In this track I provide a larger narrative connecting the posts in the playlist associated with the Spotlight on Burnout. The organizing themes include: What is burnout? Recovery from burnout? Preventing burnout: Saying No and MeaningfulnessPreventing burnout: self-careand collective action to address the context that puts you at high risk. Read the post here: https://jovanevery.co.uk/spotlight-on...

When you get busy it is easy to drop self-care. And yet, eating well is crucial to being able to function well and manage the things that are making it hard to find the time. In this track, which includes some of the comments people left on the text version, has lots of tips for making it easier to keep eating well even when you have limited time and energy. Read the post here: https://jovanevery....

Lots of my clients tell me they are not very good at rest. In this track, I talk about how I realized that you can get better at it. Maybe you can't imagine taking a whole 2 weeks off right now? But regularly taking weekends off will make it easier to do that in the future. Read the post here: https://jovanevery.co.uk/better-at-resting/For more content like this, sign up to the monthly newsle...

Teaching semesters are intense. The break between Semester 1 and Semester 2 offers an opportunity to rest and recharge. However, you probably also feel a lot of pressure to work on some of the things (like writing) that are harder to get to when teaching. How do you take a real break without feeling guilty? Read the post here: https://jovanevery.co.uk/taking-a-real-br…etween-semesters/For more con...

A lot of academics I talk to tell me they are not good at rest. One way to incorporate rest into your routines is to regularly take weekends off. This post is for those who find that difficult. Establish transition routines. Make plans for what you will do. Set achievable goals. Read the post here: https://jovanevery.co.uk/how-to-take-the-weekend-off/For more content like this, sign up to the mont...

Preventing overwork and fatigue involves managing your energy throughout your day. Different activities take different amounts of energy and what drains or energizes you varies from person to person. Learning more about yourself enables you to manage your energy better. This post has been substantially revised since first publication in 2021, with a new audio recording to reflect the changes. Read...

There is no "Once I achieve X, THEN I can rest". You need to consider pacing to achieve your (ambitious) goals. Read the post here: https://jovanevery.co.uk/you-can-take-your-time/For more content like this, sign up to the monthly newsletter: https://jovanevery.co.uk/newsletter Or join the Academic Writing Studio: https://academicwritingstudio.co.uk Support me on KoFi here: https://ko-fi...

There are crunch periods mid-semester when you have a lot going on, limited ability to slow down, and are already feeling overwhelmed. This track is all about how to manage your energy and your work during the crunch. Read the post here: https://jovanevery.co.uk/mid-semester-burnout/For more content like this, sign up to the monthly newsletter: https://jovanevery.co.uk/newsletter Or join the Acade...

Inspired by a pattern I noticed among some of my clients, I discuss multiple structural contributors to exhaustion and burnout. I also discuss how you can address your personal situation to improve your health. Read the post here (from 19 Jun) https://jovanevery.co.uk/youre-coping-until-you-arent/For more content like this, sign up to the monthly newsletter: https://jovanevery.co.uk/newsletter Or...