Creating a Satisfying Academic Career with Jo Van Every

You started on your academic path because you loved your work. You were excited and interested in a particular area of scholarship. But somewhere along the line you lost that connection, temporarily or permanently. It may have started to feel like a liability. This track quotes from a post by Mark Silver http://www.heartofbusiness.com/2014/start-hate-loved/ and another by Crystal Fleming http://aw...

No one said teaching would be easy but … You shouldn’t be exhausted. You shouldn’t be close to tears on a regular basis. You shouldn’t be angry. This also applies to research and other aspects of your job. In this track I offer some strategies for identifying the underlying problem and beginning to make some changes. First published on my website in 2010 and updated in 2017 https://jovanevery.co.u...

One reason I started doing what I’m doing, is that I could see all of these brilliant, interesting people not really enjoying their academic jobs. For various reasons you were discouraged, frustrated, or just plain overworked. As I’ve worked with clients, I have noticed that one of the key elements in shifting that negative stuff is a vision of what you want your career to be. First published on m...

It is common to feel like an imposter. In this track I go beyond reassuring you that you are good enough to consider how connecting your work to your values might help you feel like less of an imposter. Related articles: Navigating Imposter Syndrome on Our Own Terms by Hyeon-Ju Rho https://www.hjrho.com/the-road-home/2019/7/15/experiencing-imposter-syndrome-as-a-woman-of-color has some excellent t...

In this track I apply something I learned from Naomi Dunford to academic careers. It's important to set goals that are achievable and not attach magical endings that are related to the goals but not guaranteed (or possibly out of your control). I provide examples of common academic goals. This post was originally posted on my website in 2013 and revised in 2014 and 2021. https://jovanevery.co...

Going from a situation in which performance goals are set externally, and there are real consequences to not meeting them, to one in which you get to set a lot of your own goals is bound to be disorienting. You may have lost sight of all of those things you entered this profession to do in the first place. This post cites an article in the Chronicle of HIgher Education "I got tenure. How depr...

When considering the problem of working too many hours, it's important to also consider what you are doing in those hours. Your goal isn't just to work fewer hours but to make meaningful work a larger proportion of the work you are doing. This track quotes a post published on Careers in Theory: http://careersintheory.wordpress.com/2011/09/13/is-your-work-meaningful/First published in my...

"Busy" isn't just having a lot to do. It is also feeling like the demands are relentless and possibly out of your control. Early in your career being reactive is often helpful. It gets you involved in things that move your career forward. In this track I talk about how to identify when it's no longer helpful, and how to shift to a more proactive approach that gives you more con...

The work you find meaningful is not "weird". It may be risky to do the work you find meaningful, especially if you are precariously employed or are a member of a minoritized group. In this track I talk about the benefits of taking that risk. First published on my website in May 2018 https://jovanevery.co.uk/risking-doing-work-meaningful/; The post and track were edited in October 2023. T...

Inspired by the serenity prayer, I talk about how to figure out where you have influence that will make a difference to your work. First published on my website in November 2014 https://jovanevery.co.uk/what-you-can-change/For more content like this, sign up to the monthly newsletter: jovanevery.co.uk/newsletterFollow me on Twitter: twitter.com/JoVanEveryFind my Facebook Page here: facebook.com/Jo...

Sometimes your writing project brings up difficult emotions that then get in the way of writing. In this track I talk about strategies for doing the work while being compassionate with yourself. This post is based on a conversation that happened during A Meeting With Your Writing, our live co-writing sessions and part of the Academic Writing Studio. It has been shared with the permission of the St...

There is a lot of new year energy in January but if you work in higher education and live in Europe or North America it's more like the middle of the year. I reassure you that you can do all the annual planning and reflection later in the year, and propose some ideas for what might be useful right now. Read the post here: (coming soon)For more content like this, sign up to the monthly newslet...

If you have a book you are not writing, this track will help you make some decisions, and a plan. I'm publishing this in December in the hope that doing that allows you to actually get some rest over the break. This track was sent to my newsletter on 10 December 2021 and the text version will be published on my website on 15 December 2021. That's the best place to find all the links, rel...

Do you find grading emotionally difficult? Do you procrastinate about getting started? Does it occupy your thoughts and make it difficult to do other work? You are not alone. In this track I take a blog post I read about this kind of emotional toll and suggest ways you might approach the work to minimize anxiety. This is where I explain more about what I mean by grading out from average (which I&a...

Grading can be frustrating because it makes you wonder whether you have done a good job as a teacher. In this post I address your ethical responsibilities as a teacher in relation to students' autonomy to decide how much work they want to put in to any particular course. My hope is that this framing will help you see the positive learning that has happened for most of your students, even if t...

Prompted by a client who had hard deadlines for writing and a personal thing around the same time her grades needed to be submitted, I talk about how to get your grading done well without making it your sole activity for this period. Taking less time to grade does *not* mean "cutting corners".First published on the blog on my website in April 2015. Audio version recorded in November 2021...

Because your grading is time sensitive, it is tempting to set everything else aside to do it. You may be eager to get to your writing at the end of semester but feel like you have to do the grading first. In this track I talk about why that might be counterproductive and suggest ways you can combine writing and grading. This track was first published as a blog post on my website in April 2016. The...

Although it is understandable why #GradingJail might be a popular Twitter hashtag, grading season doesn't have to feel like that. I talk about how forcing yourself to grade and only grade might be counterproductive and how giving yourself boundaries and making sure you also do more interesting and nourishing activities might feel less jail-like and also be more productive. Read the post here:...

A comment from a client alerted me to the ways in which writing and grading may not be competing for your time in grading season. There is an optimal amount of grading you can do in a day. And with teaching finished, that might mean you *do* have time to write. A much shorter version of this post was originally published in March 2015. It was substantially revised, and recorded, in November 2021.R...

That pile of grading is time sensitive but it may not be urgent. It's okay to ignore the grading to actually get some rest. It might take less time and effort if you are more rested when you do it. This track was original published as a blog post on my website in in December 2010 and revised in May 2016. The audio version was recorded in November 2021. Read the post here: https://jovanevery.c...

While your grading may be time sensitive, it isn't necessarily urgent. Prompted by a Twitter conversation, I talk about why it might be nice to ignore the grading to focus on some research. I go on to discuss how you could experiment with doing both. This track was originally published as a blog post on my website in December 2009. It has been revised several times since. The audio version wa...

"Grading season" is the period between the last teaching session and the deadline for submitting grades. Over the years, I've written several posts about grading as one among many responsibilities, and about the emotional and identity issues associated with the work of grading. This track provides an introduction to this collection of recordings of posts about grading that I've...

There are good reasons to cry. Stop trying not to. Figure out how to get some support. Originally published on my website in November 2020. It feels kind of specific to pandemic lockdowns but might not be. Read the post here: https://jovanevery.co.uk/so-tired-you-could-cry-permission-granted/For more content like this, sign up to the monthly newsletter: jovanevery.co.uk/newsletterFollow me on Twit...

When you are really tired but you have to keep going to the end of semester, what do you do? What is the equivalent of Low Power Mode for your body and mind? In this track I make some suggestions. First published on my website in November 2020.Read the post here: https://jovanevery.co.uk/so-tired-you-could-cry-enable-low-power-mode/For more content like this, sign up to the monthly newsletter: jov...

I wade into the discussion about granting extensions, situating it in the broader discussion about academic workloads and mental health. I discuss what might be kind to the students, what might be kind to yourself, and propose a process for requesting extensions you could use or adapt. I also talk about the limits of granting extensions to address the things you and your students might be facing....