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“The discipline of writing something down is the first step toward making it happen.”
----- Lee Iacocca
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Often we carry around in our minds a vague list of things to do and notions of our priorities.
I call this a “Rolodex mind” because we shuffle through our list of “shoulds”, spinning our mental Rolodex wheel and accomplishing little.
When we are trying to work on one project, we get distracted and overwhelmed by thoughts of all the other tasks yet to be done. It is difficult to focus on the immediate task at hand because we’re too busy worrying about other responsibilities and obligations.
A Rolodex mind is an unfocused mind.
A Rolodex mind can also be a defense against the anxiety of making a choice. We flip through mental lists, waffle about which one we’ll begin with, and avoid committing ourselves to action. We feel apprehensive or ambivalent about starting an important project, so we settle for something less challenging to act upon.
Should you work on the literature review or methods section? A difficult choice? Then why not check your email before you decide?
Should you begin your literature review with a description of theories or the history of the problem? Why not search for a few more articles first to make sure you're not missing any relevant information on the topic?
Sound familiar?
How can we improve our focus, make decisions and take action?
The answer is deceptively simple: Write down our goals.
Far too often, we keep our projects and priorities in our mind rather than on paper.
Do you have a list of the research projects you are currently working on?
Have you made a graphic timeline for the semester that indicates all the deadlines you will be facing?
Is your “to do” list prioritized so that you can begin each day with important rather than anxiety-free tasks?
Do you have a schedule that includes blocked-out appointments with yourself for research and writing?
* Right now, try making a list of the most important projects you will work on this week.
* Rewrite the list so that your projects are ranked in order of their importance to your academic career.
* Now create a new list breaking down each project into concrete action steps. For example, “write the literature review” would be broken down into steps such as “write three paragraphs describing and contrasting Marxian and Hegelian views on property ownership.” “Write the methods section” might be broken down into “write a paragraph describing how subjects were recruited.”
Writing things down may help you stop spinning the Rolodex wheel and lay out a plan for activities in a linear sequence that can be tackled one step at a time.
If you tend to have a mind cluttered with the phrases “should do” and “must do” you may be surprised how writing down goals and action steps will free you to focus on your current task rather than on future anxieties.
Here’s the short version of this tip of the week:
Write it down. Then make it happen.
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