Productivity
posted by William Birdthistle
So how do those tremendously productive professors in our midst manage to get so much done? I’m fascinated by this inquiry and – in a terribly unproductive procrastination technique – spend a good deal of time wondering about where they write, how they write, and so forth. This piece on Writers’ Rooms, for example, sucked up an entire afternoon.
Perhaps if we attempt to examine a day in one of their lives we’d gain more insight. But one day is probably too small a sample size, inasmuch as the goings-on of a single day could easily omit regular obligations (if the day in question, for instance, doesn’t include routine though not daily teaching, writing, exercise, &c.) while giving undue weight to relatively rare tasks (if it happens, for instance, to include an irregular faculty meeting, doctor’s appointment, &c.). A year in their lives would be far more revealing, if clearly impractical, but perhaps we might get the right balance from a single week.
So I asked a few very well-known academics who strike me as self-evidently productive and successful scholars to tell me a little about their typical week. Several declined, given the onerous nature of the request for so much information, while others responded with a request for anonymity. The habits of some, such as Richard Posner, are already publicly documented. But I did gain a number of interesting insights into tackling some of the unique challenges that face academics.
In the next few posts, I’ll address the major topics that I raised with my interviewees (my questions are listed below, after the jump) and intersperse their responses accordingly.
Please describe your:
1. Typical week. For instance, you might outline any patterns on days when you teach, days when you don’t teach, and weekends. And how do you keep track of all this (paper calendar, PDA, Outlook, post-its)?
2. Scholarship. Specifically, how do you block off regular & uninterrupted time for your work; do you set page- or word-count goals for yourself; how do you conduct the necessary research?
3. Ministerial obligations. For instance, how do you handle the dreaded troika of wasted time: email, blogs & telephone calls? Beyond those, what about office hours, letters of recommendation, committee meetings, workshops, reading & commenting upon colleagues’ papers, &c.?
4. Family & household. If you have any children, how do you manage their care? As for the household, do you eat in, order delivery, or eat out — and are you able to go back to work after dinner? How do you manage the necessary errands associated with any household?
5. Self-education. How do you educate yourself with respect to the regular news of the day?
6. Fun. How do you stay fit? Do you indulge in any hobbies (oenophilia, badminton, scrimshaw)? What about the urge — after a particularly busy moment — to do nothing or to watch movies or the television or to read a novel?
May 22, 2008 at 1:02 pm
Posted in: Law School (Scholarship)
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Responses (3)
Markel - May 22, 2008 at 6:04 pm
Too much suspense! Start sharing the answers to inspire me to finish the last few questions of my crim pro exam…
Jennifer Hendricks - May 22, 2008 at 7:08 pm
An idea that I hope will become the basis for future productivity: I’m currently squirreled away at a fabulous southwestern location with three equally fabulous colleagues. This week, we’re getting a jump start on our summer writing by spending all day, each day sitting around the dinner table with our laptops and files, after which we treat ourselves to food and drink. (Uh, that is, when we’re not checking our email or reading blogs. But I’m past the word quota for today!) Tomorrow we present our work. My lesson from this week is that if you put your writing in the foreground, all the other stuff will still get done, but it will be while you write, not instead of writing.
ChillableHours - May 24, 2008 at 7:53 pm
Avoid http://www.chillablehours.com
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