What approaches do you use to overcome obstacles in your academic tasks, particularly in academic writing?
When we encounter significant difficulties with our academic writing, the question we do not want from family, friends, and colleagues is: How is your writing progressing?
During such times, it can be beneficial to have...
a saying
a strategy
a valuable book
The Saying
Consider answering in a polite and general way that does not invite further questions (unless you would like to talk about it). For example: "It is going as expected at this point in the process, thank you."
The Strategy: Sequence of Actions
More importantly, what do you do once you are stuck? Prior to and separate from being stuck, it is helpful to design a strategy that you can use once you get stuck. For example: If I have been staring at an empty sheet for over an hour, I will use the following sequence of actions:
I will go for a brisk walk or a run for 30 minutes.
I will come back to the computer and try to write again for 20 minutes.
If it works, I'll continue until I have completed one unit of writing (45 minutes) and then take a short break before returning to work again.
If it still does not work, I will change work location while listening to my favorite song.
Or read selected parts of a really helpful book...
(Design your own sequence of actions that work for you).
The book
Over the last couple of years, I worked on a new monograph. There were ups and downs in the process of writing it, and I recall turning to one book over and over again (different parts of the book depending on my challenge at the time). This was Joli Jensen's Write No Matter What. A very nice read that deals with common writing obstacles like perfectionism, procrastination, and "the hostile reader fear" in a research-based and hands-on way.
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