Tag: Tomorrow’s Professor

What’s Holding You Back (in your Research and Writing)?

This valuable post on Tomorrow’s ProfessorSM eNewsletter by Kerry Ann Rockquemore, PhD, president and CEO of the National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity begins with “At this point in the term, it’s an ideal time to stop and evaluate your progress… by gently asking yourself several important questions:
  • How is the term going so far?
  • How much writing have I completed? 
  • Have I developed a daily writing routine?
  • How am I progressing towards the goals on my strategic plan? and
  • How do I feel about my answers to the previous questions?”
The post goes on to provide practical advice to classify the areas that hold you back so you can intentionally make adjustments for the rest of the semester.  “Most academics’ productivity is blocked by some combination of what Julie Morgenstern describes as technical errors, psychological obstacles, and external realities.”  The technical errors are easiest to fix; those and external realities are usually cited to others for lack of progress.  In my own career, I’ve found my own psychological attitude to be the key challenge and also to undermine my ability to deal with external realities and technical errors.  This is a wonderful post to read and discuss in your ECM meetings this month.   Have a great, productive and rewarding semester! – Adrienne