Top 10 Lessons Learned in 2013 - Lessons 2 and 1

Welcome back! I've covered the top 8 lessons I've learned this year and we're down to the last 2.

2. Take another person's perspective

One of my area's of research has become perspective-taking, which is the ability to see things from another person's viewpoint. Several articles have come out recently in high-impact journals (like Nature) that cover the importance of being able to perspective-take. There is also a line of research that documents the inability of many criminals to take the perspective of other people. In lay terms, this means "put yourself in other people's shoes". If you cannot perspective-take, there is no way you will succeed in academia, unless you want to publish all sole-authored papers (which is not a good idea). 

I have always thought myself to be good at taking other people's perspective on issues, and almost always I can see both sides to any argument. I say "almost" because for the first time in my life, I really couldn't see someone else's perspective. However, I learned from the experience and know that I know have an even better idea of how to put myself in someone else's shoes. 

And finally, the number 1 lesson of 2013...

1. Take frequent breaks and time off!

I have always heard "take breaks" while working but did not leave by this rule until recently. This year, I began working in short spurts. I work for a designated amount of time then take a break. During the break, I do something. If I am at home, I do a chore, take Jack for a walk, play with Jack, or do a quick exercise. If I am at the office, I walk around, walk to the library, deliver papers, get a drink or snack, or go talk to someone. The breaks allow my brain a little rest time and let my body get some endorphins from movement. 

While this is important, I have recently learned the value of time off. Much of this fall was marked in by low morale for me. I just didn't feel like working, couldn't focus, had trouble maintaining a work schedule, and just felt bleh. When I would take a day or two off, even just for a weekend, I always felt rejuvenated on Monday morning. 

Since the semester has ended, I have continued to barrel through tasks. I have not taken a break since June of this year. AH! I decided I would work really hard, finish manuscripts for an upcoming conference, do a bunch of tasks on my dissertation, send necessary emails, complete work for my jobs, etc., and give myself the week of Christmas off (December 24th-December 29th). Well, my hard work paid off, and I have not touched work since Monday evening (December 23rd). Moreover, I didn't touch work until Monday morning (December 30th). I feel completely rejuvenated. 

The break in work gave me a chance to catch up on writing for this blog and my personal blog, read books for fun, spend time with my loved ones, catch up on movies, play games, go shopping, and do all the things I love. Best of all, I find myself thinking about my projects and feeling excited to get back to them. I was missing that excitement that made my work fun. :) I feel human again. 

What did you learn in 2013? What do you plan to do differently in 2014? Stay tuned for my 2014 goals...

Top 10 Lessons Learned in 2013 - Lessons 6-3

As I am reviewing and reflecting on everything I accomplished (and didn't accomplish) in 2013, I've decided to list my Top 10 Lessons Learned in 2013. Here is the second installment...

6. Manage Conflict

By far, my least favorite part of graduate school is all the conflict. It is a riot! Watching professors behave badly, watching graduate students argue and bicker with each other, watching people cry, watching undergraduates get upset about grades...it is enough to make a person go crazy. Conflict is part of every job and every aspect of life in which two people are involved. Even the most harmonious people face conflict. However, the breed of conflict that is present in academia is unique. 

Academics are highly intelligent people. For the most part, hard working people. And very driven. These three characteristics combined spell trouble. I have dealt with more conflict in academia than in any other part of my life over the past 26 years (and keep in mind that I taught middle school in a high-poverty area). I could continue to complain about the conflict I have witnessed, but I'll stop here. 

It is important to manage conflict to the best of your ability. For me, this has taken several unique forms. First, I have learned that when conflict arises, I need time. When appropriate, I need time to breathe, collect my thoughts, and process all possible outcomes. Once I have done this, I can approach the situation with a level head and help come to a reasonable solution. Secondly, I have learned that I have to escape the ivory tower walls of academia. I am blessed to have friends who are not part of academia and family who keep me grounded. Without them, I would never survive this world. Thirdly, I have learned that I have to expect the unexpected. Most of the conflict I have seen come up in academia is conflict that could not have been predicted. It is impossible to know what is going to cause an uproar, no matter how much you try to plan. Moreover, I've learned that if you try to plan for everything, you are going to make yourself insane. Finally, I have learned not to bring this conflict home with me. Again, this is where the family and friends come into play. Work stays at work. End of story. 

5. You don't have to do it all right now

I have been working on several projects for over a year now. It is fun to see the projects grow, change, and reach a point where the information can be disseminated. It is even better to see how that research leads to new ideas. In academia, we call this a research agenda. The goals of what a researcher hopes to accomplish in his/her career. The hard part is seeing this list continually grow and feeling like I am not doing anything to progress on it. In academia, things take time. It takes a great deal of time and energy to take a project from conception to completion. It takes even more time for that project to reach the masses.

A very wise professor told me earlier this semester, "You don't have to do it all right now. You have a 30-year career ahead of you." That made me feel so much better! She was right. I have more than 30 years ahead of me to accomplish all I want to accomplish. It's ok if I don't get to go to that conference this year. Or if my manuscript doesn't get published in that journal. Or if I don't get to teach that class yet. I have time. It won't all happen overnight. The luxury of having too many ideas is that my career will be rich and full, and I won't run out of things in those 30 years.

4. Journal as much as possible

I have thoughts. A lot of thoughts. About everything. I have learned to journal about those thoughts as much as possible. I have a hand-written and digital journal for every project I am working on. These journals allow me to document and keep track of my thinking. I write about what I read, what statistics I run, why I made a certain choice about a survey, who was on my team, what we talked about in meetings, everything. These journals then become the fuel for my manuscripts, presentations, questions, and future research. 

I have also found that I remember more when I write about it, and my mind doesn't feel as cluttered. When I don't write, I am constantly worried that I am going to lose an idea or a thought, so I hold onto it tightly. This wastes precious memory space in my brain. When I write about the idea or thought, it is captured forever and my mind is free to think up more thoughts. I have found that I think more critically and deeply about topics and about a wider range of topics than before I started journaling. It has revolutionized my academic process. 

3. Write with a purpose

I used to sit down before a blank screen on my computer or a blank page in my journal and have no idea what I was going to do. The silly, past version of me called this "Writer's Block". Often, I would be intimidated and would have no idea what to say. Now, I always write with a purpose. The purpose may be as basic as "clean out your head" or as complex as "write the discussion of the MLB paper". The key is that there is always a purpose. I know why I am writing and don't spend time before a blank screening staring, well, blankly. 

Even in writing this blog post, I knew I wanted to reflect on what I learned this past year. I did a little prewriting and was ready to go. I already had my purpose set. Sometimes the purpose morphs during the writing process and that is ok, too. The point is to start somewhere. 

The final two top lessons learned of 2013 will be revealed soon! 

Top 10 Lessons Learned in 2013 - Lessons 10-7

2013 has been quite the year for me, professionally. I have grown more as a professional this year than I ever have before. While I believe a lot of my professional growth is due to my personal growth as well, I'm happy it happened. There have been some major life lessons this year, too. Here are my top lessons learned in 2013 in grad school. :)

10. Know your role and don't overstep it!

In academia, most people are "Jack-of-all-trades" or Renaissance men. We wear many hats. As such, it can be difficult to discern what our unique roles are in any given situation. As graduate students, the lines are even more blurred. One semester, a grad student may be teaching alongside several professors and the next semester, that same graduate student is a student taking classes from those professors. It can be difficult to navigate the waters of professionalism and knowing your place. Sometimes, I see graduate students stretch beyond what their role calls for and other times, I see them not living up to the basic requirements of that role.

Over this last year, I have come to understand the importance of fully understanding your role and being careful not to overstep the demands of that role. This is true in collaborations, mentoring positions, research projects, co-authorship scenarios, and most other roles that graduate students take on. We have to be especially careful and remember that we are students first. 

One of my biggest frustrations in graduate school is the constant struggle between doing what I want and working on my own research agenda while having to appease my committee and bosses. I'm very lucky in that my committee is supportive and allows me to work toward my research agenda, but it is still a constant battle. 

9. Network, Network, Network

We attend conferences. We present papers. We publish manuscripts. We give guest lectures. We are guest speakers. We review for journals and conferences. We serve on committees. All of this is an effort to get our work disseminated to the masses. My greatest goal in graduate school is not to lose sight of why I began this journey in the first place - I want to help kids get a better education. That's it. In order to do this, we have to get our work out into the hands of other professionals in the field, including fellow researchers, teachers, and policy makers. 

One of the most important things to do as a graduate student is NETWORK! When attending conferences, finding people who are doing work you are interested in and going and talking to them. It becomes even more important when on the job market, as these are the people who will be deciding how good of a colleague you are going to be. I had business cards finally printed up this holiday break, so now feel even more equipped to do my networking to the best of my ability. When I didn't have business cards, I collected them and would email each person I met upon returning home. Through networking, I have received offers to give guest presentations, review for journals, and co-author on manuscripts. It really is important! And, fun!

8. Reward yourself when you accomplish something, big or small

We work hard in graduate school. In fact, my least favorite question to get from anyone is "so your semester is over? How long are you out for?" While I understand the misconception, there is no break in graduate school. Yes, I get to determine, for the most part, how much I work and when, I also have to face the consequences if I fall behind or things don't get done. I work more now than I did as a teacher, and I don't get to enjoy breaks like I did as a teacher. It never ends. There is always another deadline. Always something more to do. 

One thing I have learned, though, is I have to reward myself when I accomplish something. Because there is always more to do, I often keep plowing through even when I finish one task. What value does life hold if there is no celebration, though? Rewards are fun. Rewards can be given for doing something big like sending a completed manuscript out for publication or for something small like finishing a transcription. They can be for things we work hard to finish like a conference presentation or for things that we really don't have a lot to do with like a thank-you message from a student. 

The rewards can also be big or small. The reward can be a day off to go shopping with a friend, dinner with a family member, or a night spent watching a movie sans computer. You decide. My favorite rewards include anything that lets me spend time with my loved ones or allows me to relax and not stress about work and school.

7. Set goals for each year, month, week, and day

This past year, graduate school got more busy than ever before. Crazy busy. I became so overwhelmed, I really didn't know which way was up. Or down. Or horizontal. Or vertical. That's when I started making weekly to-do lists. Every Sunday night right before bed, I would sit down and on a simple Word document cranked out what I needed to accomplish each day. I also put meetings and special events on the days. As the day progresses, I cross off the item as I complete it. At the end of the day, I can see what got done and what didn't get done. 

This evolved in to me creating a list at the beginning of the week with broader goals. For example, I might want to finish the instruments for my writing study this week. In order to do that, I need to add a fifth scale to the pre- and post-surveys on Monday, edit the content analysis instrument on Tuesday, and upload the pre- and post-surveys to Qualtrics on Thursday. Now, I have weekly goals and daily goals. But, I didn't stop there.

Again, this morphed and evolved into monthly goals, but it looks a bit different. I have a timeline developed for each individual project, presentation, or paper (and even the courses I teach). I set an end goal of when the project should be completed, the date of the presentation, or the submission timeframe for the paper. Then, I back track each month all the way to the current month. Starting at the finish line, I begin listing what needs to be accomplished at that time. By the time I finish my timeline, I have an outline of what I need to accomplish each month for each project I am working on. These monthly goals are where I go to get my weekly goals, and the weekly goals become the daily goals. I also give myself some cushion in my timelines to account for "life". This allows me to accomplish what I want well before any deadline, so I am rarely scrambling to get everything done. 

I have yet to attempt yearly goals, but that will change as 2014 begins. I definitely have a clearer vision of what I would like to accomplish in 2014. I am using my research agenda to drive these yearly goals.

Overall, setting the monthly, weekly, and daily goals has made me exponentially more productive. Even when I don't completely finish a goal in the timeframe I have planned, I still accomplish more than I would without goals. 

More 2013 Lessons coming soon...