#Undistracted writing professional

I remember rarely having any such thinking time when I started out as a professor, but now I find that my daily keystrokes can lead to new ideas. It also offers an opportunity for deep thinking. And by keeping me focused and in practice, it has improved the quality of my writing and made the process much more enjoyable.

I have in no way mastered the writing game, but my 1-hour workday has certainly increased my academic output. Instead of the frustration that frequently plagued me early in my career, now-no matter how work proceeds after IвЂ™ve completed my writing time-I go home at the end of the day with the satisfaction of having accomplished something. This routine has transformed my work life. It is in my calendar and on my to-do list, with details about which paper and section I will be working on. I plan my early morning writing the night before. IвЂ™ve found that, like hitting a ball in golf, regular writing is easier if I tee it up. This is usually about an hour, some days a little less and some days more. IвЂ™ve developed something of a ritual: I wake up early, make an espresso, and write until IвЂ™m spent-or until distractions like email or the dayвЂ™s deadlines and meetings start to intrude. I call it the 1-hour workday, referring to the short, sacrosanct period when I do what I see as the вЂњrealвЂќ work of academia: writing papers.ДЇirst thing in the morning is when IвЂ™m at my mental best, and when IвЂ™m still most in control of my time, so I now use the first hour of my day to write. IвЂ™ve since developed my own version of this approach. When I asked them what their secret was, I found that they prioritized doing small amounts of focused writing every day. But as the years passed, I noticed a few senior colleagues who published with impressive regularity and always had a paper in the works. вЂњI wake up early, make an espresso, and write until I'm spent.вЂќДЄt first I thought that this kind of frustration was routine for academic researchers. And when I did find the time after an extended stretch away from writing, the warm-up period to get back into the paper was often long, further slowing my progress. I simply could not find time in my day for undistracted writing. Despite working like a madman, my productivity as measured by paper output was meager.

#Undistracted writing professional

To get ahead, I took on any opportunities that were offered, including membership on various editorial boards and professional committees. I had classes to teach, relationships with new colleagues to navigate, a lab group to assemble, and an infant at home-not to mention research to conduct and papers to publish. When I was an assistant professor, I felt constantly overwhelmed.