- Finding Your Science Flow: Yoga Lessons to Increase Productivity
I love my job running a research lab. I love the problem-solving, the creativity, the autonomy. But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have that “hair’s on fire” feeling most days. We’ve now added the stress of living and working through a pandemic to the equation. So how do I trade...
- “Zoom In” to Keep Group Review and Critique on Track
Work-in-Progress sessions (WIPs) are at risk of getting bogged down at the wrong level of feedback, most often focusing on specific edits or details that may not be the top priority, with the focus often driven by those who speak up first.
Several steps can help deploy the gro...
- Paper-Writing Checklists To Prevent Headaches Down the Road
Avoid authorship headaches and streamline the path from data to paper with these checklists.
CRediT Taxonomy
Developed by a group of librarians, information scientists, and the director of the MIT Press, the CRediT Taxonomy allows authors to define precisely the contributions...
- Not that Kind of Investment: Tales of Time Commitment
One of the biggest adjustments in being a principal investigator (PI) running a research lab has been the near constant, usually urgent, demands on my time. Some of these demands are enjoyable (new data!) some less so (Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee protocols, blah...
- How to Protect Your Protected Time
You've just gotten your K award—awesome! 75% of your professional effort is now protected to focus on your research and career development. But wait. What about that class you teach, or those days your department expects you to be in clinic, or the students whose dissertation ...
- A Project Management Approach That Works
Problem: A picture is worth a thousand words….
The Goal: Implement a project management strategy that allows you to easily organize and synthesize data, track progress and strategize future efforts.
Enter my strategy…the Storyboard! I admit it…I am a Storyboard junkie! ...
- Recipe for Hosting a Manuscript Sprint
A manuscript sprint harnesses the power of peer accountability and review to get a manuscript from zero to out the door in 6-8 weeks. We all have competing demands that keep manuscripts on the back burner. This method forces you to make progress on your paper every week.
Ingred...
- The Power of Pause: How to be More Effective in a Demanding, 24/7 World
Count to ten! Take a deep breath! But what next? These time-tested techniques are often not enough when conflict threatens to jeopardize a project, although Nance Guilmartin does use this advice as a first step.
Guilmartin suggests that we get “curious, not furious," leading...
- Regrouping to Gain Resilience & Resolve
Scenario*:
Early career faculty member with perfect academic pedigree and several strong first-authored publications.
Currently at mid-point of second year on tenure track.
Rushed resubmission of career development grant.
Did not incorporate advice and or use availa...
- Productivity Tip #7: Reclaim Your Meeting
How often do you hear a colleague say, "I’m so excited to attend today’s group meeting," or a student remark, "How is it possible that my group meetings are so stimulating and engaging?"
What’s that? You’ve never heard anyone say those things? Me neither. I dread meetings ...
