236: [Emotions And Writing Series] Combating Writing Guilt [RE-RELEASE EP 12]
Sep 24, 2024
Explore the emotional challenges of academic writing, particularly the crippling guilt that hampers productivity. Discover how this guilt disproportionately affects female academics. Learn practical strategies to transform writing from a burden into a fulfilling endeavor. The importance of crafting an Academic Mission Statement is emphasized as a tool for reframing one's relationship with writing. Enrich your teaching and research by integrating writing more positively into your academic life.
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insights INSIGHT
Guilt Kills Writing Productivity
Guilt and overwhelm are named the two biggest killers of writing productivity in academia.
Guilt erases inspiration because people avoid tasks that make them feel bad.
insights INSIGHT
Guilt Vs. Shame In Academia
Women in academia often label their negative writing feelings as guilt while men more often report shame.
Guilt centers on 'shoulds' and obligations, which demotivates rather than correcting behavior.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Draft An Academic Mission Statement
Write an academic mission statement using methods, population, phenomenon, context and the change you want to make.
Revise the mission statement at least every six months to keep your purpose clear.
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Today’s episode is a re-release of episode 12 of the podcast.
Listen in as I explore one of the most challenging emotional obstacles to academic writing: guilt.
Guilt is the biggest killer of writing productivity. When you feel guilty about something, all inspiration or motivation to complete that task evaporates. Who wants to spend time working on something that makes us feel bad?
Academics, particularly women, often grapple with the overwhelming burden of guilt when they fall short of their writing goals. In this episode, I not only shed light on the pervasiveness of this guilt but also provide practical strategies to transform your mindset and make writing a more positive and fulfilling part of your academic career.
I also review the importance of an Academic Mission Statement as a tool to help reframe your relationship with writing. By clearly articulating the change you want to make in the world through your work, you can start to see writing not as an obstacle but as a central and motivating part of your scholarship. I also share tips on integrating writing into your teaching and research and discuss the importance of investing in yourself and your professional development.
Don't let misplaced guilt hold back your writing and publications! Tune in for insights on managing and overcoming guilt in academic writing.
Our 12-week Navigate: Your Writing Roadmap® program helps tenure-track womxn and nonbinary professors to publish their backlog of papers so that their voice can have the impact they know is possible. Get on the waitlist here!
Cathy’s book, Making Time to Write: How to Resist the Patriarchy and Take Control of Your Academic Career Through Writing is available in print! Learn how to build your career around your writing practice while shattering the myths of writing every day, accountability, and motivation, doing mindset work that’s going to reshape your writing,and changing academic culture one womxn and nonbinary professor at a time. Get your print copy today or order it for a friend here!
If you would like to hear more from Cathy for free, please subscribe to the weekly newsletter, In the Pipeline, at scholarsvoice.org. It’s a newsletter that she personally writes that goes out once a week with writing and publication tips, strategies, inspiration, book reviews and more.
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