Season 7 Kickoff: Fresh Starts and Being Intentional (CAL128 S7E1)

In the first episode of season seven, the 10th year the Changing Academic Life podcast, I invite us to reflect on the theme of being intentional about what we want for ourselves at the beginning of this new academic year for many of us in the northern hemisphere, or for any temporal landmark that is relevant for you.

As example and inspiration, Anna Cox from UCL shortly shares her strategies for setting clear priorities, maintaining work-life balance, and managing her remaining 'available time to promise', recognising every yes entails a no to something else. This is a great example of the 'fresh start effect', using the temporal landmark of a new academic year, as talked about by Katy Milkman and colleagues, and reminds us of the importance of creating pauses for reflection.

So how will you be more intentional about your fresh start?

00:34 Introduction

01:27 Starting With Intention

05:28 Anna's Fresh Start 

07:05 Thinking About Priorities

09:01 Available Time to Promise

10:56 Creating Pauses to Think

12:20 Re-iterating Anna's Key Questions

16:29 Wrapping Up 

17:57 Pointers to Other Related Episodes

19:24 Wrapping up

20:31 End

Related links:

eWorkResearch group at UCL and Anna’s webpage and WLB definition 

Dai, H., Milkman, K. L., & Riis, J. (2014). The fresh start effect: Temporal landmarks motivate aspirational behavior. Management Science, 60(10), 2563-2582.

Loleen Berdahl, How to quit promising time and energy you don’t have

See www.changingacademiclife.com for an easy search for the related podcasts: Anna Cox, Marta Cecchinato, Johanna Stadlbauer, Amy Ko, Carmen Neustaedter, Katherine Isbister, Vikki Wright