I’ve always found summer to be a tricky time as an academic. Once I explain to well meaning family and friends that I don’t “Get the summer off” and I’m finally done grading, it’s time to roll up my sleeves and get to work. Or at least that’s how I’d like it to go in my head. In reality, there’s typically some putzing around between the end of the semester and really getting into a summer flow. Then there’s the incredible expectation that you’re going to complete ALL THE THINGS now that so much time is freed up from instruction ending. And not far behind is the wonderful guilt and dread that you’re not maximizing your summer productivity the way you should. Oof. It can be a lot. And then you look up and the fall semester is about to start again.
This year was the first time in a long time that I handled the transition pretty smoothly, and it finally feels like a summer that will be filled much more with anticipation and excitement than anxiety and existential dread. So cheers to finally figuring this summer academic thing out! Naturally I want to share some of the things I’ve learned in the hopes that you’ll be able to get the most out of your summer. This piece ended up being longer than anticipated so I’ve broken it into two parts. Enjoy!
Part One: Starting Over & Setting Intentions
1. Execute a Hard Reset
Traditionally I see a dip in my productivity and motivation right after the semester ends. I think I’m just really tired; physically, cognitively, and emotionally tired. So I struggle to just jump right up and start cranking out summer tasks, because I feel drained. And then that creates the aforementioned guilt about not doing enough. The hardest part for me is contending with the long unstructured days. During the semester I need to be on campus every morning by 9 or 930am. In the summer I might have a meeting in the afternoon but that’s it. As a result my mornings tend to extend longer and longer at home. This is a trap. And luckily this year I did something different that broke the cycle and gave me a clean slate. I went home.
I went home to Virginia Beach the first weekend in June. It was lovely to see friends and family and relax, but more than anything it helped me create a clear boundary between the end of spring semester and the start of my summer. I returned to Ithaca with more clarity and focus, and was prepared to start tackling my summer goals.
The second part of this hard reset involving completely rebuilding my daily routines and plans. It was no longer effective to try and edit my spring schedule because too many things had changed. I decided to craft a schedule and routine that best fit my new goals and expectations. Here’s the key part. Define your summer goals based on the real YOU. Not the fantasy super productive summer hero version of you from your dreams. I don’t know what it is about summer that makes us all think we’re suddenly the productivity version of the hulk. “Hulk SMASH this deadline! Hulk conquer ALL of to-do list!” Nah. We’re Bruce Banner on our best day but with 0 of his 7 PhDs.
Create systems and habits based on the current version of you, not the ideal version of you. Make realistic goals based on who you are and what will make you the most satisfied at the end of the summer. What amount of work or things accomplished would make you say, “Aah job well done. I did that!”? Figure out what THAT is and then reverse engineer your routines to meet those standards.
2. Start each day with intention
I watched this video on YouTube about how Benjamin Franklin structured his day and I was greatly inspired. During the summer when schedules are in flux, it can be tough to nail down a good routine. There were many parts of Franklin’s daily tasks that were worth copying, and the most impactful one for me was how he started each day. Every morning he’d take a moment and ask, “What good shall I do this day?”.
I think it’s a very succinct and direct way to inquire how you will utilize the day before you. It’s so easy in grad school to just feel like you’re running around putting out fire after fire. Oh…and your bucket has a bunch of holes in it. Oh…and an accelerant was used so new fires keep popping up despite how many you’ve put out. I learned that I needed to take a moment to pause. I couldn’t keep rolling out of bed and grabbing my bucket and sprinting off like a mad woman. I needed clarity, focus, and intention.
So I set an alarm every morning on my phone. It doesn’t wake me, it’s programmed to go off after I’ve been up for around an hour. The alarm says “Set Intention”, mainly because “What good shall I do this day?”, is too long for the text limit. Now this is different than a to-do list. My daily intention is never a group of tasks. It’s always something a bit more abstract, more of an attitude or mindset that will influence how I will tackle the tasks of the day. For example, if I have a bunch of writing to do my Intention is something like, “Be Diligent & Disciplined.” This sets the tone for everything I do during the day. So if I’m scrolling social media on my phone during a block I’ve dedicated to writing a manuscript a little voice in my head will ask, are you being diligent and disciplined? And it’s the nudge I need to refocus on my goal. In a way, it’s really about making a commitment to myself in the morning and then following through.
This exercise provides the boundaries that I need to have a productive day. And it’s also important at the end of the day to re-evaluate how well I stuck to my intention. It’s day to day motivation and accountability rolled into one; a win-win.
That covers 2 out of 4 tips, stay tuned for more.
To be continued in Part Two.