Jacquie Tran

randomrantings:

DAY 2: Forming positive writing habits

1. Choose a customary writing site. Form a habit of dedicating this space to your writing. Some have a site to prepare for writing and then another site for actually writing. Also think of a backup writing site in case your regular spot is unavailable. Make any necessary improvements to your site, like cleaning old stacks of paper off your desk, getting an ergonomic chair, etc.
2. Make a writing schedule. For many of us, we fall into a permanent state of “waiting” to write as in a day on the weekend, in between classes, or that summer break. Then we sit down to write for hours upon hours. No wonder PhD writing becomes a cumbersome task! 

1. For a few months, I was really enjoying the separation of office and home by only doing my PhD work in the office/on campus. However, I have since dubbed my office “distraction central” because it is a shared office. I’m very social, and if there are other people around, my tendency is to chat! So I’ve been spending a lot of time working from home to get through my writing tasks. (I still like the idea of separating home and work in terms of physical as well as mental space, so I think I will have to *gasp* become an early riser to make use of the morning hours when there isn’t anybody else around…) At home, I write in two places - either at my computer, or at my study desk with old school pen and paper.
2. I’ve got a broad writing schedule for my confirmation documents, which says that my current focus should be on rustling up a second draft of my lit review/research proposal, and working on a formal oral presentation. Broadly-speaking, I am goal-driven, and my task system is reasonably well-established. As a result, I don’t reference my writing schedule very often, but as a matter of habit, I regularly drop my writing tasks right into my existing system and that seems to be working so far.
   
   Key recurring tasks include: free writing (10 mins, 1-3 times on writing days), reading and annotating articles (depending on my schedule, I aim to get through 3-6 articles in any one day), transcribing annotations into Evernote (it’s basically a lot of typing, but as a very visual person, I find it works in some sneaky way to help me remember what I’ve read), and section-specific editing.
   
   Also, the days that I’m actually at uni/working on my PhD vary from week to week, because I just don’t like that kind of rigid “M-F, 9-5” structure to my schedule. I aim for four day work weeks, but with my writing deadline only one month away (yikes), I have been averaging five day work weeks and will probably bump that up to six days per week from here until the end of June. Working days can include a weekend day if it strikes me as a good opportunity (it sometimes does!), and this framework gives me the flexibility to take a day off during the traditional working week without guilt, if I feel that’s what will help me recharge. Again, with my writing deadline looming, I write or complete tasks that contribute to my writing (e.g., reading and annotating articles, mind mapping) on all working days.

randomrantings:

DAY 1: Understanding feelings about writing

According to Belcher, “learning to talk about writing is an important key to becoming a productive writer” (p. 2). The first step to overcoming a writer’s block/writing anxiety is to understand your relationship to writing. Hopefully you’ve picked out a paper to revise, write, or condense. Think about this particular paper. If you haven’t no worries! Think about academic writing in general! Then share with the group the answers to the following questions:

1. What feelings come up when you think about writing?
2. What are some negative feelings that arise?
3. What are some positive feelings that arise?

Don’t forget to tag your post #phd tumblr support group!

1. Thinking about academic writing bores me, to be honest! I am not typically intimidated or nervous about writing academic pieces, but I find it difficult to motivate myself to get going. I think most of it comes from my dislike for the formulaic process that is involved in writing scientific papers (I’m a sport scientist). I write copiously, introspectively, creatively, for my own satisfaction. On the other hand, I view academic pieces as process tasks, things that I must do to achieve a greater aim (the accumulation and then practical application of knowledge).

2. Boring, tedious, extensive, time-consuming! But more than that, I feel negatively about scientific writing because it is primarily formulaic, and exceptionally passive! In my field, there is incredible overuse of terms such as: “suggests”, “implies”, “may illustrate”, “tends to”, “may explain”, etc. Of course, there is a core tenet of science which has cultivated this writing style, that nothing in science is ever “proven”. In the sport science literature, there are few who actively push the envelope to state their own thoughts and ideas. Those that do are almost always the established researchers with a significant body of work and literature behind them. But it is my opinion that even early career researchers have independent and valid thoughts, substantiated by their reading, research findings and experience, which they should be encouraged to express more assertively.

3. The formula can serve as a bit of a cheat’s way of getting started. Though specific sub-headings develop over time, I find that the generic “rationale/aims & hypotheses/methodology/results/discussion/conclusion” subheadings are, at the very least, a starting point for categorising references, as well as my own thoughts and ideas. Most of my positive feelings about academic writing come about at completion ;)

So accurate.

Thanks randomrantings for setting up the official 60-Day PhD Writing Challenge!

Guidelines for ASSIGNMENT #1 for the 60 Day PhD Writing Challenge:

1. Pick what manuscript you want to work on. It can be a new manuscript/revision/thesis/dissertation chapter/lit review, etc. Be sure that the writing project you choose will have a definable end point such as complete article, chapter, or a certain number of words so that you can feel a sense of accomplishment at the end of the 12 weeks.
2. Decide a reward for yourself at the end of the 12 weeks for if you complete the challenge.
3. Decide a fee if you do not meet your writing goal by the end of the 12 weeks.

Here are my responses:

1. I’ve been working on my confirmation documents (literature review, research proposal, research plan, oral presentation, verbal defense) since early April. I’m aiming to have them completed and ready for submission/presentation by June 30. After June 30, I’ll decide on a new writing piece to begin work on - probably the first draft of a thesis chapter :)
2. Reward at June 30 if goal is met: July road trip! 3-4 days away from it all :)
3. Fee if goal is not met at June 30: No “lie-ins” for a week. This happens basically every morning where I wake up and lie in bed for 30-60 mins, indulging my laziness. I enjoy it, but it definitely gets in the way of getting things done sometimes! And having to relinquish this joyous activity as a potential fee will be a strong extrinsic motivator for me, because boy oh boy do I like my bed… #unintentionallydirty

Bring on Monday: Day 1!

wiggly-days:

I love a good mind map and a bit of self-mockery. So adding two and two together, I pinned the “Swanson Pyramid of Greatness” to my pinboard at uni a couple months ago. I look at it every week and it makes me smile like :D

I blog about nearly everything else in my life, so why not blog about the lessons I am learning on the path to physical mastery? Some parts of this may sound a bit “fluffy” and “philosophical”, but to know me is to know that cynicism and logic walk right alongside me everyday. I can at least promise that I’m not trying to convert you to some unfounded, baseless way of thinking about physical training and movement. I am a scientist, after all ;)

On March 11, 2011, I attended my first karate class. It’s been more than 4 years since I was involved as an athlete in organised “sport”, though I have quickly learnt that karate (as all martial arts) is not sport but a way of life. The turning point all those years ago was rupturing my ACL (“blowing my knee”) during a game of basketball; the injury required two surgeries and a full knee reconstruction. The full story is for another day. What is important for right now is that I let the fear of re-injuring my knee dictate and diminish my level of physical control.

Stepping into that first class, with no martial arts background whatsoever, quickly revealed how many musculoskeletal flaws I have been excusing or blatantly ignoring. But rather than feeling discouraged, I finished up that class feeling like I had taken an important first step into fully realising my own physical potential.

This particular topic has been of interest to me for many years. In searching for further education to help me improve as a corrective exercise practitioner, I came across the work of Scott Sonnon. His physical grace in movement, calm instructional style, and systematic approach to training from his “field” experiences and deep knowledge of evidence-based practice fitted in so well with exactly what I felt was lacking in my “next-level” knowledge. In February 2011, I purchased Coach Sonnon’s Prasara Yoga manual and DVD, and found myself leaning into the discomfort, “shaving off the tension”, willingly. Practising a single flow from his DVD (“forest flow”) has helped me improve my hip mobility during a period where I’ve spent most of my days sitting in front of a computer, chipping away at my PhD. It has also given me the mental space and time away from all the stresses of life; I feel rejuvenated after each Prasara session, not because I spend the time in dedicated meditation but because I am focused on expressing that which is inherent in me (and in all of us): movement.

Now, I find myself about 7 weeks away from my first karate grading. Of course, I’m eager to do well, as well as I can. Two months since beginning karate, I know I have a lot of work ahead of me to prepare for grading, and then to progress onwards. I still feel limited by my flaws (physical and psychological), though every week I feel like I am unlocking another door…

In addition to the specific technical skills and skill sequences (kata) that I want to refine ahead of grading, I am acutely aware that I have a clear road ahead that requires me to improve every aspect of my fitness if I am to get to the next stage of my physical development. So trusting Coach Sonnon’s experience and body of knowledge, I am submitting myself to the Tactical Gymnastics (TACGYM) challenge.

To line up my TACGYM work with my karate sessions, I am beginning the program proper on Tuesday and will follow the 7x4 format for my sessions, so that my “high intensity day” lands on the same day as my 3+ hour karate session, with a “no intensity day” following the next day. Today, I’ve spent most of my afternoon trying to learn four movements which feel entirely new to me, though I hope to feel a bit more comfortable with them when the tough stuff starts on Wednesday!