staying committed to your system
It happens with almost everything, at least for me.
There's the first blush of: I WILL NEVER LOVE A SYSTEM FOR KEEPING MYSELF ORGANIZED LIKE I LOVE THIS SYSTEM. TOGETHER FOREVER.
And then, we hum along in a sense of comfortable companionship, the system remembering my tasks, me feeling grateful for the system and putting in the work to keep it functional.
And then, sometimes, my attention starts to wander. A new system seems quite attractive! My old system just doesn't have the same spark that it used to! It's not you, Bullet Journaling, it's me!!!!
But I've learned now, over the course of a few of these dating - committed relationship - breakup cycles that there is a BIG cost to switching systems. Not an insurmountable one, but one to consider before you switch.
So if you're feeling antsy with your current system, or are just doing a general "where is this relationship going" check in, here are some questions to answer to see if there is work to be done, if it can be salvaged, and what to look for in a new system!
Am I avoiding using my system, and instead using a makeshift one (or none at all?)
What things am I missing/not doing consistently/losing sight of?
What feels sticky about the current system?
Undone tasks?
Complicated set up
Changing circumstances?
Would you use it again if you could have a hard reset?
Can you hard reset it?
Is there another system that meets more of your needs than the current one is?
But in general, the best rule of thumb for project management systems is: does this require the minimum amount of effort to maintain? How can I make it easier to use and still get the benefits?
Some amount of project management is important - it helps you remember things, keep on track, prioritize important things and not just urgent ones, gives you a sense of progress. But when maintaining the system is as much of a chore as doing the work itself, then something is out of balance. Think about it as a relationship - is it worth it to stay together for the history? Is it worth it to keep the investment and move through this rough patch? Or do you need a fresh start?
writing for all seasons: a March Madness post
there is a lot of talk in the academic writing communities about maintaining a publication pipeline. the idea is that at anyone one time, you have multiple projects in various stages of completion so that you never have a lull in your publishing output. if you’re currently working hard on drafting one publication, another one is out for review, and you’re starting to research or collect data for the third. advice definitely varies by field and discipline as to how many manuscripts you should have in each stage, but everyone agrees - everyone needs to have multiple projects working all the time!!!
and it’s not that i disagree - from every professional standpoint, but i find that the idea of a pipeline really stresses the productivity aspect. you have to keep the pipeline full! never let your well of material run dry! always have something on the go so that you always have something coming out!
instead, i prefer to think about it as a garden. there are some plants that are new seeds, freshly tucked into the soil, there are some that need some pruning, or weeding, to thrive, and there are still some others that are ready to be harvested and shared.
now, practically speaking, that isn’t much of a difference, but i do think that the framing matters here. when things are in a pipeline, it’s easy to see yourself as needing to spend equal amounts of time on all the various pieces - six projects, six writing sessions! or to otherwise need to keep things full because you can’t let it run dry!!
but if it’s a garden, you’re doing it to nourish yourself. you’re respecting that some things take time to grow - you may only need to water your seeds once a week, but you have to do some active weeding in your cucumber patch as it’s really growing. you are hopefully growing things to share - but some things can be just for you, too,. sometimes people drop by to work on a plot with you! but it’s a practice - you are attentive to both the process and the product.
so in this schema, here are my categories for a writing garden, to mix, match, and remix for yourself as you see fit!
seed catalog - these are the ideas! you keep a notebook with all the things you could write about - all the projects you could do that need to have some planning to bring them into existence. i recommend that everyone keep some sort of record of these ideas when the happen upon you - you never know when you might need to answer a question like “what are you thinking about working on next?”
planting/seedlings - these are the projects that are in their first phase- you’re figuring out the requirements! how much time will they need? how much research? what kind of support? a very important phase that’s easy to shortcut or underestimate - but the more planning and nurturing you do in this stage, the better! the right match between project and resources is essential for it to thrive.
growing - these projects are on their way! in different fields, this can have different action steps - maybe you’re collecting data! maybe you’re drafting! maybe you’re in an archive - but the idea is that you’re putting in the time - regular waterings! weeding every tuesday! these take the majority of your attention - but each project needs something a little different. and anyone who has started TOO many gardening projects in the the early part of the season, only to be overwhelmed by labor in the late summer knows that it’s important to keep some constraints - not everything can be getting all your attention all the time.
harvest - projects that are getting ready to share. these could be publications you’re getting feedback on, or polishing yourself - it’s sort of like looking at a bushel of tomatoes and deciding whether to make sauce, or a lot of tomato sandwiches. sometimes you do all that work to grow something, only to need to change the outcome. but making sure that you’re putting what you’ve done to work - sharing, cutting up and distributing into other projects, teaching, important lesson for yourself - it all has value.
fallow - sometimes, a project has a fallow time. you could be waiting after submitting to a journal, or blocked by a problem in the data, or waiting on some research. letting a plot lay fallow is a purposeful time of regeneration, even if it doesn’t look like much. having some areas, some ideas, some skills, or some projects that are resting can be really useful - and essential if you want your garden to be sustainable over the long term. you can’t just plant and plant and plant in the soil and expect that everything will grow equally well - you need to give back in terms of nutrients, and rest.
a pipeline implies that there’s a product and that’s the main goal - but a garden is an ecosystem, the way you take care of it matters. the season matters. the amount of time, and light, and water - it all makes a difference. and matching up your resources with your goals is the most surefire way i know to make sure that your writing practice becomes something you can do sustainably, and that is one way to make sure that your garden, so to speak, serves you (and your community!) season after season.
systems audit
I’m a sucker for a new planner - just like I’ve always been a sucker for a new notebook, or new project management system, or new anything. I love tools, I love trying things out, I love learning new software and stretching my skills.
And more often than not, I see clients who are struggling with their organization/project management systems fall into one of two categories:
They stick with a system that isn’t working because they’re afraid to invest a bunch of time in something new.
They jump to the shiny new system anytime they experience a slowdown in their work, slowing their progress down even more.
Maybe you spend all day setting up your planner because that’s what you’ve always done. Or maybe you’re spending all day importing your to do’s into Asana, or Notion, or a bullet journal, and it FEELS productive. It feels like moving forward! And if the system is right, everything else will follow and you’ll never have another wasted moment, right??
But the cold hard truth is this:
The perfect system will not prevent you from procrastinating. It will not guarantee that you never miss a deadline again. It will not insulate you from stress, anxiety, or other yucky feelings. Even a perfect system won't fix the problem if it doesn't address the problem.
So it might be time for a systems audit - what are you using to keep track of your projects? Your to-dos? Your calendar? Your contacts? Your citations? What are you using, and is it working?
Here are my best tips for making sure you aren't over-investing in a system that isn't working for you, or doesn't address the core issue:
Set a time limit on how long you can reasonable experiment with a new system - when will you check in and evaluate how the system is working?
Limit how many hours you want to invest in setting up a new system - if it takes longer than that, maybe investigate systems with lower complexity.
Keep track of how long you spend managing the system. Does it reduce over time? Does it invite you to procrastinate or mess around perfecting it, rather than actually getting to work?
How do you feel when using it? See if it makes a difference - write smiley (or frown-y) faces on a post it note, or use a mood tracker - to determine if it adds or reduces yucky feelings.
Does it fit naturally into your routine? Or are you (after your set amount of time) going out of your way to use it even though it doesn't flow?
It's okay to abandon a system. It's okay to try something for a while and then realize it isn't for you. Get clear about what isn't working, and try something else. Because ultimately, the system isn't the one doing the work. You're doing the work. Give yourself credit, and feel good about only using the tools that make the work easier.