Category Archives: time

ruthlessly realistic with annual plans

Posted on October 4, 2021 by pat thomson

Ah, another new academic year. Time to make plans. Take stock. Write goals. Start filling up the diary. Given the disruption we’ve experienced over the last eighteen months, it’s really tempting to think that it’ll be possible to get back … Continue reading →

Posted in pandemic, planning, time | Tagged calendar, diary, Pat Thomson, planning, time | 2 Comments

missing working at work?

Posted on September 6, 2021 by pat thomson

Eighteen months of working from home. Or WFH, WTF!! as you will now hear me say. Often. I want to WAW (work at work). I’m not desperate about it yet, but I really do miss WAW. Pre pandemic, a whole … Continue reading →

Posted in office, pandemic, place, time | Tagged academic writing, Pat Thomson, place, time, WAW, WFH, writing place | 4 Comments

finding time to write

Posted on March 15, 2021 by pat thomson

Recently I’ve been focused on goal setting and planning. It’s down to lockdown I think and the need to be realistic about what can be achieved. One of the things I’ve not mentioned is time. In particular, writing time. I … Continue reading →

Posted in research diary, targets, time, tiny targets, writing goals | Tagged goals, targets, time, writing goals, writing targets | 3 Comments

getting into writing – again

Posted on November 2, 2020 by pat thomson

I usually don’t have a lot of trouble writing. I’m lucky I know, but my capacity to just get on with writing is also because I’ve got a lifetime writing habit. However, even the most hardy of habits can be … Continue reading →

Posted in mental space, music, place, space, time | Tagged academic writing, headspace, Joanne HArris, mental space, music, Pat Thomson | 6 Comments

book writing – an occasional post

Posted on April 22, 2019 by pat thomson

I’m up against what is now a very tight deadline. It would have been OK if I hadn’t been away from broadband for all of January when I was at home in Australia. No wifi was an unforeseen glitch. It … Continue reading →

Posted in academic writing, book writing, deadline, time | Tagged book writing, deadline, Pat Thomson, structure | 6 Comments

counting down to #thesis completion

Posted on February 25, 2019 by pat thomson

Many PhDers are under pressure to complete their research and thesis within set time frames. In the UK where I work, studentships are generally only for three years with a fourth unpaid year of ‘thesis pending’. This roughly equates to: … Continue reading →

Posted in academic writing, completing, thesis abstract, thesis introduction, thesis revision, time | Tagged academic writing, calendar, completing the thesis, timeline | 9 Comments

writing more than one thing at the same time – part three, managing

Posted on September 10, 2018 by pat thomson

Writing several things at once is often called multi-tasking. This is a term I try to avoid, as it focuses on an action – ‘tasking’. Tasking has two problems – first of all, it doesn’t really highlight the thinking involved … Continue reading →

Posted in academic writing, academic writing voice, authority in writing, reflection, reflection on learning, time, writing and thinking, writing more then one thing at once, writing regularly | Tagged academic writing, Pat Thomson, reflection, reflection on learning, time, writing more then one thing at the same time | Leave a comment

looping – a free writing strategy for generating ideas

Posted on August 20, 2018 by pat thomson

Free writing is probably the most common and talked up strategy for getting your writing going. Free writing is when you write continuously without stopping. It is often used in conjunction with a timer – the pomodoro. Free writing is … Continue reading →

Posted in academic writing, free-writing, ideas clarification, looping, time | Tagged free-writing, looping, Pat Thomson, time and task | 6 Comments

writing regularly – matching time and task.

Posted on August 6, 2018 by pat thomson

You’ve all heard the advice that it’s good to write regularly. Perhaps it was phrased this way – productive writers write a lot because they write regularly. You’ve been told that you can get a lot done if you just … Continue reading →

Posted in academic writing, time, Tiny Text, writing regularly | Tagged Pat Thomson, regular writing, time and task, Tiny Text | 11 Comments

two things that made me think this week

Posted on September 7, 2017 by pat thomson

Last weekend brought the inevitable long Saturday newspaper read – that’s a thing in our house. We only buy one paper a week and we do like to sit down and savor it the morning it’s bought. We leave some … Continue reading →