Thread by @SJLandes

I gave a presentation on Creating Effective #Writing Habits today as part of the kickoff for our @SCMirecc @Ce_MHOR Scientific #WritersMonth. Suggestions are evidence-based & tested by myself & @EvaWoodwardPhD. Sharing highlights in thread below. #AcWri #AcademicTwitter 1/17

First, "why me?" to share about writing habits? I used to think I was bad at writing & would never have many papers. In my first job, a prolific writer shared many of her writing practices. The red line shows when I changed my writing approach. Definite improvement! #acwri 2/17

Here's the list of writing habits we discussed today - regular writing appointments, tracking, & accountability are my top 3 (although I use all of these!) #AcWri 3/17

My goal for 2020 is to write daily for 1 hour. I schedule the time in my calendar and it can't be deleted. We discussed alternatives if that isn't doable, such as 15-30 mins daily or multiple appointments in a week. #AcWri 4/17

Next up - tracking! Tracking behavior leads to change in all kinds of behaviors (e.g., exercise, smoking cessation, flossing, self-harm). #AcWri 5/17

But what & how to track writing? Lots of options - pick what works for you. Next up: How @EvaWoodwardPhD & I track (wayyyy differently!). Habit tracking apps: lifehack.org/668261/best-ha… #AcWri 6/17

An example of tracking writing: @EvaWoodwardPhD tracks minutes written daily on paper (she doesn't keep these). Low tech, easy to implement! #AcWri 7/17

An example of tracking writing: I keep an excel spreadsheet with minutes written, word counts, paper worked on, & notes. It lets me create graphs of the year for review, see trends, make changes, etc. Message me for excel template. #AcWri 8/17

What if you add an accountability buddy to regular writing appointments & tracking your writing? Things improve, y'all! @EvaWoodwardPhD & I are accountability buddies and we think it has made a huge difference. #AcWri 9/17

So now you want an accountability buddy... who and how? This takes under 3 mins a week for us ~ @EvaWoodwardPhD & I email each Friday with a brief summary & check in. No colleague or friend interested? Try @gretchenrubin's Better app. #AcWri 10/17

Next we talked about how to reduce distractions. Somehow social media was left off the list (guess I love Twitter too much?!). Too many shiny objects = no focused work or writing. #AcWri 11/17

We discussed how having writing rituals can help you settle into a groove (e.g., I listen to "jazz focus" on Google Music or Ben Howard). However, don't get too stuck on these and write when you can! #AcWri 12/17

Once you're writing, then what? Are you writing and creating new content or are you editing? These are 2 different tasks. #AcWri 13/17

I highlighted great writing tips from the book Publish & Flourish by Tara Gray. My favorites are to use key sentences as an outline & to create the abstract. #AcWri 14/17

A final writing tip was to be lazy (after work). Let your brain rest & recharge! Engage in what Cal Newport calls high quality leisure. #AcWri 15/17

We closed with this quote from @jolijensen ~ "In order to be productive we need frequent, low stress contact with a writing project we enjoy" and a discussion of how to use these strategies to change the way we write and work. #AcWri 16/17

These are some of the books that informed my presentation and my writing habits. I highly recommend them all! #AcWri @jolijensen @gretchenrubin 17/17