A handful of links – July 2014 edition

Here are a few links I found interesting in the last few weeks. Do leave a comment if you have any thoughts on what these links present!

» What is paragraph re-planning?

I found this article via Twitter, directing to the Writing For Research site (highly recommended, by the way!). In fact, I saw it circulate many times before I actually clicked on the link to find out what “paragraph re-planning” meant. The first times I saw this mentioned, I’ll admit that wasn’t that interested, given its slightly boring title. But when I noticed that this link was tweeted and retweeted again and again, I grew curious. Don’t fall in the same trap as I did, and do not wait to go read about this  strategy, also called reverse outlining. I have not tried it yet, but I plan to do so soon. This approach sounds relevant to avoid what can happen when you work on long texts: that the front-end and back-end of the paper are not well aligned and drift apart, or that the focus of your paper gets lost.

» A primer on the Pomodoro technique

You’ve heard about the famous Pomodoro technique, but are not quite sure what it is and how to use it? Follow this link, and all your questions will be answered! I’ve tried this approach, which is built on blocks of 20, 25 or 30 minutes of focused work, and it has its merits. I’ve found particularly useful when I felt stuck with a text, as a way to get going.

» How to spend the first 10 minutes of your day

A quick read on the HBR blog, on a practice used in the culinary world, that of mise en place – French for getting everything in place – and how it can be translated in work settings. It speaks to the importance of rituals, especially morning rituals, in the daily practice of writing.

» How to get motivated: A guide for defeating procrastination

Procrastination happens. We can laugh about it, surrender to it, or despair (I’ve done all three, sometimes at the same time). Or we can try to see why we are avoiding the task at hand. This detailed poster maps in visual form the ideas developed in a book called The procrastination equation, by Piers Steel. I had never heard about this book, and have not read it, but the visualization includes many of the elements associated to procrastination, with a series of anti-procrastination tips. It thus offers a nice overview of procrastination, and of what you can try when you want to overcome it.

» The really obvious (but all-too-often-ignored) guide to getting published

Key tips on publishing that are worth being remembered, discussed by a seasoned researcher who has been author, reviewer and editor.