Maybe it seems obvious that you need to make time to write.
I mean, you’ve been telling yourself that you have to do it for a long time. Your institution certainly stresses it. They want you to write for tenure and promotion. They want you to write so you can get grants.
But even so, writing keeps falling to the bottom of your to-do list.
Maybe that’s because academia has taught you that writing and publishing is something you do for someone else.
Well, I’m here to tell you three reasons why you need to make time to write, and ALL OF THEM have to do with just one person: YOU.
1. Writing gives you confidence
Writing is an act of creation, and all acts of creation make us feel vulnerable. Combine that with the fear of what reviewer #2 is going to say and it can be downright paralyzing.
It’s no wonder we avoid writing!
But now I want you to think about the confidence you’ll feel when your work is actually accepted for publication.
This is no small feat! You got past all the reviewers! A jury of your peers have said: this is worth reading!
The confidence that we get from publishing has a compounding effect. Once you publish something, you’ll want to write more, just so you can feel like what you say has value.
The confidence that we get from publishing our work has a compounding effect. Click To TweetI want you to make time to write so that you can feel this confidence. It will lead to more writing, more publishing, and more of YOUR work out in the world!
2. Writing gives you control
We often think of writing and publication as requirements, enforced upon us by tenure evaluations and hiring committees.
But I want to flip that around and tell you that writing and publishing give you control. The better your publication record, the more control you have over where you get hired, promoted, and tenured. It makes you better eligible for grants, and grants give you leverage at your institution.
Writing more gives you control. And that control feels good (and leads to more confidence!).
I want you to be in control of your career. Driving it forward. Taking it to where you want it to go.
Writing more is the ticket to controlling your career.
Writing more is the ticket to controlling your academic career. Click To Tweet3. Writing shows the world you value yourself–and your message
In order to write, you have to invest time in yourself. You have to hold space in your calendar.
Doing this–investing time in yourself–sends a powerful message to the world about the value that you place on your unique contribution to your field.
And guess what? Your students are watching you. The next generation of educated women is watching you. When you make time to write, when you prioritize publishing, those young women see that you value your work and the message you are sending into the world. And they see that they can value their work and their message, too.
If these reasons for making time to write resonate with you, it’s time to make a change in how you are approaching your writing.
Download my free cheat sheet “10 ways to make time to write” to start making time to write now!
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