From Planned to Published [Webinar Sneak Peek]

We all know the end results of a robust publishing portfolio: the jobs you want, the promotions you want, the grants you want… and your voice out in the world and influencing your field. But, to make sure you achieve the publishing success that you are capable of, you need to have a plan. 

In this episode I’m sharing a sneak peek of my webinar “From Planned to Published” that gives you the 3 secrets to publishing success through planning. 

{If you want access to the whole webinar including the workbook, it is included as a bonus for pre-ordering the ebook version of my new book, “Making Time to Write: How to Resist the Patriarchy and Take Control of Your Academic Career Through Writing”. Click here to get your copy and full access to the webinar!}

In this webinar, I am joined by my fabulous coaching team. We will teach you how to use the 3 planning secrets to:

• Get words on the page every week (notice I didn’t say every day?)
• Forgive yourself if you don’t reach that goal
• Unlock the power of ‘task templates’ to jumpstart your projects (and create your own to use moving forward)
• Use your publishing pipeline as an actionable, high-level project plan that increases your impact and builds your legacy

We bring our collective academic, writing, and coaching experience and our feminist viewpoint together to support you in reaching our vision for you: to be confident, calm and collected in work and in life. Let’s dive in.

Secret #1: A Weekly Writing Plan Sets the Foundation For Publication Success

I never recommend writing daily. It’s just not sustainable, and it sets you up for failure and negative feelings around your writing. 1-2 hours per week (just 1 hour to start) is the key to a sustainable, repeatable weekly plan. 

“One hour consistently is [much] more beneficial than 8 hours once a semester in a binge.” -Cathy Mazak 

But even 1-2 hours won’t work if you don’t set yourself up to make it work. Here’s how to do it:

• Put that time on your calendar. This sounds easy, but as we all know, finding that time in an already full schedule can be a challenge. That’s ok. It’s worth it. Put it on your calendar, and don’t put it outside of your normal working hours; it’s not a peripheral task, so it shouldn’t be pushed to the periphery.

• Honor that time. Getting it on the calendar is one thing, actually using that time for your writing is another. If you allow meetings to pre-empt it, or push it off telling yourself you’ll find time elsewhere, it doesn’t work. We’ve found 2 things that help you honor the time you’ve committed:

• Co-writing. Virtually or in-person, with one other person or 50, if the time on your calendar involves other people who are also writing and sharing their goals, you are much more likely to keep those writing dates!

• Mindset work. It’s so important to unlearn what our patriarchal academic culture has indoctrinated us to believe about work, time and priorities. As academics, we are writers and creators, and we need time for our bodies and brains to rest in order to create. We also need to re-learn how to prioritize ourselves, our careers and our writing. Active reflection through mindset work helps! (The included workbook for the webinar will help you work through this)

“Doing things in community and being there for each other is a way that we can meet our goals.” -Cathy Mazak

Secret #2: Project Level Planning Forms the Pillars of Your Publication Strategy

This means developing your project management skills so you can move multiple projects to completion each year. If you are an academic, you are already juggling many projects from teaching to research to service. Managing your publications projects in addition to it all takes skill, planning, and a deep knowledge of how you work and what works for you.

• Break projects down into tasks. Getting the task size correct for you is important! Don’t get caught up in what other people do, break the tasks down to sizes that work for you.

• Estimate the time it takes you to finish each task. This will become easier as you practice, adjust, and learn more about how you work. Again, do not get bogged down in the “shoulds”. Predictability and sustainability always win out over speed.

“You need to figure out how long it takes for you, without judgement, and own it, so that the next time you have to do that thing you get predictability; and that’s what great project management is: predictability.” -Cathy Mazak

For Secret #3 plus a Bonus Secret, and a workbook to help you work through all the planning secrets, be sure to pre-order your copy of “Making Time to Write: How to Resist the Patriarchy and Take Control of Your Academic Career Through Writing” here: https://scholarsvoice.org/ebook-pre-sale/. 

I am so excited (and a little freaked out) to have you read it! Thank you for your support!

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