Many of you will be taking the opportunity of the semester break to catch up on your writing. How can you do this in a way that is mindful and productive? After all, you still want your break to be a break – not just a continuation of an overburdened work schedule. You also want to begin the new semester feeling like you accomplished something over the break and not guilty and stressed by all the things you promised yourself you would get done and didn’t.
I suggest that you devise your own writer’s retreat. We can all remember an occasion where we wished that we could complete our manuscripts in an idyllic vacation-type setting. While a retreat might imply travel to a distant, secluded location in order to focus on your writing, you can easily replicate a retreat locally. Doing so will certainly soften the blow of spending your break working while providing a time where you can focus exclusively on your writing without distraction.
The first step in structuring your DIY writing retreat is deciding what you would like to accomplish. Do you want to finish an article? Write a literature review? Next, figure out how much time you have. This knowledge will help you to determine whether your writing goal is realistic. Third, ask yourself if there are other tasks you must complete during the break. Perhaps you have a new course to prep or advisees’ manuscripts to review. Consider all that needs to be done and then calculate how much time you can spend writing – and still have downtime.
Now that you know how much time you have for a retreat, there are a few additional steps to take.
Create a schedule: Set aside time every day for your retreat – preferably the same time each day. Work in this order: write, break, edit.
Find a space that is only for writing: The point of a retreat is to go away and focus exclusively on your writing. Of course, expense is a very real obstacle; so think of what you can do for free. Do you have a friend (or advisor) who is traveling for the holidays? Ask if you can housesit. Perhaps you’re the one traveling. If staying in a hotel, ask if there is an office space used by people traveling for business. Over a holiday, it will most likely be under-utilized – perfect for you to sneak in an hour or two of writing. Another option is your university’s library or local public library. There will not be many patrons over break, and you can probably secure a space that you can go back to day after day. If those options are not viable, then clear a space in your home to be used exclusively for writing – even if it’s not a space you would normally use.
Create a sense of seclusion: Shut off your phone. Disable your Wi-Fi access. Keep your door closed. Alert your housemates to the fact that you’ll be working on a project and cannot be interrupted. If working in a public space, put on headphones.
Have all your materials handy: Don’t spend the first hour of your retreat looking for your style guide or the article you thought you had saved on your desktop. Organize everything you’ll need beforehand. This of course requires that you have a plan for what you intend to write each day of your retreat.
Track your progress: Track the amount of time you stay on task and the results you achieve. You may select number of words written or completion of a section, chapter, etc. How you measure results is up to you.
Create structures of accountability: Find a writing partner. Make a checklist so you can visually display the tasks you accomplish. Plan to present at a writing group after your retreat is over.
Give yourself rewards and incentives: This is a retreat, not boot camp. Normally, writers’ retreats are in secluded, beautiful locales where meals are prepared for you, and you can work in a community of like-minded, supportive writers. You can simulate some of those conditions at home. Have a supply of your favorite tea or coffee on hand. Make (or order) a nice meal. Reward yourself with a treat when you reach a milestone. In short, create an environment where writing is an activity you look forward to, rather than a burden.
Writing is one of our most important tasks as academics yet it gets the least dedicated attention because the deadlines are often self-imposed. One of the most valuable outcomes of a writing retreat could be to change your mindset towards writing – to treat is as something worthy of scheduling instead of cramming in between all of your other obligations. The time in-between semesters provides a good opportunity to make writing your top priority. Even if it’s only for a day or two, having something tangible that you’ve accomplished over the break will be a good boost and set you off on the right foot for the new semester.
I suggest that you devise your own writer’s retreat. We can all remember an occasion where we wished that we could complete our manuscripts in an idyllic vacation-type setting. While a retreat might imply travel to a distant, secluded location in order to focus on your writing, you can easily replicate a retreat locally. Doing so will certainly soften the blow of spending your break working while providing a time where you can focus exclusively on your writing without distraction.
The first step in structuring your DIY writing retreat is deciding what you would like to accomplish. Do you want to finish an article? Write a literature review? Next, figure out how much time you have. This knowledge will help you to determine whether your writing goal is realistic. Third, ask yourself if there are other tasks you must complete during the break. Perhaps you have a new course to prep or advisees’ manuscripts to review. Consider all that needs to be done and then calculate how much time you can spend writing – and still have downtime.
Now that you know how much time you have for a retreat, there are a few additional steps to take.
Create a schedule: Set aside time every day for your retreat – preferably the same time each day. Work in this order: write, break, edit.
Find a space that is only for writing: The point of a retreat is to go away and focus exclusively on your writing. Of course, expense is a very real obstacle; so think of what you can do for free. Do you have a friend (or advisor) who is traveling for the holidays? Ask if you can housesit. Perhaps you’re the one traveling. If staying in a hotel, ask if there is an office space used by people traveling for business. Over a holiday, it will most likely be under-utilized – perfect for you to sneak in an hour or two of writing. Another option is your university’s library or local public library. There will not be many patrons over break, and you can probably secure a space that you can go back to day after day. If those options are not viable, then clear a space in your home to be used exclusively for writing – even if it’s not a space you would normally use.
Create a sense of seclusion: Shut off your phone. Disable your Wi-Fi access. Keep your door closed. Alert your housemates to the fact that you’ll be working on a project and cannot be interrupted. If working in a public space, put on headphones.
Have all your materials handy: Don’t spend the first hour of your retreat looking for your style guide or the article you thought you had saved on your desktop. Organize everything you’ll need beforehand. This of course requires that you have a plan for what you intend to write each day of your retreat.
Track your progress: Track the amount of time you stay on task and the results you achieve. You may select number of words written or completion of a section, chapter, etc. How you measure results is up to you.
Create structures of accountability: Find a writing partner. Make a checklist so you can visually display the tasks you accomplish. Plan to present at a writing group after your retreat is over.
Give yourself rewards and incentives: This is a retreat, not boot camp. Normally, writers’ retreats are in secluded, beautiful locales where meals are prepared for you, and you can work in a community of like-minded, supportive writers. You can simulate some of those conditions at home. Have a supply of your favorite tea or coffee on hand. Make (or order) a nice meal. Reward yourself with a treat when you reach a milestone. In short, create an environment where writing is an activity you look forward to, rather than a burden.
Writing is one of our most important tasks as academics yet it gets the least dedicated attention because the deadlines are often self-imposed. One of the most valuable outcomes of a writing retreat could be to change your mindset towards writing – to treat is as something worthy of scheduling instead of cramming in between all of your other obligations. The time in-between semesters provides a good opportunity to make writing your top priority. Even if it’s only for a day or two, having something tangible that you’ve accomplished over the break will be a good boost and set you off on the right foot for the new semester.