The ability to think with clarity is a researcher's greatest asset. But how do you achieve this in practice? How do you find clarity when you've been sitting in front of a blank page for...
Why is writing so difficult?
Writing a paper or a dissertation is for many scientists a real pain in the neck. This week, I talk with Martha Boeglin from Scriptoria about what makes writing so difficult. We share what it...
12 ways to motivate yourself to start writing
Every scientist knows that writing is a priority task, or at least that it should be. Yet many Ph.D. students, postdocs, and professors (yes, professors!) struggle with writing and keep on putting it off. This...
Procrastination and fear of failure
Procrastination is the act of putting off until tomorrow what should be done today. 80 to 95 percent of university students regularly procrastinate, and almost half of graduate students report that they always or almost...
Why do we procrastinate and how to stop?
Procrastination is the action of delaying or postponing the completion of a task. Procrastinators go out of their way to avoid doing aversive tasks. A student at one of my writing workshops told me that,...
How to make the most of your time
One of the things I love about my job is the freedom I have to organize myself as I wish. I can come into the office whenever I want. I don't have a boss constantly...