Slides from a workshop I ran to help academics be more productive with their writing

1. Writing Skills for
#AcWriteFest15
Image CC BY 2.0 © Sean MacEntee http://bit.ly/1N3ymqR
Andy Tattersall
a.tattersall@sheffield.ac.uk
@andy_tattersall
Orchid: 0000-0002-2842-9576

2. Objectives of the workshop
• Practical tips on how to get more from your
writing
• How to manage your writing and research
(reference management)
• Tools to help you take better notes
• Tools to help you manage your tasks
• Tools to help with digital distraction
*Not every solution will work for everyone

3. 60 second challenge
Think about something you have got to write

4. What are the barriers to writing?
Image CC BY-NC 2.0 © hjl http://bit.ly/1Lvlzwi

5. Writing barriers
General procrastination
Writing environment
Other demands on your time
Other’s demands on your time
Lack of confidence on the topic you are writing
about

7. Image CC BY 2.0 © cheetah100 http://bit.ly/1h5JZ4w

8. “Eat a live frog first thing in the morning
and nothing worse will happen to you
the rest of the day.”
Mark Twain

10. Writing Bootcamp
(How to write 10,000 words in one day)
1) Know what you are going to write before
you write it
2) Set aside a protected time to write
3) Feel enthusiastic about what you are writing
Thesis Bootcamp formula was developed by Liam Connell and Peta Freestone of the University of Melbourne.

11. Know what you are going to write before
you write it
Make a map of what you are going to write -
have all your subheadings ready
Make a mess - then clean it up

12. Use a matrix
Inger Mewburn http://bit.ly/1Xm17oG [Last Accessed 18/11/2015]

13. Set aside a protected time
to write
Block out time in your diary - and stick to it
Find colleagues or fellow students who struggle
to write and form a peer writing group
Find a location where you will not be disturbed
and where temptation to slack is minimal

14. Image CC BY 2.0 © Arjan Richter http://bit.ly/1XlXLSv
60 Second
Challenge

15. Image CC BY 2.0 © Jussi Linkola http://bit.ly/1LZzFYt

16. The Pomodoro Technique
1. Decide on the task to be done
2. Set the pomodoro (timer) to 25 minutes
3. Work on the task until the timer rings
4. Take a short break (5 minutes) then do
another burst
5. Every four “pomodori” take a longer break
(15–20 minutes)

17. 30:30 App
http://3030.binaryhammer.com/

18. Find a quiet focused place

19. Great places to go and write
Western Bank Library
The IC
The Diamond
Cafes
The garden (weather permitting)
Public libraries
Give yourself permission to write away from your desk

20. Reward yourself

21. http://bit.ly/1Ypzs8A

23. The rules of Write Club
Turn up with a piece of work (does not have to
be writing)
Set your goals
Work in silence
No email/distraction
Take a break
Assess your performance
Repeat as often as necessary
Anyone can attend

24. Image CC BY 2.0 © Veronica Aguilar http://bit.ly/1PcDCz8

25. Image CC BY 2.0 © All West http://bit.ly/1QE0g3s
Declutter

26. Mind Maps
Spend 10 Minutes creating a
mind map for a piece of writing
you need to do
Image CC BY 2.0 © Eelke http://bit.ly/1XlZ0kI

27. Tools to manage your writing
21 January
22 January
25 February
1 March
4 March
7 March
11-14 March
18 March
20 March

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31

32. Mendeley
Image copyright – Mendeley.com

33. Mendeley is a free reference manager and academic
social network that can help you organize your
research, collaborate with others online, and discover
the latest research.
Automatically generate bibliographies
Collaborate easily with other researchers online
Easily import papers from other research software
Find relevant papers based on what you’re reading
Access your papers from anywhere online
Read papers on the go, with their iPhone app or the
unofficial Android apps

34. •A web-based reference management system
•Allows you to store references to books, book chapters,
journal articles, websites, etc
•Importing a reference can be as simple as a single click
of your mouse
•You can ‘tag’ references with keywords that will help
you to retrieve them later
•Allows you to both import to, and export from,
traditional electronic reference management systems
including Reference Manager and EndNote
•Allows you to generate bibliographies in formats such
as Harvard, Chicago, MLA and Vancouver

35. •Better still, Mendeley is a discovery tool and allows
you to locate references that other users have found
•You can keep your own references private or make
them public for other users to access
•Can be helpful in drawing attention to your own
publications and any that are generated by your research
project

36. What are the benefits?
Primarily, Mendeley is a SHARED resource - all
members of a research team can access it
Secondly, it is COLLABORATIVE - all the members of
the research team can contribute their own knowledge
and be involved in the information-gathering process
Thirdly, it is MOBILE - you can access your references
from any place that has a computer and internet
connection

37. Mendeley comes in three flavours
Off-line – downloadable software version
On-line Web based, social network, searchable database
version
Mobile via Kindle, Android and IOS version

38. It is free…but you can pay for more
38

39. 39

42. Creating your Mendeley profile
should NOT be a distraction
from writing

43. 43

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45. Remember
Download the Mendeley Guide
http://www.mendeley.com/downloads/Getting_Started_
Guide.pdf
Download Mendeley onto your PC
Install the Web Importer
Add the Citation button to Word
To sync your library!!!!!
Also.
Try looking for peers/contacts/potential collaborators
and them and their references!

49. 49

50. 50

51. http://www.staffs.ac.uk/ask/ [Last Accessed 28/1/0/2015]

52. Stay FocusdAvailable on Chrome Web Store
Image CC BY 2.0 © Artondra Hall http://bit.ly/20cAhna

54. http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-20609-7_68 [Last Accessed 28/10/2015]

55. Relax! You’ll Be More Productive
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/10/opinion/sunday/relax-youll-be-more-productive.html?smid=tw-share&_r=1&

56. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/10/opinion/sunday/relax-youll-be-more-productive.html?_r=0 [Last Accessed 26/10/2015]

58. Useful meditation/mindfulness
resources
• Headspace - Website. IOS, Android, Kindle
App. iTunes. Book. Podcast free/subscription
• Take a Break (Guided meditations for stress
relief) - IOS, Android App
• Calm - Website. IOS, Android App. Book
• Buddhify - IOS, Android App

59. If you use them right

60. Other useful productivity tools
https://en.todoist.com/ Windows, Mac, IOS,
Android, Web
https://www.wunderlist.com/ Windows, Mac,
IOS, Android, Web
https://www.rememberthemilk.com/
Windows, Mac, IOS, Android, Blackberry

61. • The effect of music listening on work performance
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/business/LESIUKarticle2005.pdf
• The Effect of Student Music Choice on Writing Productivity.
http://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED448472
Music to work to – ScoopIt! Page
http://www.scoop.it/t/background-music