Do you have a question for Frank? Please submit it (anonymously) here.
Dear Frank,
Summer is over. OVER. This wouldn’t be an issue if I had taken my self-imposed deadlines seriously and achieved the goals I set for August 1st. Although I’m always working, it feels like I’m constantly trying to catch up. I had planned to submit an article to a top journal in my field before classes started, but the manuscript is far from ready. Do you have any advice for sticking to personal deadlines? I feel like I’m my harshest critic.
Sincerely,
Overwhelmed
Dear Overwhelmed,
August is a difficult month for academics. We all aim to catch up on our scholarship over the summer but often fall short. You’re not alone! That said, there’s a reason so many of us are disappointed with our accomplishments come August. We tend to set wildly ambitious goals, even though summer is typically when family responsibilities ramp up. We also assume that unstructured time necessarily leads to greater productivity, but this is rarely the case. Meeting your own deadlines is only possible if the goals you’ve set are achievable within the timeframe allotted—and if you prioritize and chip away at those goals irrespective of external pressure or the season.
One other point to consider: Many academics are perfectionists, and as a recent New Yorker article pointed out, perfectionism is debilitating. “It’s an affliction of futility, an addiction to finding masochistic refuge in the familiar hell of feeling insufficient. It might not feel good, but it feels like home.” I suggest that you make a realistic plan for the fall semester and stick to it. In the meantime, why not send off that article draft? It may be exactly as ready as it needs to be.
Sincerely,
Frank