Planning for a Productive Summer

For many faculty researchers, summer looks like a wide open space where one can achieve all of those goals that needed to be sidelined during the busy year. But, oftentimes, come the end of the summer, these same researchers look back wondering "where did the time go?" and feeling disappointed at all the goals they didn't meet.

According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, this sense of regret that faculty feel at the end of the summer is often attributed to unrealistic expectations and a lack of planning at the start of summer. So, as we have the end of the spring semester in our sights, here are some tips for planning a productive summer:

Plan ahead:
This seems obvious, but in truth many faculty put off planning their summer till after their grading is done and the academic year is wrapped up. But, by the time they feel like they've recovered from a hectic spring, weeks of their summer have passed with nothing to show for it. So, although you are in the throes of the semester, try to find time to sit down and map out your summer before it begins.

Be realistic:
Although summer seems like a great expanse of unstructured time, it's not that long. When you start adding up time for vacation, conferences, childcare, planning for the fall semester, you find your summer is whittled down from the start. So, when planning out your summer, first factor in all those things that are going to take time to begin with, identify what you need to complete this summer to feel good and productive about the summer, and work backwards to plan how you will achieve it. Set benchmarks every few weeks to keep yourself on track. If you find you're having a hard time keeping up, revisit your plan and rework it so that you can still feel productive.

Set a rhythm:
For your research and writing time, create a structure or a habit to keep with it in the summer. Identify when you will write or research (best to pick when you are most productive in your day), choose the days and hours you will commit, identify where you'll do your work (e.g., a home office, your university office, or a coffee shop), and use that rhythm to stay at it.

Take time off:
One of the worst scenarios for the academic's summer is they flail trying to get so much done, aren't able to accomplish what they want, and come back in the fall feeling exhausted and defeated. To avoid this, make sure you give yourself some time off, some time to relax and clear your head. You'll actually find that if you have this time, you can be more productive when you come back to your work.

So, as you head toward the end of the semester, take some time to plan for a fun and productive summer.

Resources:
Making Summer Work - Audrey Williams June
How one Professor Avoided Summer Slump - Audrey Williams June
How to Make Time for Research and Writing - Chronicle of Higher Education