Do you find that you always forget ‘all of the things’ you need to do? – and people are getting fed up with you because of it? Are you finding yourself overwhelmed – just because you need to keep all these things in your head? Well, hold on to your seat, because I’ll let you in on the top easy ways I use to-do lists and task managers for greater productivity!   Task managers in a nutshell   What is a task manager … you say? Well, a task manager is a fancy way to say a ‘to-do list’. It is a repository for all your tasks (big or small) that may also be ordered by category and/or ..read more

  Have you ever been curious about time tracking, but not sure where to start? (or why do it?) Well, I’ve been religiously time tracking for going onto four years, so I can share a few tips and tricks with you (as well as the dark side of time tracking).   What is time tracking?   Time tracking is the simple practice of making note of how you spend your time. For example, you could simply use a notebook (e.g. 9-11 am Monday: Writing ARC grant). The difference between time tracking and time blocking is that time blocking is usually done in advance of a task (e.g., as you are plan ..read more

People often ask me – what do you actually do for work? Understanding what goes behind the scenes of ‘non-traditional’ occupation can be tricky. Society as a whole is used to the 9-5 model, so how can reading books in bed count as work? In today’s blog post, I dive deep into what my life as an editor looks like. Perhaps you are considering becoming an editor yourself, or you’re a fan of reality TV and have that voyeuristic curiosity. Anyhow, let’s get into a week in the life of an editor (yours truly!).   Monday   I don’t usually work on weekends, but I ended up working last Saturday ..read more

  For my first blog back from a writing hiatus, I want to start with baby steps and walk you through my weekly reset routine. Like many of us living through COVID, you might feel like your life is a bit … chaotic. And perhaps you don’t have as much brain power as you used to. But there is no excuse not to get organised, because this weekly reset routine is dead easy! So, let’s jump in!   Why conduct a weekly reset?   A weekly reset is simply a dedicated time and routine where you get to tidy loose ends and plan for the week to come. The thing is, many of us leave ‘decluttering ..read more

Today, I dive deep into how my financial management practices have helped me during COVID times. I recommend the Profit First method for business financial management, which you can learn more about here. If you want to learn more about my money story, and how I went from being a PhD student who was afraid of money to becoming a #moneyboss, check out my interview on Emily Roberts’ podcast, Personal Finance for PhDs. I also dive deep into the importance of having your financial ducks in a row in my blog post on How to Plan Your Escape from Academia. The post My Super Duper Tricks for Business F ..read more

Today I dive deep into how you can prioritize your life and work (using a simple wheel of life exercise) and how you can tackle the perfectionist & people-pleaser in you to prioritize tasks more effectively! If you would like more in-depth tips on how to prioritize, check out my blog post on how to clear your calendar for good.   You can also watch the other videos in the series below: How I Set Up My Day for Maximum Success     The post How to Prioritize Your Life & Work appeared first on Dr Lucie Bland | Writing Coach & Editor ..read more

In this video, I discuss How I Set Up My Day for Maximum Success. Here is a link to the productivity system I use: https://www.todoist.com/ If you want more info on how to use Todoist, you can check out this blog post! The post How I Set Up My Day for Maximum Success appeared first on Dr Lucie Bland | Writing Coach & Editor ..read more

I don’t know about you, but following months of COVID isolation, I am feeling pretty bummed out. Winter has reached the shores of sunny Australia, and every day seems drearier than the next. Sounds familiar? It’s easy to get bummed out with life and work when there isn’t much light at the end of the tunnel. So today, I wanted to share the journey I’ve been on, reflecting on the nature of my work and falling in love with my work again! (despite all the bad news)   Where are you at?   Most of us around the world have been spending a lot more time at home, a lot less time with friends a ..read more

I am writing this blog post at 3 pm on Friday and I am finding myself reflecting, closing my affairs, and planning for the week ahead. I feel peaceful, on track, and in control. Has it always been like this? Hell no! I could have called myself the Queen of Friday Afternoon Cramming in the past, trying to tie up ALL the loose ends and paper submissions before the week was up, and my work often leaked into the weekend. So, what has changed? Well, I’m going to let you in on how I keep myself on track every day, so I can stay serene and productive, and keep that cramming monster at bay.   Are ..read more

I have to admit, in the current COVID-19 season, I have been experiencing a lot more workdays than usual. But I won’t berate myself over those. So, how do I turn my poo workdays around?     Avoiding the poo workdays   Like for many things I life, the key to minimizing poo workdays is prevention.   By sticking to some simple productivity routines (such as the ones I highlight in this post), I’ve managed to reduce the occurrence of bad works days.   Helpful productivity practices include sticking to a small, realistic to-do list; working according to your biological rhy ..read more