Author’s Note: I’ve re-posted this article for your perusal as I am on vacation.

Big projects, like term papers or dissertations or what have you, really freak people out. Sometimes I try to give other people advice about getting s**t done. They never appreciate hearing my exquisitely condensed single line of wisdom, so sharp it sings out like a band of angels with knives: Sit down and get to work (dumbass).

If they’re unappreciative a**holes about it, I shrug and walk away. Their big dumb project is their big dumb problem, not mine. But if they’re all quietly sad and hopeless and ask for some expansion on my awesome advice, I will relent and add one shred more: Set a timer for an hour or thirty minutes or whatever you think you can handle without losing your s**t. Sit down and work on the project until the timer goes off. Take a short break, and repeat.

Little chunks that you can see the end of never seem insurmountable, and it’s actually fairly painless to move a mountain from here to way over there if you do it one bucket at a time.

Peg Boyle Single wrote a piece in Inside Higher Ed about how to change your procrastinating ways so’s you can write your dissertation already. It’s helpful advice (and she’s much kinder in her delivery than I am).

Further Reading:

Write or Die V2.0
Getting Past the Overwhelming Wall
Monumental Tasks
A Writing Routine

Posted by Alexa Harrington

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Author’s Note: I’ve re-posted this article for your reading pleasure while I’m on vacation.

I was never concerned as to whether or not today’s school-age kids were going to be considered fully functioning adults someday; anyone who can seemingly mind-meld with a computer (or a cell phone or anything gizmo-ish), understand it, and make it work is probably going to do just fine once they’re let loose on the world.

Despite feeling that kids these days were good to go on the technology front, I was a wee bit worried that the whole writing portion of their lives was headed for much suckage. I was caught in the admittedly old-fashioned (lame!) idea that all forward progress in the land of tech can only lead to less and less well-rounded humans. The telephone, for instance, led to a severe decline in letter-writing. (Of course, the electric light bulb led to everyone staying up later and getting more work done, but let’s ignore that for the moment.)

Clive Thompson’s article in Wired has calmed me down. Thanks to all the e-mail and texting that goes on these days, kids are doing more writing than anyone has since correct cursive and perfect penmanship were qualities to strive for. Now we’ve got technologically savvy kids who can express themselves with the written/typed word like nobody’s business. I’m stoked that society will not be taking one-way trips in any hand baskets.

From the article:

The fact that students today almost always write for an audience (something virtually no one in my generation did) gives them a different sense of what constitutes good writing. In interviews, they defined good prose as something that had an effect on the world. For them, writing is about persuading and organizing and debating, even if it’s over something as quotidian as what movie to go see. The Stanford students were almost always less enthusiastic about their in-class writing because it had no audience but the professor: It didn’t serve any purpose other than to get them a grade. As for those texting short-forms and smileys defiling serious academic writing? Another myth. When Lunsford examined the work of first-year students, she didn’t find a single example of texting speak in an academic paper.

Posted by Alexa Harrington

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Arjun Muralidharan, aka the Productive Student, has a list of 14 ways college students can strive for greenness on Earth. You’ll want to do them all to slow the destruction of the planet, but you’ll actually do them to save yourself some coinage.

14 Ways to Be a Greener Student (and Save Money Doing It):

-Eat less meat or go vegetarian
-Do more efficient laundry
-Buy groceries with less packaging
-Eat out less
-Buy a greener computer
-Optimize your commute
-Decompose organic waste
-Bring your own bag for shopping
-Recycle paper
-Buy recycled notepads and textbooks
-Put old and unwanted textbooks up for sale
-Use a durable water bottle
-Be conscious about lights everywhere
-Reduce and manage electronic devices

Posted by Alexa Harrington

(recycled notebooks)

ConstructionManagementDegree.org has a list of 100 Awesome Business Blogs That Are Better Than an MBA. It’s like a goldmine of information for MBA do-it-yourselfers.

The list is broken down into the following categories:

Small Business and Entrepreneur Blogs and Resources
Marketing Blogs and Solutions
General Business Blogs
Human Resources and Ethics Blogs
MBA Survival Guides and Business Career Blogs
Economy Trends and News
Investing News and Financial Blogs
Resources for Business Women
Online Business Blogs and Tools
Management Resources and Information
Harvard Business Heavy Hitters

Posted by Alexa Harrington

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Campus-dwellers are safely past the Winter Bleak, the March Doldrums, and are now in that half-in, half-out, two-month moment between Spring Has Sprung and Summer Freedom that exists in its own slow-drip cubicle in the space-time continuum. The world is beautiful and there is no end of coursework in sight. It is excruciating. How long is this going to take?!

This may help to put it all in perspective for any higher-education seekers and providers who may be having a difficult time embracing Spring and letting go ever so slightly:

“If I were able to live my life anew, in the next I would try to commit more errors. I would not try to be so perfect, I would relax more. I would be more foolish than I’ve been, in fact, I would take few things seriously.

I would be less hygienic. I would run more risks, take more vacations, contemplate more sunsets, climb more mountains, swim more rivers. I would go to more places where I’ve never been, I would eat more ice cream and fewer beans, I would have more real problems and less imaginary ones.

I was one of those people that lived sensibly and prolifically each minute of his life; Of course I had moments of happiness. If I could go back I would try to have only good moments. Because if you didn’t know, of that is life made: only of moments; Don’t lose the now.

I was one of those that never went anywhere without a thermometer, a hot-water bottle, an umbrella, and a parachute; If I could leave again, I would travel lighter. If I could live again, I would begin to walk barefoot until autumn ends. I would take more cart rides, contemplate more dawns, and play with more children, If I had another life ahead of me.

But already you see, I am 85, and I know that I am dying.”

Variously attributed to Jorge Luis Borges and Don Herold (via Ben Casnocha)

Let go a little, people. I promise you it will all work out.

Posted by Alexa Harrington

As of yesterday, students, scholars, faculty, and librarians needing to research the fields of Islamic Studies, Social Work, Criminology, and the Classics have available to them the Oxford Bibliographies Online. The first four modules were launched on Monday, with more to come.

Here’s what the people at the Oxford University Press had to say about their new product:

In recent years, the explosion of original research and its increasing accessibility through new technologies is a blessing for scholars—but also a tremendous challenge. For faculty, students and librarians querying new areas of research, the most pressing challenge for researchers at all levels is sifting through and managing the immense amount of material available online. “With the growing ease of digital access and dissemination, scholars and students are increasingly overwhelmed by the enormous volume of academic material available to them,” noted Nigel Portwood, OUP’s Chief Executive. “The need for responsible and sophisticated filters has become critical. Oxford Bibliographies Online represents a significant step forward in providing meaningful navigation through the vast body of research material accessible on the web.”

Oxford Bibliographies Online—a series of intuitive and easy-to-use “ultimate reading lists” is designed to help users navigate vast seas of information. OUP’s first online-only product goes beyond search algorithms to present bibliographies in several disciplines selected by leading subject experts and vetted by the highest professional standards.

According to Casper Grathwohl, VP, Publisher of Reference and Online Products, “An increasing amount of scholarship is bypassing traditional publishing channels. OBO is one of several ways in which publishers are extending their reach beyond their own publishing models to validate good research in a new world of unregulated online scholarship.” Oxford Bibliographies Online will help scholars increase productivity, save time and elevate the quality of their work, while enabling them to more efficiently engage with platforms like Google Books.

I rarely cheer the idea of having to pay for information, especially research (scholarly or otherwise). However, I dislike the gallons of time I’ve spent with a numb ass and eyes glued open in a trancelike attitude, searching and searching for the articles I want and require until everything either looks perfect or utterly worthless.

And, lest we forget, we all pay money for books, journals and access to the Internet. I’m fairly certain that those all count as paying for the information we want and need. And, seriously, it’s worth the money if it will cost you less time. We are very busy people! Also, you can try it out for free before you jump.

Posted by Alexa Harrington

“A website + desktop app for people who want to learn, but lack motivation.” So say the Popling folks. It’s free, so trying it out won’t cost you anything. Go ahead, give it a whirl.

Lifelong fan of index-card learning that I am, I support the basic idea. I threw out (recycled, sorry) at least three full grocery bags of standard, white, lined, 3 ½ by 5, index cards when I finally felt I was done with school for a while. It took me longer to ditch the cards than it did for me to cleanse my bookcase of superfluous science and math reference texts. (I really like school and have a hard time letting go. It’s sad, in a pathetic, non-poignant way.)

However, a pop-up index card showing up on my screen would never work for me. I’m such a focused little sucker, and except for my very first semester of college, have never had a problem motivating myself to study. There were several Saturday-night interventions involving the housemates and/or the whole dorm hall peer-pressuring me into going to a party and laying off the books for a few hours.

Because I am such a badass focus-er, I dislike being interrupted. Seriously. I will rip your throat out. I allow only three interruptions without annihilating the messenger: fire, choking, spurting flesh wound. If it’s a slow bleed, you should probably wait because I’m only interested if it’s arterial.

But that’s me. I’m nowhere near normal. Most people would appreciate the Popling technology. Especially unmotivated humans with short attention spans.

All right, all right. Sorries all around (especially to my clearly neglected progeny). Popling’s good points: They have over 10,000 flash card sets covering 150 topics. And should you want to create your own set, you can do that, too.

Posted by Alexa Harrington

Studying for the California Bar exam? Have an extra $1000 burning a hole in your freshly-law-degreed butt-pocket? Then by all means check out BarMax: California Edition. One of the only iPhone apps to cost that much money, its creator, Mike Ghaffary, a JD/MBA ‘06 Harvard grad, says it has everything one might require to study up for the bar.

Ghaffary has an MBA and as of December 2009, is a member of the California Bar; so he’s got that whole I’m business savvy and I studied for and conquered the bar exam thing going for him.

As with all things iPhone, it’s portable and weighs a lot less than the fifty pounds of books you’d be buying and dragging around town if you were to go the dead-tree route. So handy! Also, if you contact BarMax, they’ll send you a free trial version so you can evaluate the materials before forking over a decade’s worth of ramen money.

BarMax: California Edition, available now in the iPhone’s App Store for $999.99, is a study guide for the California Bar Exam. Harvard lawyers oversaw development of the app, which weighs in at 1 GB and includes outlines, lectures, a study calendar, and real questions and essays from previous exams. The only comparable app available now is from BarBri, but you must be enrolled in the company’s $3000 to $4000 classes to use most of the features.

TechCrunch reports that Mike Ghaffary, a former law student and current director of business development at TrialPay, envisioned BarMax as an alternative to BarBri’s pricey classes and digital offerings. Ghaffary partnered with successful app developers in Los Angeles, and enlisted some fellow Harvard Law alumni to guide development. More…

Posted by Alexa Harrington

There are days when one must finally succumb to reality and admit that despite the intense need and desire to beat the To Do List into submission, the day that was once full of productivity possibility is FUBAR to the fullest extent of that term and Plan B is the only viable option.

Below please find Plan B (what I do when everything goes all to hell). It’s a re-post. Not good at reading between the lines? Please see FUBAR above and apply it to my day.

Sometimes you have to just give up on getting any real work done. This was excruciatingly true yesterday and today, when Seattle had some “snow days,” (I use the term loosely). Seattle is a city with little or no annual snowfall, which means there’s not much by way of snow removal equipment. Also, Seattle is basically a collection of hills all lumped together. Not as bad as San Francisco, but it’s not like driving through snow in the flatlands of Kansas, either. All of which means that a few pathetic inches of frozen white stuff shuts the whole damn city down.

This is what happens: We get a few inches of snow, which is slush by late afternoon. Nighttime comes around 3:30 p.m. (oh how I wish I were exaggerating), the temperature drops, the slush freezes, and the whole city is one giant hilly ice rink. Most Seattleites are transplants from California, like me, and can’t drive for s**t on anything but freeways (Southern Calif., not me) or foggy country roads (Northern Calif., me). Although, I’d like to see anyone try to drive up the steep hill I live on when it’s covered with a solid inch of ice.

My husband and I like to drink our morning caffeine on snow days while standing by the front windows, watching car after car attempt to make it up our hill. They always give up and have to try to look cool (and like they know what they’re doing) while trying to back—braking—down an icy hill. It’s never pretty, and that’s why we park our cars around the corner where no inept, ice-driving chuckleheads will smack into them as they slide back down the hill.

A snow day in Seattle also tends to mean that the icy roads have hosed the school bus routes. Which means delayed or non-existent school days. And while I do love to spend the day trapped inside with my offspring, I don’t get any work done. About mid-morning yesterday I started to get that panicky, today-is-going-to-be-a-complete-waste feeling. That particular flavor of panic always makes me cranky. I dislike an unproductive day. I tried to work, but it’s hard to finish a thought (intelligent or otherwise) when tiny humans are asking you a seemingly infinite number of questions.

I was this close to snapping and turning into the fire-breathing version of myself when I remembered the post Gear Fire had up the other day about implementing a Task Kill Day. It’s the holiday season, so I have an a**load of tasks to kill. I took a deep breath, gave up on the idea of getting any real work done, and told the kids it was Getting Stuff Done Day. They are 7 and almost-3, so they didn’t really have any tasks to kill other than some artwork and bouncy-ball testing. But because I wasn’t sitting in one place and trying to have long, involved higher thoughts and was instead running around the house being super busy and kicking task ass, they mostly did their own stuff and left me alone.

I crossed several items off of my To Do List that were causing me more peripheral stress than I had thought; when I took stock of how much I’d gotten done, I saw several dark Eeyore clouds lift.

My point is this: if your day is suddenly not going in the preferred productive direction, sometimes redirecting your Unplanned Non-Work Day into a Task-List Demolishing Day can make you feel better and save you time later on. And you’ll be saving others from the cranky version of you, which people always appreciate.

Posted by Alexa Harrington

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Finals were about a month back. I’d be willing to bet a large pile of cash that 99% of all you college students out there were praying to gods you don’t usually summon, swearing allegiance and faith and the future performance of selfless acts if only those gods would save your underprepared asses and help you to pass your finals.

In addition to promising faithfulness to your quickly thought-up gods and to be a better person, you also promised to be a more efficient and organized student. Crap.

The holidays are over, pal, and you’re back at school, already hip-deep in the new term. Which means you’re about two weeks late with creating the new, supah sleek you.

I’m a fully functioning paper-and-pen notebook girl, myself. Should you require organizational inspiration, check out Gearfire’s post, Organisation Porn for the New You.

Further Reading:

Implementing Organizational Resolutions
Getting Organized

Posted by Alexa Harrington

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