How a Busy Harvard Professor Finds Time to Write
by Patricia Flynn Weitzman, Ph.D.
Most people facing the challenge of writing a dissertation have, at one point or another, despairingly thought, "How the heck will I keep up as an academic, if just getting my dissertation written feels so tough?"
Indeed, an academic career requires the constant juggling of writing responsibilities with teaching, committee work, mentoring, and a personal life. Such a juggling act can be tricky to say the least, but there are those who pull it off quite successfully.
Take, for example, Dr. Hannah Riley Bowles, Associate Professor of Public Policy at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. Dr. Bowles has published widely in premier academic journals, and she won the Kennedy School's 2003 Manuel Carballo Award for Excellence in Teaching.
Dr. Bowles currently serves as the faculty director of Women & Power, the Kennedy School's executive program for women leaders. In addition to her myriad professional accomplishments, Dr. Bowles is also the mother of an almost 3-year-old daughter, so she is very adept at the complex balancing routine required to be a successful academic and an involved parent.
Who better then to pose the question of how to keep up with academic writing responsibilities than someone like Dr. Bowles? Here's a summary of our conversation:
1) How do you manage to be so productive?
Discipline is most important. I look for chunks of time for writing. After I get off the phone with you, I go directly to a meeting. Scheduling things this way allowed me to spend this morning working on only one thing.
Discipline is most important. I look for chunks of time for writing. After I get off the phone with you, I go directly to a meeting. Scheduling things this way allowed me to spend this morning working on only one thing.
2) Do you have a writing schedule?
Yes, but it changes from day-to-day.
Yes, but it changes from day-to-day.
3) Where do you do your writing, in your office or your home?
Either place. I carry my laptop with me wherever I go so if my daughter is napping for 20 minutes, I write.
Either place. I carry my laptop with me wherever I go so if my daughter is napping for 20 minutes, I write.
4) So you do your writing on the fly?
No, you really can't do good writing on the fly. But if you don't do some things on the fly, you'll never have a chance to write. You have to schedule your writing time.
No, you really can't do good writing on the fly. But if you don't do some things on the fly, you'll never have a chance to write. You have to schedule your writing time.
5) How do you balance writing with teaching?
The hardest part in balancing writing and teaching is saying no to students. I really care about my students; I've been engaged and available to them. But you really need to make sure you say no to certain things-- and sometimes they're the things that are the most fun part of the job-- in order to discipline yourself so that you get the other stuff done.
The hardest part in balancing writing and teaching is saying no to students. I really care about my students; I've been engaged and available to them. But you really need to make sure you say no to certain things-- and sometimes they're the things that are the most fun part of the job-- in order to discipline yourself so that you get the other stuff done.
I think that's very important for an ABD student. There are a lot of things you can do as an ABD: you can go to seminars, you can teach in classes, there are a million things you can do with that unstructured time. But you need to impose structure on your time. You need to impose structure on unstructured days.
For example, these are the tasks I'm going to accomplish today, these are the tasks I'm going to accomplish in this three-hour period, etc. That's what I mean by discipline. I really am quite disciplined. I remember some of my friends in graduate school. They needed to be writing at their desks, they needed to have their teacup right there, but life really doesn't allow for that.
6) How do you keep yourself in a disciplined place? If you feel yourself drifting away from that discipline, how do you bring yourself back?
Self talk, like "You're screwing up, get back to work!" [Laughter].
7) Do family obligations ever interrupt your writing time?
Yes, and then I lose writing time. I'll try to wake up early to cover it. My ideal would be to wake up at 4am each morning and write for 3 or 4 hours before my daughter gets up. But that assumes you have a daughter who goes to bed at a reasonable hour [laughter].
Yes, and then I lose writing time. I'll try to wake up early to cover it. My ideal would be to wake up at 4am each morning and write for 3 or 4 hours before my daughter gets up. But that assumes you have a daughter who goes to bed at a reasonable hour [laughter].
8) What do you think about this concept of work/life balance?
It's a profound question. I think the person who views work/life balance in terms of happiness, and the person who views it in terms of meaningfulness; well, they are two very different things.
It's a profound question. I think the person who views work/life balance in terms of happiness, and the person who views it in terms of meaningfulness; well, they are two very different things.
If you are really working, and trying to be an engaged mom, it's very messy and exhausting. But if it's really about feeling like you've got meaning in your life, well throw out some sleep and physical comfort, and throw in a bit of stress-- but you feel it's meaningful, so ultimately your cup runneth over. I don't know if you call that balanced, but you can be fulfilled in multiple dimensions of your person.
9) What advice would you give to academics early in their career about productivity?
I think the critical thing is that you schedule large blocks of time to write. Your days can get eaten up. You need to schedule large blocks of time, but at the same time, if you have a half hour here and there, you need to take advantage of it.
I think the critical thing is that you schedule large blocks of time to write. Your days can get eaten up. You need to schedule large blocks of time, but at the same time, if you have a half hour here and there, you need to take advantage of it.
Focus is also really important for people starting out. You want to do good stuff that takes thought and time. You can get pulled into too many directions. You need to pick a few things that you really care about, and dig into them. There's the good advice that you need to pick a research stream, and not just be writing a paper.
10) Do you schedule "think" time?
You have to. You need to say this morning is about X. If you find yourself frittering away time with lots of meetings, you're not going to go anywhere. Sometimes I think really hard about something, very focused, for about 45 minutes, and then I'll need to take a break. If I've thought myself into a corner, then I'll take a break. I think you need to be very self aware, though, and know if you're work-avoiding when you take a break.
You have to. You need to say this morning is about X. If you find yourself frittering away time with lots of meetings, you're not going to go anywhere. Sometimes I think really hard about something, very focused, for about 45 minutes, and then I'll need to take a break. If I've thought myself into a corner, then I'll take a break. I think you need to be very self aware, though, and know if you're work-avoiding when you take a break.
11) How much do you think your dissertation prepared you for your academic career?
Oh, very much so. It's fundamental. Of course, I had a lot more to learn, but my dissertation was basic to the research I'm doing now. I think people who don't write dissertations that become the basis for their future research, that's a tough way to start. You have to build off of your dissertation. You're really working on creating a foundation for what you ultimately want to do.
Oh, very much so. It's fundamental. Of course, I had a lot more to learn, but my dissertation was basic to the research I'm doing now. I think people who don't write dissertations that become the basis for their future research, that's a tough way to start. You have to build off of your dissertation. You're really working on creating a foundation for what you ultimately want to do.
So, take heart ABD students, you're in very good company. Even a Harvard professor can find it challenging to attend to her writing! It's also nice to get confirmation from Dr. Bowles that the simple strategies of discipline, focus, structure, and scheduling really do work. Moreover, the way that Dr. Bowles survives the stresses of working motherhood by connecting to its meaningfulness might also have use for ABD students. When the going gets tough, you might try following her lead.
For example, remind yourself of the value that completing your PhD will have, not only to you personally, but to the many others who will benefit from your expertise and guidance. Search for what there is to be grateful for in this whole ABD experience. (Surely you are learning and growing a lot.)
Maybe even picture your joy on being awarded your diploma, hurrah! Take a moment to bask in all those happy, appreciative feelings and images. Then roll up your sleeves and get back to work. It's worth it!
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