Your Career: Stymied By Too Many Projects at Once

Is a writing commitment you made, with good intentions, now standing in your way? ADVERTISEMENT [Your Career Logo]( Did someone forward you this newsletter? [Sign up free]( to receive your own copy. Is a writing commitment you made, with good intentions, now standing in your way? One of the most common barriers to writing productivity is “multiple-project paralysis” — that is, when you have so many potential or actual projects that you are unable to make headway on any of them. Project paralysis is often caused by a single problematic writing commitment that is gumming up the works. To avoid that project, you allow other commitments to accumulate around it. Then nothing gets done because you believe you “should” be doing that one nagging project that you don’t feel ready, willing, or able to do. Here’s how to get unstuck: - If a certain stalled project is the reason for your multiple-project paralysis, it might help to free-write about why you don’t want to do it. What is frustrating, repellent, or scary about it? What kinds of writing myths does it stir up? - Keep free-writing until you come to some kind of resolution: Do you want to do it? And if so, can you now recommit to it as an A-time project? Can you reframe it so it is less onerous to you, and more like dessert? - Sometimes you just have to accept that a vexing project is standing in your way. It may be time to let it go. Continue reading: “[How to Cope With Multiple-Project Paralysis]( by Joli Jensen Share your suggestions for the newsletter with Denise Magner, an editor at The Chronicle, at denise.magner@chronicle.com. If you’d like to opt out, you can log in to our website and [manage your newsletter preferences here](. ADVERTISEMENT SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHRONICLE Enjoying the newsletter? [Subscribe today]( for unlimited access to essential news, analysis, and advice. Latest Career Advice, Opinion, and News LEADERSHIP [Harvard’s President Will Step Down After a Tumultuous 5 Years]( By Nell Gluckman [STORY IMAGE]( Lawrence S. Bacow oversaw the university’s response to the pandemic, sexual-misconduct scandals, and challenges to the combative Trump administration. SPONSOR CONTENT | Salesforce [The Digital Campus: How Higher Education Technology Solutions are Elevating the Employee Experience]( ADVERTISEMENT ADVICE [I Wrote a Book in 30 Days. And You Can, Too.]( By Rachel Toor [STORY IMAGE]( There is no easy street when it comes to writing, but this strategy may help you finish. ADVICE [The Provost Files: In Search of the Right Mix of Manager and Leader]( By George Justice [STORY IMAGE]( How does the scale of the institution affect how you do the job of chief academic officer? TWITTER TEMPEST [Georgetown Reinstated Him After a Controversial Tweet. He Quit Anyway.]( By Tom Bartlett [STORY IMAGE]( The months following his viral message on social media were a nightmare, and Ilya Shapiro was relieved to be able to start his new job. But he decided he couldn’t do that. POLITICAL PRESSURE [How Diversity Became a Bad Word at One State’s Public Colleges]( By Chelsea Long [STORY IMAGE]( Across South Dakota, some professors and administrators say a hostile climate is driving them to quit. CAMPUS TURMOIL [Penn State Professor Who Clashed With a Student at a Vaccine Rally Will Keep His Job]( By Isha Trivedi [STORY IMAGE]( Oliver Baker won’t be fired for a campus altercation last August that left a counterprotester with a bloody nose. FROM THE CHRONICLE STORE [New Pathways From College to Career]( [New Pathways From College to Career]( The world of work is constantly changing and colleges are under pressure to help their graduates successfully make the transition from classroom to career. [Order your copy]( to examine the shifting recruitment landscape, the rise of remote work, and persistent inequities in employment outcomes for students. SPONSOR CONTENT | Rochester Institute of Technology [Preparing Students for Successful Careers in the Emerging Economy]( “Let’s challenge the status quo of how we encourage young people to evaluate academic programs.” What we’re reading. Here’s more on career issues and trends from around the web. See something we should include? [Let me know](mailto:denise.magner@chronicle.com?subject=Your Career feedback). - In The New York Times, a [report]( on the “potential dark side of a white-hot labor market.” - An [article]( in the Harvard Business Review explores “10 red flags to watch out for” in job interviews. - On Science magazine’s website, a [first-person essay]( about dealing with a powerful adviser who behaves inappropriately toward a graduate student. More Career Resources [The Future of Academic Libraries]( [STORY IMAGE]( UPCOMING: June 13 | 2 p.m. ET: Scott Carlson, a Chronicle senior writer, will guide a discussion with library directors about the evolution of libraries as campus spaces. More on this can be found in his recent report “[The Library of the Future]( With Support From Occuspace. [Register here.]( [Curricula for the Future]( [STORY IMAGE]( UPCOMING: June 15 | 2 p.m. ET: The skills required to succeed in tomorrow’s job market are constantly evolving. In this virtual forum, experts will discuss with the Chronicle editor Liz McMillen what colleges can do to prepare students for future jobs. With Support From USF. [Register here.]( PRESIDENTIAL PAY [Executive Compensation at Public and Private Colleges]( By Julia Piper and Brian O’Leary [STORY IMAGE]( The Chronicle’s database includes the latest salary information, plus years of data, on more than 1,700 chief executives at more than 600 private colleges and nearly 290 public universities and systems. DATA [Almanac 2021-22]( [STORY IMAGE]( The Chronicle’s 2021-22 Almanac provides a snapshot in data of how colleges and universities have fared, along with a glimpse of the issues and trends they might wrangle with in the future. JOB OPPORTUNITIES [Assistant Director for Research and Evaluation]( Massachusetts Institute of Technology [Professor of Research on Learning and Instruction]( ETH Zurich [Associate/Full Professor of International Business]( The Sonoco International Business Department, Darla Moore School of Business, University of South Ca [Executive Director of Communications and Marketing]( Indiana University: College of Arts & Sciences [Three-Year Teaching Term Position, Director, Master in Philosophy in Humanities]( Memorial University of Newfoundland [Assistant Professor of Biology]( Saginaw Valley State University [Search other jobs.]( NEWSLETTER FEEDBACK [Please let us know what you thought of today's newsletter in this three-question survey](. This newsletter was sent to {EMAIL}. [Read this newsletter on the web](. [Manage]( your newsletter preferences, [stop receiving]( this email, or [view]( our privacy policy. © 2022 [The Chronicle of Higher Education]( 1255 23rd Street, N.W. 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