Digital-Ethos » Blog Archive » Self-Promotion in Graduate School Part 1: I Love it When a Plan Comes Together

Self-Promotion in Graduate School Part 1: I Love it When a Plan Comes Together

I stated earlier that to promote yourself in the academic arena you needed to have a plan. Before you think I am going to launch into 300 page book on how to plan things in detail this is a much simpler plan.

Get a goal
List the work
Work the list
Complete
Repeat

GOOOOOOOOAL!

You don’t have to have a grand plan for the rest of your life but get a goal. Honestly, what the hell are you doing in your life without a goal? Now, this goal doesn’t have to be a traditional view of success (money, fame, advancement) it can be paint a picture or write a novel no one will read but at least it is a goal. So how do you get a goal? Ask yourself, “What I want to do?” go beyond that and ask, “If I was free of money time and other constraints, what do I want to do?” This is your goal. If you want o get a PhD, then get one. If you want to teach, then teach. If you want anything to do with academia then leave it guilt free.

List the Work & Work the List

Again, I could write a book on ToDo lists. They are a personal obsession of mine but here are a few very simple things. List five (or some other nice round number but try to keep it fewer than ten) steps to your goal. Do those steps. All the rest is blah blah blah. Forget it. Keep things simple and you will reach your goals. You advisor will help yu with these goals. In academia, there can be prescribed steps you have to take to reach certain goals.

Complete

Do stuff. Don’t let inertia win. It is as simple as that stop wasting your life on not finishing things and cross something off the list.

Repeat

Figure out your next goal. Follow the same steps.

Conclusion

I know this sounds horribly simplistic. It doesn’t take into account the near infinite influences on a goal and certainly glosses over the constraints. You can find fault in all of this or you can get on with your plan. I as in a terrible situation a few years ago and I was not letting myself live to my goals. It is a very dark place I never want to go back to. If you are there now, make a goal, any goal and keep reading.

15 January 2007 | Mark Bell, academia, Planning | Comments