Last spring, Hedda R. Schmidtke learned two things that she was certain would help her stave off a summer slump in productivity.
One tip was to be proactive about carving out time for the everyday-life kinds of activities — such as visiting family, household projects, or even doctor’s appointments — that are an inevitable part of summer. The other was to set clear professional goals that can actually be achieved under the circumstances.
Faculty members may plan to get a lot of work done over the break but often fall short of their expectations.
So Ms. Schmidtke, an assistant professor in the department of geography at the University of Oregon, opted to divide the summer into three chunks. It was a move that she says was critical in helping her be able to concentrate on her research in artificial intelligence and cognitive science.
“Research is mentally a very difficult task, and I find the summer term particularly helpful because it allows me to think,” says Ms. Schmidtke, who got her advice about summer planning from senior researchers at a workshop for new professors sponsored by the university and the faculty union.
Here’s how she broke down her break.
Month 1:
Ms. Schmidtke took care of what she calls “private clutter” that had built up in her life throughout the academic year. She renewed her visa, finished unpacking boxes from her move to Oregon, replaced a lost passport, and traveled to Europe to spend time with family and friends.
“I didn’t feel bad about lost time,” says Ms. Schmidtke, who knew doing so would just trigger feelings of guilt that would prove counterproductive down the line. “I just told myself all of this is the clutter of real life, and it has nothing to do with research, but it still needs to be taken care of.”
Month 2:
With her personal life more in order, Ms. Schmidtke went to two academic conferences — one in Europe and another in Canada — where she had been invited to talk about her work. She reconnected with colleagues and received feedback from experts in her field.
Month 3:
Ms. Schmidtke focused solely on her research. Unlike some of her colleagues, Ms. Schmidtke didn’t spend time writing. She ultimately surmised that she could find the time to write during the fall or while on winter break — but only if she pushed her research agenda in the summer so she would have in-depth results worth publishing.
The results:
Ms. Schmidtke submitted a paper about her Summer 2016 research on artificial intelligence during the fall term, but it was rejected. She resubmitted it to another venue after making a few changes, and while polishing it up, Ms. Schmidtke discovered something new in her still-unpublished findings that she’s “really excited about,” she says. Now she feels even more strongly that her summer research period was a productive one.
