The Academic Imperfectionist

Do you know which online tool to use for your expense claims? How about the one for requesting new library resources? Are you sure you used the latest template for your promotion application?  How confident are you that the process for getting essay questions approved is the same this year as it was last year? Are you update with all your online training? My friend, if you've ever thought to yourself 'I'm a bad colleague because I don't know the secret process for completing this simple task', felt frustrated at being asked to attend a webinar in order to fill in an online form, or worried that everyone except you is navigating this Kafkaesque mess, this episode is for you. Because it's not you. It's the system.
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Think you can cope with a two-minute task? How about a zillion two-minute tasks? Do you do them right away, as they come in, to get them out the way? Or do you push them aside and risk forgetting about them? You could write them down to ensure you remember them, I suppose - but wouldn't it be just as quick to do them? But if you do them, how are you ever going to have time to do anything else - finish your thesis, submit that grant application, apply for that job? If you've ever sat down to tackle a quick bit of desk-clearing admin before you get on with the real work only to find yourself exhausted, hours later, having made no progress on the projects you actually care about, this episode is for you. Plug in the vacuum cleaner, friends. We're going in.
Save the World Podcast
In-depth lectures and interviews on issues affecting the continued survival of human...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

How often do you take breaks? Scrolling on your phone while your eyes sting with tiredness doesn't count. Do you even know what sorts of activities you find restorative? Do you remember what being relaxed feels like? And don't give me that 'I'm much happier when I'm busy, honest!' nonsense. If you find it hard to switch off and relax, that's not because you don't need a rest. It's because you're out of practice. But it's a skill you can learn (or re-learn) and have fun along the way. And, importantly, it's something you need to do before you crash and burn. Close that laptop and have a sit down with your Imperfectionist friend. Together, we'll locate your OFF switch.
Save the World Podcast
In-depth lectures and interviews on issues affecting the continued survival of human...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

With all the self-improvement advice that's out there these days, you could be forgiven for thinking that you have no excuse for feeling like your life is a mess. Here's an article about how to identify the right sort of to-do list for your personality type! Here's a quiz to tell you what career path best fits your star sign! Here's a t-shirt design that will help calm your nervous system! Sometimes, though, wading through this information takes more time, attention, motivation, and willpower than you currently have. Perhaps you're too overwhelmed even to open your calendar to see what you've got on today. Maybe even the thought of making a sandwich makes you want to cry.  If that's where you are today, I have you covered. I've boiled down some of my five best insights into little prompts that will take you 30 seconds. Dry your eyes and have a listen.
If you want these sanity-saving microfixes in a form that you can print out and stick above your desk (or crumple up and throw across the room, or rip therapeutically to shreds), you can download it here.
The BBC article mentioned in this episode is here.

When was the last time you made a completely frivolous, inconsequential decision? Some of you, I know, are going to have to think hard about your answer to that. Some of you are all about the drama, in the worst possible way. Missing that deadline means sabotaging your entire career. Forgetting that colleague's name means revealing yourself as a giant buffoon to everyone you care about connecting with. Making the wrong decision about which project to work on next means squandering what remains of your potential. You're so anxious about reaching your goals that you're burning through your energy and your peace of mind. You know you can't go on like this, but you're afraid to relax because that means giving up, failure, and oblivion. 
It really doesn't have to be this way, my friend. Not everything matters. There's room in your life and in your career for playfulness, whimsy, and mistakes without consequences. Make yourself a calming cuppa and settle in for some straight talking from The Academic Imperfectionist.
Save the World Podcast
In-depth lectures and interviews on issues affecting the continued survival of human...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify