Summer Planning Part II: From the Mezzanine
(If you now have a Soul Coughing song in your head, we are the same generation)
Friends,
I wanted to say something last week about the police violence against students and faculty on college campuses, and I didn’t because I didn’t know what to contribute when it feels like everyone on the internet is being very loud. Instead of adding unoriginal thoughts that no one asked for to the cacophony of voices, I decided to stick to writing. I hope that the newsletter provides some kind of space for quiet to figure out how to still do work that matters while the world is hard. And for those of you fighting to defend your students and to protect college campuses as a place where dissent and calls for justice can flourish, thank you.
In my little corner of the world, I’ve been having tons of planning meetings with folks trying to get a grasp on their summers. Last week, I shared some ideas for how to figure out the summer vibe you want. So with that in mind, how do you plan your life between now and Labor Day? Mezzanine-level planning.
Here’s what I would do. Think of this as a free mini-coaching session, because I love you and want you to be happy (if you want to do this as a one-on-one coaching session, reach out! We can fix your life, or at least figure out how you can write this summer!).
Ah, the rest
It is good for your brain and your work if you take time to do nothing over the summer. Leave your office! Maybe go on vacation! I’m not saying vacations are not stressful, but they’re a different, special kind of stress: (my husband, today: “you actually think I’m going to camp in Quebec with a cat and a turtle in our tent as bear bait?”)
My advice is to schedule less time to work (like maybe hardwiring a 3-day weekend into your summer calendar), schedule fewer hours for work (maybe your day is 10-3), and also schedule blocks of time when you do nothing at all.
Ah, the nos
During the last summer I was department chair before COVID hit, I led two summer faculty searches. We weren’t under contract, so it was unpaid labor. I did a lot of interviews over Zoom from random hotel rooms while my family had fun on our road trip. The time I had allocated to work on my book got gobbled up by committee meetings. I was resentful. My own research and my ability to unplug suffered. I should have…said no.
Don’t be me! If you’re not under contract, be selfish about your summer! Say no to unpaid shit and professional development “opportunities” that pay $25 a day and give you cold bagels. If you can, course prep before your contract ends and then when you’re back in August. The things on your goal list should be what you own: your writing.
Ah, the goals
Go to a coffee shop, order yourself a nice flat white, and make yourself a list of what you want to have done by September. It’s useful to set safe goals, stretch goals, and reach goals. The baseline? “What will feel like a win to accomplish before school starts again?:
Ah, the planning
So once you’ve done this—said no, gathered your goals, and figured out what other obligations you have, shaved hours/days off your work week, now you need to figure out how to get things done.
In May of last year I finished a whole draft of the book (which was my goal). And then….I didn’t touch it all summer. I didn’t open the file, think about it, keep up on the literature, nothing. Why? My brain was excited I met the big milestone, I didn’t have a to do list for what came next, and every time I think about it I felt like I was staring into the abyss, so I left it untouched. Which made coming back SO painful.
Planning tip #1: schedule regular check-in meetings with yourself. This summer, you’re your own coworker. On your calendar, block off 2 hours every other week to “check-in” with yourself on every project. Open every single file, and see what you did last on the project. Look at every to-do list, and update it.
Planning tip #2: chunk up your work. Let’s say you have 3 projects you’re working on this summer—an R and R, a grant, and a co-authored paper. Call them A, B, and C.
Here are two plans that can help you move those ahead:
Plan one:
Week 1 Touch every project, see what’s going on, make really good to do lists.
Week 2 Spend Monday, Tuesday, Thursday on Project A. On Wednesday, work on whatever your heart wants to work on, and on Friday take a break
Week 3 Spend Monday, Tuesday, Thursday on Project B. On Wednesday, work on whatever your heart wants to work on, and on Friday take a break
Week 4 Spend Monday, Tuesday, Thursday on Project C. On Wednesday, work on whatever your heart wants to work on, and on Friday take a break
Week 5 Executive planning week! Touch base, see what’s going on, and then repeat.
OR You can do it by day:
Mondays: Project A
Tuesdays: Project B
Wednesdays: Dealer’s Choice/Executive Planning
Thursdays: Project C
Friday: off
But what if I’m working on one project (like a book or a huge grant project?)
Do the same thing, but figure out how to chunk it by task or part. Maybe A days are reading/engaging in secondary literature, B days are data days, and C days are writing and synthesis days.
Or maybe you can work on discrete tasks across chapters, making A days for chapter 3, B days for chapter 4, and C days for chapter 5. The logic is the same—figure out if you want to work on the for a long period (a week) or shorter stints (days) and then plan your calendar that day.
By having those regular meetings with yourself, you can also adjust course-what is working, what isn’t, what is going to support the next things on your list?
And if you’re feeling tired, take a break. The work will be there.
Alright darlings, next week is the final installment in our summer planning series—how to live your best life when you don’t have teaching and service to cramp your style.
More soon,
Kelly
Housekeeping
You can pre-order my book!
My book will be available for the world to read on June 15, and is now available for pre-order! I’m over the moon about it (and scared because even your favorite editor has overwhelming imposture syndrome when it comes to their own work.)
So many of you have asked how you can support the book—than you! Right now, the best way is to preorder a digital or paperback copy, and to pass it on to anyone else who might want to read it. Here’s the back cover copy:
Democracy Is In Trouble. You Can Help Save It. Here’s How.
In this funny and accessible guide to political activism, Kelly A. Clancy tackles the most vexing question of our time: what kind of world do we want to live in, and how can we make it happen? Based on hundreds of interviews with activists and organizers, as well as Kelly’s personal experience teaching political science and raising politically savvy kids, this book provides insights into what makes change happen, here and around the world.
Part memoir and part handbook, Democracy: A Love Letter is written for busy people with complicated lives. It will inspire you to change your corner of the world—and then give you the tools you need to do it.
Also…
OOO - I have some May travel coming up! First to a retreat on Skywalker Ranch out in California, and then to the retreat Mirya and I are hosting in Mexico City (woohoo!). I’ll be hard to get in touch with for a little while, but will be back after Memorial Day helping you write all the things.
Coming soon - The Book Workshop quarter I is underway, and it’s a blast! If you feel like you’d benefit from a writing community during the semester, there will be a few seats open for new folks to join us in August. I’ll also have information about the fall writers’ circles in early June, so keep an eye out for that.
Editing/coaching - my summer calendar is almost completely full, so if you have any projects that need to get done before September, this is a great time to reach out.
As always, I feel so lucky to have all of you as part of my community—thanks for doing what you do!