Your working environment influences both motivation and writing quality. In this first of a series of Blog posts about writing scientific papers, I describe why writing is environment-dependent and how you can change or choose environments to increase quality and productivity.
Cell phone off – Internet off – Almost ready to write!
The mechanics of writing is all about opportunity and constraint. Take me. I am occupying a temporary workspace at home and I have set aside several hours to make progress on this chapter. My new office will soon be outfitted, and I am waiting for the painter to arrive. Moreover, it’s 8am and I have already planned video-conferences at 10 and 11am. Barring problems with the painter, this gives me just under 2 hours to write…and,…the points to be discussed at the video meetings are in the back of my mind…I am even wondering whether - should the first meeting finish early - I will have some time to write before the second one. There are periods of concentration, moments of anxiety, and fixed meeting times. Productive writing will be challenging.
Distractions are all too common. They can stem from personal imperatives or professional responsibility. They can often be managed. “Am I really expecting a crucial email this morning?” “Could I have organized my meetings so as to leave a larger block of time for writing?” Other distractions are in our immediate environment and appear to be the most trivial. Uncomfortable seating, noise and bad lighting are just a few of the countless derangements. Dealing with some of these is straightforward (adjust chair), but others can be annoying (noisy neighbors), sometimes making it difficult to write. But arguably the most severe distractions come from oneself. Writer’s block, procrastination, incessant breaks. The symptoms can be anywhere from anguish to seeking refuge in something pleasant or easy to do, such as surfing the Internet or checking email.
Solving these opens the doors to effective writing, but only if you really want to write. If you are not somehow motivated, then no matter how you arrange your environment, you won’t write.
First, what motivates you or could motivate you?
Motivation basically comes in two flavors. For some, manuscript writing is exciting and fun. We need no extra motivation, and even work happily despite external distractions. For others, motivation is more reactive than proactive. We don’t enjoy writing and do it because we are responsible and meet deadlines. Improving the environment makes little difference.
Reactive writers sometimes think that proactive motivation is out of reach. One either has it or doesn’t. Nothing can be further from the truth. True, some people are easily motivated. But most of us who are proactive – and this includes myself – are not like this by nature – we are so because we work at it – we anticipate a goal.
Take a minute to consider these two sources of motivation:
· Gaining expertise. We learn every time we write. We learn about science and how to express it in written form. Consider the importance of learning more about your area of research, data analysis and interpretation, and the resolution of a scientific question. Should the writing go more smoothly than anticipated, do you think you can learn why it worked and become a more productive writer?
· Kudos! Consider the feeling of achievement. Of making it to the summit. Do you enjoy the kudos coming from collaborators once you complete the writing and submit the paper? Celebrations when the paper is accepted?
These motivators are not free or easy – they only work if achieving the goal involves work. The climb must be challenging to get some form of excitement and achievement out of it. If the path were a pointless stroll, then you wouldn’t be doing it.
The keys to motivation are recognizing the milestones in your learning and in the manuscript as you climb, and realizing that reaching the summit is more than just to be able to see for miles around. You will have built something special, something new. You will get congratulations and can congratulate yourself.
Second, zero-in on and deal with the distraction
Writing benefits from motivation, but this is conditional on your environment. A good environment provides the means and materials for you to write without disturbance. Regardless of motivation, you probably will get little writing done in a noisy environment. Similarly, if you are not motivated and the source of your despair is not your environment, then remodeling your office will not change things.
Similar to contemplating and working on your motivation, assessing and improving your environment can positively affect your writing. And should your motivational issues themselves be environmentally-related, then improving the latter can potentially transform you from a reluctant, non-productive writer into one who is enthusiastic and prolific.
The first thing you need to do is identify the source(s) of any distraction, and see whether or not it/they can be addressed. This can range from ameliorating the immediate environment, such as bad lighting or an uncomfortable chair, to dealing with the surrounding environment, for example, a noisy neighbor, or more distant, systemic problems such as street noise.
Not all distractions are straightforward to solve. Usually there is less you can do as the problem goes from the immediate environment (e.g., your chair, computer screen), to the surrounding environment (neighbors), and finally to the distant environment (street noise). Even dealing with one’s immediate surroundings can be unpleasant, such as asking an office mate to keep her voice down. Your motivation level is important here. If you are highly motivated and relaxed, then you may regard your disruptive neighbor as a minor encumbrance and cast a friendly look with a “shush” sign. If on the other hand you are unmotivated (and in a state of despair), then your neighbor may be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. Don’t let it. Take a few breaths and use diplomacy to solve the problem. Let this achievement boost your motivation.
Dealing with disturbance can be complicated. Some of us are uncomfortable confronting others, or fear that in doing so we might create an enemy. Sometimes the source is not easily actionable, such as corridor noise. How can you deal with such issues without going to the root of the problem? Consider three ways: compensate for the distraction, change your work schedule, or move to another work place. Compensating includes using headphones, moving or turning one’s desk, or adding a plant or barrier to reduce visual disturbance. Either as an alternative or complement, consider altering your schedule so that you arrive well before and/or leave after the period of distraction. This may have the added benefit that office mates ask you “why the change in schedule?”, to which you can reply: “I work better before everyone gets in”. They will get the hint. Finally, although possibly time-consuming and annoying, finding another workplace is sometimes the only way to get serious writing done.
Creating your environment
Not all distraction comes from your surroundings. Indeed, many stem from a need to create one’s own space. Dusting the desk, shifting papers and books, making a pot of coffee, one last view at new emails, etc. Such rituals can indeed be just what is needed to write effectively.
But sometimes-small adjustments are just not enough. There’s a Friday morning discussion group that makes noise next door; I have to drop my kid off at the child minder Wednesday morning and because of the long trip to my work place, it would be better just to work at home; I have a video-conference writing session every Thursday and don’t want to disturb my office mates. Such mundane constraints mean that we need to be flexible in when and where we write.
Moreover, a given environment may not be good for all writing needs. Different needs include casting the broad outline of a manuscript, writing rough or polished drafts, integrating citations, revising a manuscript, responding to reviewers’ comments, etc. This is not to say that you should have a different work place for each aspect of manuscript writing! Rather, some parts require more concentration, others more Internet work, and yet others space where you can discuss openly with colleagues.
A good writer has a good strategy set. These are discussed in the following chapters and include organization and actual writing mechanics and specific ways to structure a manuscript. But first and foremost a good writer knows where she writes best. So as to at least have a refuge from disturbance, she will establish two or more work places:
The office. This is where you should be doing most of your writing. A PI needs to ensure that either your desk space is adequate, or special dedicated offices are available for writing.
The office at home. This is for those fortunate enough to have a dedicated space at home, and have periods when they can be away from their research institute. Although the home environment may let you escape from disruptions at your usual work place, it can have the downsides of other types distraction, such as your favorite books, television, roommates, frequent trips to the refrigerator, etc. Barring distractions, a home office is always useful before and after regular office hours and on weekends.
The café. What could be better for reading and writing than having a continuous supply of your favorite beverage? Having a comfortable spot that is either quiet, or bathed in music or white noise, can be very conducive to writing.
The library. Many prefer a more dedicated, academic setting, with the choice of either lots of open space or small, isolated booths. Libraries are places where you are sure to find silence and respectful behavior.
The meeting room is a great choice when you write as a group, offering space for whiteboards, overhead projectors, and room for drinks and snacks.
Longer term planning
The recommendations above concern reacting to and finding solutions to one-off or sporadic distractions. Many disturbances however are recurring and need to be dealt with differently. An example is people raising their voices in a large communal office. Dealing with this on a case-by-case basis is senseless, a better policy being a sign on the door, or raising the concern at a group meeting. Prevention on the other hand requires knowing the source of the problem and whether it is actionable. Investment in prevention is strategic and sometimes very costly – for example taking acoustic and visual disturbance into consideration when outfitting a new office space. Prevention reaps benefits in both the short and long term.