Jane was thorough with her statistical knowledge. She had worked on her research concepts before venturing into academic research. There was nothing that she lacked in terms of her skills to be a great researcher. But, it wasn’t working that ways. There was something that was needed to get the desired output from her efforts. Well, Jane was a great researcher but not a productive writer. She struggled with getting consistency in her writing initiatives. Her thorough concepts also did not help all the time. What could she do to become a productive writer? A writer who could actually produce result oriented documents. It may not require some special skills. Like I said, Jane already had those. It surely needs some discipline, consistency and meticulous planning. Let us look into some tips, in day to day life, that could actually surprise the researcher with the productivity in the efforts:
1. Design a writing plan week wise: Those who have studied management are not unfamiliar with the concept of Objective and Task Method. It does work in organisations but a researcher needs to become an organisation in itself. By which I mean, set for yourself realistic, achievable and clear objectives which are short term and aligned with your ultimate mission. It could be do get your Doctoral degree or get yourself an A class publication or may be something as distinct at being a market researcher. Do not stretch your plans beyond a week.
2. Do further breakdown in planning: Like how we follow the pyramid of vision, mission, goals, objectives and plans. We need to give ourselves daily challenges. What Jane didn’t do was this. Some day she over stretched herself and then for some days she stayed away from work all together. The quality of her work actually was dependent upon her concentration and mood of the effort. It reflected in her quality and finally her results. Follow a daily plan , a daily writing initiative and see that there is a smooth flow in your writing and that is a critical indicator of quality.
3. Do not victimize your writing to uncontrollable circumstances: Circumstances are dynamic. When I say that do follow your daily writing challenge, do work around your circumstances. As they change, as your other demands modify, do modify the way you give time to your writing. You cannot run away from uncontrollable circumstances but certainly, with some modifications, you can surely let it not have an impact on the consistency of your work.
Desire, Discipline and determination are the keys that work beyond the skills and lead the path to productive writing. Upgrade your skills and knowledge but also become a meticulous planner, rather than just a planner. Jane, gear up!!