I Did An At-Home Writing Residency! It Actually Helped!
creating a container for myself
Announcements!
A heads up that I’ll be opening my books for new Success & Accountability Coaching clients in December. The folks I support are finishing dissertations, publishing journal articles and books, and going up for tenure with less overwhelm and more confidence, and I’d love to help you do these things, too. Join the waitlist here!
It’s not too late to sign up for AcWriMo, a month of free resources and support for academic writers, including three co-working sessions with myself and Dr. Katy Peplin.
I’m hosting co-working for premium newsletter subscribers and Success & Accountability Coaching clients on Saturday November 8th 12-2pm EST and Thursday November 20th 1-3pm EST. Get all the details here.
A few weeks ago, my spouse Kris was out of town for work, so I blocked off my calendar and put my productivity toolkit to good use for an at-home writing residency. I’ve had mixed results with previous solo writing retreats, so I knew this one needed some more structure.
In today’s bonus newsletter for paid subscribers, I’m sharing specifics on how I prepared, what I did during my days, and what I learned from the experience of my at-home residency. Enjoy!
BEFORE: PREPARING AHEAD OF TIME
A big reason this residency was more fruitful than before was because I prepared based on what I already knew about myself:
I am more productive when there’s external accountability.
I like starting things more than I like finishing them.
I am generally averse to doing things that I’m not already good at.
I like to gamify things to keep up my momentum and focus.
I reach for distractions when I feel stuck or overwhelmed.
I will overwork when Kris isn’t around.
I wrote this list with curiosity instead of judgment, and I share it with you here lest you think I am some paragon of productivity purity. My goal for my residency wasn’t to change any of these things about myself, but rather to scaffold support so I could work with my habits and needs.
Knowing these things about myself, here’s how I prepared for my writing residency: