August - Again!

Somehow, the days fly by and summer, full of shortened summer semesters, whirlwind classes, administrative preparations and assessment, and even a study abroad trip is gone and we are--again--staring at August.

Despite my tendency to make summer task lists that have no hope of getting done, I was able to stumble through this summer without a full blown panic attack about not accomplishing everything. After all, whether the check marks are placed on the items or not, August is here and another semester looms ahead.

I'm going through my typical August emotional tornado: sadness that my summer classes are over, excitement that I have new students in August, concern that I don't have enough time to overhaul a class or the energy to teach effectively after such a busy summer. How can I get in the classroom full of energy and life when I feel a tired and drained?

But then I begin my August checklists and I start getting that anticipation that there will be another class, another group of students to engage with...there's just no feeling like connecting in the classroom. 

So, I'm preparing. I'm following my First Week Tips and my Preparation Quirks that I thought were unique to me (practicing in the room you would teach in, testing whiteboards, reflecting on first-time student emotions, and considering clothing when reaching up to write on the board or leaning over to help a student). I feel ready. I feel excited. I feel thankful.

Perhaps it is the summer graduation ceremony - where two of my students were mentioned by the President and one gave a great commencement speech despite being nervous, but I'm feeling very thankful for the opportunity to be a tiny little part of a student's educational journey. This time of year, it is important to remember that it is an opportunity and that we do have an impact--even if we don't always realize it in the chaotic midst of a full semester.

This year, I'm beginning my semester outlook with that gratitude as a primary emotion. It has helped me to regain energy, to focus, and to trust myself and my teaching approach. This is going to be another great semester!

Determining your energy: Work time & place

In the past week I have heard many conversations about work/life balance, the perceptions of when others work, and even comments on when to email others. At times, I can find these conversations bothersome. After all, we are each on individual journeys when it comes to work and the ways we do it.

I tend to go with my energy levels and work when I feel most aware, awake, and inspired. This is almost always early mornings and weekends. As I wear dual hats at my institution - both administrative and faculty - I find my typical work week is full of urgent, time-sensitive work efforts. A grant is due, a position is opening, an event needs planned, papers need graded, and oh! the endless emails. The interruptions, flitting from class to meeting and on to another meeting, and the phone ringing means my 8-5 work is typically surface-level only. If I want to do in-depth work like draft that IRB, dig into program assessment, or create my classes, I have to do it during other times.

If I come into the office a few hours before most of the building arrives, I can power through a LOT more! I've been able to edit research articles, connect with assessment (it really clicked!), and write more productively than twice the time during the day. Better yet, a Saturday or (sometimes and) Sunday are almost perfect -- five hours of uninterrupted morning-time productivity. Call me a happy camper!

I find my early mornings and weekends flummox others and they often feel compelled to advise me to take a break or take time off. I take breaks. My home is a sanctuary. I walk away from the office (sometimes late, yes, but I leave my work there) and I have such peaceful amazing times at home in the evening allowing my work world to calm itself at the office. I implement Digitally Down Days. I protect my space and time. I'm not a night person -- I do not think well in the evening. I no longer try to grade until midnight or fall asleep with my laptop on my lap while propped up in bed. I have learned to capitalize on my energy, to determine my work time and place. 

As we move through the summer, and your ambitious (some might say impossible) task list isn't shrinking as quickly as you'd like, it is important that you don't get overwhelmed by others' perceptions of your work and it's time and place --- that is an individual decision and journey. Some of us might find we want to slow down, create some boundaries, find some non-work time to absorb non-work life elements. Others of us (me! me! me!) might find that work IS a huge part of life, identity, and happiness and it is okay to have work time that is different or distinct from colleagues' perceptions on their journeys. "To each, their own" - You go your way and I'll go mine. No criticism, no judgment, just different journeys.

So, expect me to send early morning or weekend emails and to not answer your late night ones right away. Expect me to be in the office well before 7 a.m. and to nearly always be comfortably typing away on a Saturday morning. It might not be your way of working, but I've determined where work time and place are in my little corner of this world and it maximizes my energy flow.

When do you work best?

Texas Bloggers UNconference

Near the Dallas/Fort Worth area this summer? Looking for ideas to spice up your blogging efforts? Consider the TSMRI (Texas Social Media Research Institute) "UNconference" for Texas Bloggers. 

Digitally Down Days

In the faculty/administration world, you stay "on" all of the time. Digital devices are rarely turned off, our brains stay somewhat connected to work at all times, and we find little distance from the working world.

Because of this, and the fact that I am working a LOT of hours and most weekends, Spouse and I implemented Digitally Down Days and Digitally Down Zones. I prefer to stay at the office and get work done there so I can come home, power (mostly) down, and feel that home is a stress-free zone. There are times, usually after lots of conference travel or tons of huge projects/events at the office, where I find myself slowly powering down: my productivity lessens, my focus is sporadic, and I start to have low-quality sleep. 

An easy solution has been to implement a Digitally Down Day. This is an ENTIRE day where I do not check email, voice mail, texts, or Blackboard. I avoid all things digital. Now, realistically, I can't do this every week--but I can easily do this every now and again. It just takes some boundary-setting and then ruthless boundary protection--something I have to seek assistance in or I will simply never do it.  

I try to have a DDD each month and, though hard, I protect it aggressively. I also work to have my home remain a relaxing place--so you might see me in my office on campus throughout the weekend or during late hours, but I can truly shut down once I arrive home.

These are small things that make a big difference in my world. What works well for you?

Over the break...

"Over the break..." what famous last words for a faculty member. No matter how realistic I think I am, I seem to fall into the trap of thinking that I will accomplish massive amounts of previously unconquerable work during a break -- no matter how short that break is.

With a dual appointment, it is even more challenging to consider what I can or cannot accomplish in the breaks (few and far between in a 12-month appointment). For some reason, I think I will re-design an entire course or review multiple texts and prep for new courses. Or, the biggest break from reality, write an entire grant.

I often start back bemoaning my far-reaching goals and wondering "what was I thinking?" when looking at that massive to-do list.

We truly do need actual non-working down time. It is challenging to get that mental release when we feel behind at work and then like quasi-failures during vacations from work when we don't accomplish everything we've promised ourselves we would.

It is almost a set-up-to-fail cycle and I hear many of my colleagues doing the same thing, semester after semester, break after break.

Will this be the time I break through this cycle?

Call for papers: International Society for Educational Biography 2014

Explore this conference! Great for first-time presenters, those in education or related fields examining qualitative research, narratives pedagogy, phenomenology, ethnography, auto-ethnography, and other related concepts. In April 2014, this conference will be held in beautiful Toronto!

Learn more:
http://www.isebio.org/
https://www.facebook.com/ISEbio
https://twitter.com/EducationalBiog

See the call here:

Faculty life and "hidden" work

Forbes just released this article about "hidden work" within our faculty life -- a familiar concept as this blog has often shared the hours of at-home work, the lost pockets of time in meetings, and the often unseen elements of this career. Thank you, Forbes! This career can be one where those hidden work hours become stifling and our stress levels can really spike just when someone outside academia mentions how our schedules "must be nice" - it seems to happen most often in summer or on a "break" from teaching.

Is it just me, or do we often find ourselves working into the wee hours sneaking time to grade around other, non-work events, logging into the email to answer students questions when we sit in meetings. How often do we find that the work we have to accomplish is done on a laptop as we try not to fall asleep in bed? Surely, I am not the only faculty member attempting to milk more out of our 24 hours each day than is humanly possible.

Explore the Forbes article and consider your hidden work...and any strategies you have implemented to protect the way the work creeps into our lives.

Consider also:
Professional Development - On A Budget!, Summer 2012
Tenure, Retention, Binders, and Budgets - Oh My!, Summer 2011
Make the Most of Your Summer, Summer 2013
The Stages of Spring Break, April 2011
Service: Who Participates?, March 2010

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Conference for research on social media (Call)

The Texas Social Media Research Institute is accepting papers, panels, and training session/workshop ideas for its 3rd Annual Social Media Conference on Friday, Nov. 8, 2013.  Deadline for proposals is June 30.

NEW CONFERENCE LOCATION - Join us at the Tarleton SW Metroplex campus in Fort Worth this year. We expect about 250 attendees.

To discover more information about the 2013 Social Media Conference, please visit http://www.tarleton.edu/TSMRI/SocialMediaConference.html

This conference consists of a few tracks: a SOCIAL MEDIA RESEARCH, SMALL BUSINESS, NON-PROFIT, K-12, HIGHER EDUCATION, and TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT tracks. The conference planning committee is actively seeking papers, panels, and training workshops focused on, but not limited to the following topics:

- Mobile applications, interactions and technologies

- Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, Pinterest, Instagram (How to Use the Technologies)

- Social Media in Business (Ideas for Entrepreneurs and Large Organizations)

- Social Media in Education

- Social Media in the Non-Profit Sector

- Social Media in Interpersonal and Intercultural Communication

- Practical Solutions for Social Media Problems

- Benefits and Disadvantages of Social Media in K-12 and Higher Education

- Social Media and Generational Communication

- Social Media and Information Sciences/Library Sciences

- Social Media and Mobile Applications and Devices

SUBMISSION FORM: https://spreadsheets0.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dFowdFREQjJoa2w1WGxwQVRnVXVpQlE6MA

Additional Information

Possible forms of submission include: panels (including roundtables and discussions), papers/abstracts, and training workshops. Complete the conference submission form (http://www.tinyurl.com/SocialMediaConferenceCall) AND e-mail papers/panels to TSMRI (texassocialmediaresearch@gmail.com) no later than JUNE 30TH.

Participants will have an opportunity to publish their papers in the conference proceedings book, which will be published on the Texas Social Media Research Institute's website. The top paper will be considered for publication in TSMRI's peer-reviewed publication, The Journal of Social Media in Society.

If you have any questions, please contact the Texas Social Media Research Institute via e-mail (texassocialmediaresearch@gmail.com) or telephone (254-307-8211).

Feel free to forward to your colleagues and graduate students.

Free webinar! Student Success and digital changes on campus.

Communication on our campuses has changed a lot over the past decade--the Chronicle of Higher Education shared this opportunity to explore what the University of Oklahoma is doing to boost digital tools to foster student success. 

FREE webinar on Thursday, June 27 at 11 a.m. Pacific (2 p.m. EST) to explore the ways the University of Oklahoma implements "24/7 business automation tools to deliver superior student services faster and cheaper-and the totally unexpected quality of education delivery and morale benefits they experienced as a result."

This webinar is not hosted by the tech folks on campus, but by an educator and an administrator. 

To register, click here!

Don't forget -- you can "like" Communication and Higher Education Blog on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CommHigherEdBlog and follow along on Twitter @CommHigherEd

Make the most of your summer

Summer has me focusing on productivity. How can I get through the task lists that build up during traditional semesters? How can I find the energy for summer classes and new fall preps?

Whether you have a nine-month appointment without summer classes, enjoy a nine-month appointment with summer classes, or have a 12-month appointment with administrative duties, you can maximize your summer efforts. Here are a few tips that work for me.

• Change your work space. Spend a few hours a week at a coffee shop, library area, home office, or empty conference room. A change in the walls (or fresh air) around you can stimulate your mind and rejuvenate you after a long semester. Or, simply close your door--a small, seemingly simple feat that took me a long time to accept, as you can read in "Closing the door--Prioritizing Research" post from last summer. 
• Compile your notes. You've probably got scattered sticky notes, e-mails to yourself, half accomplished task lists, and various research ideas thrown around your work areas. Take a morning (or evening) to compile all of those amazing ideas and start to make a plan of attack to accomplish them. Do this regularly to stay on top of the ideas that can easily get "lost" in the chasms of our tumultuous semesters. 
• Consider using a "power hour" method to tackle tasks that are looming large and that you might be dragging your feet over. Yes, professors can procrastinate, too. Try this technique to help conquer the biggies and move through tough projects. Read more about "power hours" in a post from a few years ago, "Research Power Hours."
• Don't shudder, but one great technique is to put your phone away. I turn my phone on silent and shove it in my drawer for the first few hours of some high-output days. I have also heard of others using plug-ins and apps to block Internet access during productivity/writing times. I haven't gone to that degree, but if you are interested, LeechBlock for Firefox is one option.  
• Watch out for "Mock Productivity" -- the time eaters that steal away any chance you have at tackling your to-do lists. 
• Don't create such a massive task list that you dread facing it each time. Chunk items into projects, split up your tasks, and set realistic goals to avoid burnout or frustration. 

I also set a "summer goal" for my professional life. What item is my top priority, which is second, which is third? Those are the go-to areas for my time and, when August rolls back around, I can mark of the major areas and feel a sense of accomplishment. 

Share your tried-and-true practices to make the most of your summer.

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Appreciating our educators: Save on Adobe.

From flyers to t-shirt logos, our office uses Adobe products to make our name stand out. Students can get really creative with Adobe options.

Check out this deal for educators and students.

Happy creating!

Android App: Any.Do

As regular readers know, I very much love to explore the latest, greatest productivity tools. This may simply be a way to organize research projects into a spreadsheet format or it might be a nice app. I've explored many, from Astrid to Toodledo. I really like the options that these task tools use to help us increase our productivity.

I've just started working with Any.DO. This is a neat little app from This is a free app available on many operating systems. I use Android and find it works beautifully. Once you've installed the app, you can sign in with Facebook or your Google account. You can import your Astrid tasks, or start fresh with Any.Do. Like Astrid and Toodledo, you can add a social component with your tasks. This can increase your motivation to complete an item and can allow others to collaborate with you. The easy way to move tasks and modify them (you can drag a task from today to tomorrow) is very user-friendly. I especially like drawing a line through a task or speaking my task directly into the app.

Check out this video overview:

If you like productivity apps like I do, consider reading other posts here on Communication and Higher Education, including:

• http://www.commhighered.com/2012/01/from-paper-to-app-productivity-plans.html
• http://www.commhighered.com/2011/06/when-sticky-notes-attack.html

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Student leadership

It is wonderful to see just how much our students can do! I was especially impressed the past few weeks as we have taken students to undergraduate leadership conferences. Students presented and did a GREAT job. Additionally, they learned about being responsible conference attendees and active participants.

First, we took students to the Southwester Black Student Leadership Conference. There, they learned about becoming more marketable, embracing leadership opportunities, and formed networks with students from many universities.

Following that trip, we took another group of students to the Diversity Leadership Conference at Sam Houston State University. The students submitted panels and were accepted as speakers. They learned a lot about facilitating discussion, leading a panel, and working with fellow presenters.

How can you engage your undergraduate students to embrace new leadership opportunities? It does not have to happen at far-off campuses. Work to get them involved, listen to their ideas, empower them to act, and see what they can deliver. It is key to offer specific and focused guidance throughout the process and have both pre- and post- trip meetings to help students prepare and process their journeys.

Consider which conferences or opportunities you could offer your students and then watch as they surpass your expectations!

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Teaching, research, and administration: Multiple roles in higher education

You're deep into the edits for your latest research project. One that has sat for too long waiting on you. Finally, you are finding time to focus on it when your phone rings or your inbox dings or your administrative assistant comes in to remind you that a new meeting was unexpectedly set up for you today. There's that pull -- the tug of the faculty duties against the responsibilities of the administrative life.

So you've got more than one role? Welcome to higher education. We're measured on multiple areas of performance and juggling them can, sometimes, lead to stress.

How do you cope? 

Endless spreadsheets mapping your time? 

Multiple calendars? 

Protected times on those calendars for different tasks (until those above you control or modify that time)? 

16-hour working weekends? 

The death of your social life? 

While these are all likely options you have experienced in one form or another, consider how well they work for you.

The Chronicle of Higher Education noted last fall that today's faculty are stressed and feeling the impact of multiple roles as budgets shrink in their departments and their time. This stress can be increased when exploring the dreaded "split appointment" role that has many wondering about time management and where to place their efforts when facing tasks lists that never end.

Think about evaluations. How do you evaluate the faculty/administrator appointment? Check your specific institution's handbook and know the expectations of those around and above you. This can help you prioritize your work efforts. If research is now a lesser part of your expectations, then balance your time accordingly.

Consider your split. If you are 50% administrator and 50% faculty member, consider how your hours work during the week. Review the past month. If you are in meetings for your administrative role for 12 hours a week and only have 8 hours left to actually DO the work for the administration role, you might want to explore the split with your superiors and colleagues. What expectations do they have? Talk with your fellow faculty members and department chair. Try to negotiate limited new course preps in the first year of the new appointment.

Reflect. Explore your calendar, output, energy level, and the expectations of those around you regularly in your first year on the split appointment. This will help you understand where your time and energy should go and help you communicate your expectations to others. This also creates a nice circle of communication where you can get feedback about the goals of those in both your faculty and administrator role.

Work smarter, not harder. Link your publications and research to your duties as an administrator. This way, your research informs your daily practice.

Different types of faculty/administrator positions exist and they are often called different terms ("shared/split/joint/dual appointments"). The shared duties exist for extension agents, coaches, clinical roles, department chairs, and directors, for example. Here are a few readings to explore if you are considering (or currently navigating) the split appointment:

• Brittingham described the elusive balance of teaching, research, and service in her 1996 paper, "Balancing split appointments: a view from the trenches" which explored extension offices.  
• Coaching as a split appointment is examined in Hasting's chapter. 

In the end, realize the multiple roles we have as faculty can often start to feel overwhelming. This is true whether those multiple roles are truly a "split" appointment or just the typical trio of research/teaching/service expectations we face. 

What strategies work for you? 

Consider also, exploring the earlier entry: Transition to the split appointment, September 2012

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"You are awesome!" Communicating appreciation on the job

Show your appreciation

There are many times in the busiest of days where we just forget how much work others are doing. We may become focused on our own goals, our stress, and our agendas. On such days, we are likely to see lips pressed thinly with apprehension, eyebrows furrowed, and fixed stares as we look at our distant goals and fixate on our own tasks.

Too often, we allow this tunnel-vision to interrupt our collegial relationships and can lead to us taking advantage of our peers and taking our staff for granted.

There are easy ways to step outside of your own congested mind to say a few kind words of appreciation. Here are some general tips to help communicate the appreciation that can, sometimes, become buried under our task lists.

Tell others about their strengths. Just hearing, "you're really good with the students." Or, "It is clear you love advising--and you're very clear with the advisees." Small things like, "Fixing the copier saved the day, thanks!" can go a long way when someone is having a stressful or busy day. 

Say "thank you" every single time something gets done. No exceptions. No matter how trivial, work this phrase into your every day jargon. Your administrative assistant returns pressing phone calls (saving you valuable time), then simply thank him or her. Don't brush it off. Show him/her that it means something to you. The "thank you" culture will catch on and appreciation becomes easier to show.

Break down large projects into small tasks. No one likes to be overwhelmed (and as faculty or administrators, we know how it feels to be overwhelmed!). Avoid dumping huge projects on those around you. Instead, reach out with clear plans, consistent vision, and manageable tasks to ease the burden of a huge project.

Check in often. Ask "what do you like about the work we've been doing?" Or, "what could we improve?" Put your ego in check and LISTEN when others are commenting on their work day -- what may seem like a small detail (a parking space, for example) for someone can easily make every day start out in the "crummy" column. My mantra: "Ask. Listen. Consider. Communicate. Act."

Go beyond work conversation. You do not have to be Besties with everyone at work, but a simple conversation about a colleague's family or a follow up on their on-going car problems can show that you care and value them beyond the work they are doing. 

Easy steps to being thankful: Keep cards on hand

Keep cards on hand. These little thank you notes can make someone smile -- and are particularly poignant when big projects are completed. My desk drawer always has notes and little items to help make a rough day easier or to help show others I appreciate what they do.

Post a quote. Instead of a sticky note of tasks for someone, leave a powerful quote or a kind word in a highly visible color. They won't expect that little note and some encouragement can kick-start our days.

If you feed them...Yes, bring in a little food, sweets, or fun. It might be a new flavored coffee or a simple donuts run, but sharing food breaks down walls, opens communication lines, and can perk up someone wilting under pressure.

Send an email. It is easy to threaten to write a note when services are terrible--but how often do we write a note when services are fabulous? I did this the other day and received amazing feedback from the supervisor of the staff member who effusively thanked me for going out of my way to comment on an employee who was doing good work.

A note of appreciation sent this week

Thank those who help in front of others. Recognize them. Show how you value them beyond your own office or department.

With moments a day, you can create a culture that values appreciation and shares recognition.

What steps do you take to communicate appreciation in your workplace? 

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