In Episode 271 of Defend, Publish, and Lead, host and executive writing coach Christine Tulley shares a practical productivity strategy she calls the "Next 30 Days" plan, designed to help academics avoid the common springtime trap of giving up or procrastinating as the semester winds down. Drawing from her own schedule — which includes two workshops, a final book manuscript due April 7th, and limited working days due to travel and holidays — she walks listeners through how to audit their upcoming 30 days by identifying hard deadlines, mapping out available work blocks, ruthlessly eliminating or postponing non-essential commitments, and delegating tasks like formatting and editing when possible. She also discusses a strategy she explored with a coaching client: giving students an out-of-class assignment to reclaim a critical day of focused work time. Throughout the episode, Christine emphasizes the guiding principle of "if it can wait, let it," encouraging faculty to narrow their focus, protect their limited bandwidth, and make intentional choices to finish the semester strong rather than stalling until summer.

Resources Mentioned

• Meggin McIntosh, "Techniques for Writing Productively"
• Textbook and Academic Authors Association Summer Institute

DPL Resources

• Tuesday Toolbox - contact [email protected] for subscription information to get more videos like Lesson 13
• Set your writing goals with us! Try us out in a free consultation.
• Check out our current and past workshops at Eventbrite for writing support content. A FREE webinar is posted each month. Missed a workshop? Request a workshop or webinar recording from [email protected]
• Don't forget about the wonderful resources at Textbook and Academic Authors Association. The organization can be found at: https://www.taaonline.net
• New to TAA? Join for just $25 using discount code DP25! You will also receive a copy of the eBook, Guide to Making Time to Write: 100+ Time & Productivity Management Tips for Textbook and Academic Authors.