Five sentence summary This is my third year participating in this writing marathon, and I've learned a few things about my writing along the way. This is the first time I'm actually going to truly try to write every day. I'm counting on Shut Up & Write writing sessions, my trusty list of low focus/motivation writing tasks, sharing my progress and goals on social media, and having enough papers in progress that are of different topics to keep me interested and motivated. I'm ruling out any sort of shame as a motivator and relying on support and self-awareness instead. What do NaNoWriMo or AcWriMo mean anyways? So NaNoWriMo, AcWriMo, or NaAcWriMo, are all shorthand ways of referring to the month of November where folks write consistently, every day for a month. The concept of writing consistently every day didn't start in academia, but academics hopped on. Some folks write a book during this month, but others use the time to write their dissertation or submit an article in December. The main idea is to write consistently everyday. How I made it work for me in the past Anything that requires consistency is going to be at least a little challenging for me. As ADHD folks, we're consistently inconsistent. Knowing I would struggle at times, I made myself the most ADHD-friendly writing month ever. I've participated twice now and I definitely didn't try and write a book. I gave myself a lot of grace. I made a goal for each day, tweeted it, and reported back. There were times I did not reach my goal, even when it was easy (by my ADHD standards easy). I would make up for the missed days the next day. That's it. That's literally all I have done in the past. Overall, this worked perfectly for me. I participated, I didn't feel guilty about being ADHD, and I didn't stress. It was exactly what I needed as an ADHD person trying to write consistently. (It's also what I would recommend if you're thinking of starting Academic Writing Month for the first time: lots of grace and patience with yourself!). How I made the low stakes writing month work As low as a bar I set in the past, I still learned a lot about my writing process and I discovered new ways to make writing easier for myself. A big thing that helped me was having a list of small tasks that could be done in a few minutes or were writing-adjacent and referring to this list when I had little time/motivation/focus. For example, reading out loud one paragraph, checking the figure numbers are still correct, hunting down that reference on climate change, etc. These tasks were purposefully chosen for the times when I lacked time, motivation, and/or focus, so the tasks had to be easy as pie. Some tasks required zero focus whatsoever. Having a list helped my memory of course, but it also kept my momentum for the month going. I didn't feel bad about completing little tasks. These were still items that needed to happen, and I was getting them done. (I also know the value of really, really breaking things down. Yes, I know this is advice we hear all of the time, but we hear it from neurotypical folks. I am talking breaking it down ADHD style.) Academic writing month gave me a new perspective on how useful accountability is, even when it is something as small as sharing my goals (and inability to meet them) on Twitter. No one replied to my accountability tweets, and I didn't expect anyone to, but knowing I had to update folks on whether or not I accomplished my goal for the day was often just enough to make me sit down and accomplish the task. This accountability worked for me because it was 100% on my terms, with zero shame, and there was zero actual expectation from eternal forces to meet a standard. I also made the assumption that most folks who read my tweets were neurodivergent individuals or allies; therefore, I'm being accountable to folks who fully understand that my inability to focus is not a reflection of my effort. I think that is key for me. Had I joined a group, reported on my inability to meet yesterday's goals, and encountered eye-rolls or judgemental thoughts, I would have had an entirely different and ineffective experience. Dyi Huijg had the idea to come up with a hashtag just for neurodivergents participating in the writing month, and I really enjoyed finding community of fellow neurodivergent writers. We even did weekly online Zoom sessions that were unstructured. I really liked hearing about other writing processes and how folks accomplished tasks. I think we need to resurrect this practice...The hashtag was #AcWriMoND and I think I'm going to try build the momentum back. Joining me? What I'm trying this year This year, I'm building off of what I've learned the past few years. My goal isn't exciting. My primary goal is to actually write every week day. I'm also hoping to spend thirty minutes on writing each day. I've set myself up for success in a few ways. I have enough papers I'm working on that I can hop from paper to paper when I get bored. That's definitely key for me. I need to build in flexibility and accommodate my multiple interests. Also, I've started attending Shut Up & Write online sessions and this has helped me with accountability. I've found a general time that works for me and I've been attending semi-regularly. I like these sessions, they're ADHD-friendly, and I find the check ins at the start and end are excellent for accountability. P.S. I have not told anyone in these sessions that I'm participating in the month's festivities. Why? Because that's not the point of the group for me. It's body-doubling with a small amount of accountability. I want my actual accountability from my neurodivergent friends, which is why I am telling zero colleagues or co-authors or anyone from my professional life that I am participating. If I fail at my goal one day, I will feel far less shame confessing to ADHD folks than confessing to everyone. I want this type of support built-in. Maybe this will change in the future, but I'm setting myself up for success for this year. We know habits form over time. We know new habits form when we make our goals VERY attainable and when we piggyback off of other habits that are already in place. There's a bunch of science on this and I promise I'll edit this post later with links. Point is, I'm trusting the science, building off of my success, coupling my writing sessions with habits that I have already established, and I think my goals are attainable. Other writing tips I have a blog post of writing tips sorted into issues of focus, issues of motivation, and issues of organization and there's lots of advice, tricks that work for me, and advice I've read and heard elsewhere in this post. I refer to it when I get stuck, so hopefully it's helpful to others. I always have my students reflect on their learning and their struggles, and this is something everyone needs to do in my opinion. It's easy for me to say, "Oh I can't focus on this task because I'm just feeling too ADHD today" and yes ADHD obviously plays a part in everything. However, I ask myself to be more specific. Why can't I focus on this article? Is it that I can't focus on writing at all? Is it that I can't motivate myself to accomplish any work tasks? Is it a certain part of the paper that I don't want to write? Is it that I no longer believe in the ideas behind the paper? I interrogate myself more, not out of a place of shame, but out of a genuine curiosity to understand myself. The result? I've noticed more patterns, identified instances where the issue isn't what I initially thought (and I've been able to find a solution), and I'm more productive. Key points
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AuthorThere's a reason theADHDAcademic is an anonymous account and there's a reason why this website will remain anonymous. That said, there are some basics it might be helpful to know about me: DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical professional or a lawyer of any kind. All text, graphics, and content on this website are for educational purposes only. Any and all content should not be substituted for medical or legal advice. Although I strive to provide the most accurate, current, and scientifically sound information, content should never be substituted for professional advice. Always consult a medical and/or legal professional before making any decisions. Links are provided only for reference and do not necessarily imply endorsement.
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