Organizational tools for getting your writing done

WRITING IS HARD Organizational tools for getting it done anyway

This page provides resources that I presented at a Physics department colloquium on November 21, 2013. These are tools that I've incorporated in my own writing habits, links to other sources, and anything else I thought might be useful. When I schedule time, I will organize the information this page as a "mind map".

Abstract

Academic writing is necessary, yet many journal articles, grant proposals, theses and dissertations remain incomplete or unwritten entirely by authors who struggle to find the right words or the right time to get them done. Reflecting on my own struggles has helped me identify specific road blocks in my writing--and ways to overcome them. The key to writing is organization, but strategies for organization vary depending on whether you are organizing your references materials (How was this paper relevant again?), your thoughts (Where do I start?), or your time (What time?). In this talk, I will present different tools that I've discovered to organize materials, thoughts, and time to become a more productive writer. Though far from comprehensive, they are powerful, and I want to share them with anyone who finds themselves unable to just sit down and write. I invite not only students, faculty, or staff who struggle with writing, but also anyone who advises students or participates in a writing (support) group; these tools are easy to adopt and pass along to others.

PDF of the talk

This includes all the awesome graphics and a map of resources given below.

PDF of shortened talk for Boot Camp

Organizing Materials

Organize electronic and paper files

Have an unambiguous strategy for organizing your paper and electronic files. For example, I have a directory (electronic folder) entitled "articles". In this directory, I label subdirectories according to the last name of the first author of the manuscript. This is unambiguous since there is only one first author. If an author has a common last name, label the directory as "LASTNAME-firstname". Put all electronic copies of the manuscript in the appropriate folder, according to last name of first author. Make sure to rename the actual file into something that gives you a hint as to what is in the document. I put the last name of all authors on the paper, along with the publication date. Sometimes I add a brief description of the paper in the file name.

In order to find papers written by a particular author, I wrote a shell script, findpapers.sh, to search for papers by author last name (and it is case-independent!). This script should be in the "articles" directory, and it searches all the subdirectories for a file with a string that matches the authors last name. This is the reason I include all authors in the file name.

To see a visual of the file heirarchy and a demonstration of findpapers.sh, take a look at the PDF of the talk (link above).

I organize my paper files according to content. When I'm preparing a manuscript, it is much easier for me to locate all of the papers associated with observations, theory, a modeling strategy, or a particular phenomenon--hurricanes, climate change, convection--if they are all in one place.

Organize content of the papers

To do this, I created a latex document which generates a pdf of notes I take on individual articles:

This document has sections with names according to the last name of the authors and the publication date (NOTE: This is the same as the naming convention used for the electronic files, so it makes it easy to find individual documents.). This also creates an index so you can find papers by topic. Use the latex template provided or create your own document. Here are some benefits:

Taking notes engages more of your brain so you can assimilate the information better. You gain a better understanding and a clearer picture of how that document is relevant to your work.
This provides a venue for uninhibited writing. It doesn't matter what you write or whether it "fits" with the content of your manuscript. Use this as a place to write without constraints! This document is for YOU! Nobody else has to see it, so don't worry about finding the perfect word, or whether the punctuation is correct.
Great practice for writing!
Great way to remember content of the paper withouth trying to find something specific in the paper itself.

Make sure you include:

Notes on the paper--the more relevant to you work, the more thorough the notes.
Make bulleted lists of important points
Include a subsection with how that document is relevant to your work.
If you are inspired to perform a new analysis or experiment, create a subsection that describes what you should do so you have a record.

Organizing your thoughts

The key here is GRAPHICS. Brain Rule #10: VISION TRUMPS ALL OTHER SENSES (see John Medina's book: Brain rules). Take advantage of this fact! USE MIND MAPPING! Here are some resources:

Learn about mind-mapping from Tony Buzan--the inventor of mind maps
Maximize the Power of Your Brain--You tube video about Mind Maps by Tony Buzan
Open source mind mapping software
Academic Ladder list of tools for planning and drafting your writing
Mind Map and write your dissertation or publish, another blog by Academic Ladder
Metropolitan State University in Minnesota has provided a UNiversal Organizer (UNO) as a more structured tool for planning your writing, but it follows a similar premise as mind mapping.

Organizing your TIME

It goes without saying that this part extends way beyond disciplining yourself to write. This section deserves a whole book. Lucky for me, there are plenty--I'll just direct you to a few resources:

READ How to write a lot by Paul Silvia. This is an amazing reference for developing strategies to be prolific. It is not too long (I love the irony), and it is hilarious. It struck many of my chords.
Use the Pomodoro technique-- remember this is a strategy to focus your attention--and avoid distraction-- in 25 minute increments.
Here is a youtube video on different ways to apply the pomodoro technique by Meggin McIntosh
Speaking of Meggin McIntosh, who is she? She was a university professor who left the university to start her own business. Her business is helping people become more productive, so I think of her as my productivity teacher. She's the one I learned about Mind maps, the UNO organizer, and the pomodoro technique. She's also the one who recommended the book by Paul Silvia (How to Write a Lot). I've learned about these via teleseminars and webinars; she's good at what she does. Check out her Top ten productivity tips for writers.
Speaking of Paul Silvia (the guy that wrote "how to write a lot"), here is an entertaining piece on Procrastination: On writing tomorrow what you should've written last year. Sound familiar?