Obstacles to Meeting My Research/Writing Objectives

I have two primary obstacles to meeting my research/writing objectives. They are “boundary” mismanagement and perfectionism. In the past, I have allowed the demands and activities of my faculty-administrator and teacher roles to encroach upon the time needed to perform in my researcher role. To mitigate this strong tendency, at the start of my director’s appointment in August 2021, I implemented a daily writing practice, which involves writing exclusively during the same timeslot (8AM-10AM) Monday through Friday for two hours in the morning. If I must attend a meeting during this timeframe, then I either arrive in the office 30 minutes to two hours earlier or I reschedule my writing to occur at another time in the day. If it is extremely difficult to reschedule a full two hours of writing, then I write for a minimum of 30 minutes. After 10AM, I focus on my administrative and teaching responsibilities for the rest of the day until 5PM (but no later than 7PM). Writing first thing in the morning forces me to complete one of my responsibilities than cannot be delegated to another person: my research, writing, and scholarship.
 
I have a natural bent towards perfectionism, which is my second obstacle. I recognize its presence especially when I feel overwhelmed. What happens at the point of overwhelm is that “Perfect Angela” realizes that “Imperfect Angela” cannot complete a task or project in the way that “Perfect Angela” wants “Imperfect Angela” to complete it. “Perfect Angela” strongly dislikes “Imperfect Angela” at this point. I remind myself daily to “lower my standards,” where feasible, to manage my perfectionism proactively. (I understand that “lowering one’s standards” means different things to different people and I am not speaking of diminishing the “quality” of a completed task or project.) Once I realize that “Perfect Angela” and “Imperfect Angela” are engaged in a battle of wills, I ask myself one or more of these questions. Can you complete the task or project: at a (a) lower level of effort, (b) in less amount of time, and with (c) fewer revisions, (d) fewer “retouch points,” and (c) fewer “rethinking through sessions?” (Note: When at the questioning stage, I have all of the information, comprehension, and resources needed to complete the task or project.) If the answer is “yes” to at least one of these questions, then I begin to scale back prior strategies for completing the task or project. I find that simply asking these questions often settles my mind, stops “Perfect Angela” in her tracks, and helps “Imperfect Angela” to pause, recalibrate, and execute the task or project in a different way.