Productive (adj)

No one enjoys having unpleasant chores to do. Being on maternity leave means I have more time around the house, and I've taken it upon myself to be responsible for a greater share of the non-baby-related household chores as well. Here are some initial thoughts on chores, based on the last few months; some of these were surprising to discover. -As anyone who struggles with productivity knows, finishing a task can be immensely satisfying. Having a discrete chore to do and having the time, energy, and opportunity to take care of it are a recipe for self-satisfaction. Floor needs sweeping? Done. Flour on the counter? Wipe that down. Full dishwasher? Stack those plates back in the cupboard. You feel like a champion. The link between cleanliness and procrastination is well established. -But there's only so much you can tackle. Work on our  finite willpower , decision fatigue , or more enjoyably this classic Hyperbole and a Half post , illustrate that you can't chug alon...

Those of you who read my resolutions for this year already know that I'm trying to do much more bulk cooking. For anyone with even rudimentary cooking skills (if you can chop, stir, and not get distracted while everything is burning) and a few free hours, bulk cooking is the way to go. You can make a double or even triple batch of your favourite recipe without doubling the time, and with the help of extra time-savers like a food processor (to slice, grate, chop, or puree) and an immersion blender (no need to lug out the hard-to-clean full-size blender) you'll have dinner on the table, plus up to a week's worth of future meals to freeze. Here are my tested, go-to recipes, from my own trial-and-error cooking or from trusted websites, to fill your tummies and freezers. *For all recipes below, when reheating leftovers you can save time by defrosting the serving in the fridge for a day. Reheating from frozen works too, but it will take longer. Make sure leftovers are heate...

Last week's post  resonated with many of you, so I'm happy to present part 2. It turns out that the things I'm writing about, and that I thought I was clever enough to have thought up on my own, are already on the radar of universities , grad students, and alt-ac professionals . They are known as transferable skills, and many people more informed than I am have written great   pieces about them . But I'm certainly happy to add my voice to the chorus that, besides your research, you are gaining useful and valuable skills as a graduate student. Here we go: 6. How to communicate effectively.  This might seem lame, but you have been engaging in intense multi-platform communication while a student, and you surely have come across instances of poor communication. Sometimes extremely poor communication. Busy professors whose emails are indecipherable, undergraduates who can't form a coherent paragraph, department-wide memos advertising a talk that don't prov...