by Rena Seltzer | Jun 24, 2026 | Time Management, Writing Tips
Like so many great ideas, I learned about the “dopamine menu” from someone who studies how we work for a living: Dr. Giselle Antoine, a scholar of organizational behavior at Washington University in St. Louis. As a busy professor and mom, Giselle is always...
by Rena Seltzer | Aug 28, 2025 | Time Management, Writing Tips
As I sit down to write this, my ringer is off, my phone is in “Do Not Disturb” mode, and my timer is set for a 25-minute pomodoro. Before I could begin the second sentence, the painters who have been working outside my door all morning returned from their lunch break,...
by Rena Seltzer | Nov 21, 2017 | Time Management, Writing Tips
Finding time for writing and bringing a more positive mindset to the process are central topics in my work with clients. Two recent books offer new perspectives that I found refreshing. Air & Light & Time & Space: How Successful Academics Write by Helen...
by Rena Seltzer | Dec 13, 2016 | Writing Tips
Some academics write very intuitively. Through the process of reading journal articles, working with strong mentors, and co-authoring with senior colleagues, they seem to absorb the process through their pores. Once they’ve collected their data, they just sit down and...
by Rena Seltzer | Jul 31, 2016 | Time Management, Work-Life Balance, Writing Tips
Each summer begins the same way, with the beguiling promise of long open days for scholarship interspersed with extra time to spend out-of-doors with family and friends. But by the end of July, the lazy days of summer are racing past, and if you’re like most...
by Rena Seltzer | Jun 30, 2016 | Writing Tips
You’ve just gotten back from your vacation and there are piles of laundry to do, hundreds of emails to process, and your garden is overgrown, so your writing goes to the back burner. When you finally do show up again, it feels like pushing a boulder up a hill. Sound...
