SMARTCUT #2: Recognise What You Can and Cannot Control

This is probably one of the most challenging smartcuts to implement: what is actually within your power to do something about? We often spend time and energy worrying about things that are completely beyond our ability to impact. For example, we cannot control the outcome of the grant proposal, conference submission, or job application I mentioned in Smartcut #1 … but we can control the process we choose follow to complete it. And, sometimes, we can control more than we think: we just need to take a step back to consider where we can find a bit of leverage.

For researchers and academics, this usually includes the following:

• Follow the instructions (see Smartcut #1).
• Understand the process your proposal, paper, or job application will go through. What is the assessment criteria?
• Talk to others early in the idea generation and writing process to strengthen your idea.
• Ring-fence time to work on your paper or project. Protect this time at all costs.
• Get feedback from colleagues to sense check the science.
• Get feedback from non-experts to ensure the language is as clear as possible.

Why is this a smartcut? Well, we often spend a lot of unnecessary time and energy trying to control what we can’t. Isn’t it better to put that effort where it will have a better chance of impact?