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5 Easy Steps To Start using Trello Templates for Academic Writing Project Management

When I discovered how to effectively use a project management tool, my publication pipeline blew up!

Every day, I know exactly what sections I need to write for the day when that draft is due to be sent to co-authors or out for review. I keep my Trello "boards" very simple, or else I get overwhelmed. I only use my Trello templates for my publications and research ONLY. Why? Because my academic career goals are focused on XX, in order to accomplish that, I need to write X number of publications each year to get tenure. So, I organize my time according to my goals. If/When my goal changes, my project management style will change with it. Your project management system should be able to grow with you as you progress on you Journey To Tenure Track. 

Just 5 easy steps to get your research and almost-done writing projects organized and ready to tackle in easy, small steps!  These Trello templates address three frequent issues that arise while publishing academic manuscripts. These Trello templates address frequent problems that occur while publishing scholarly writing works.  You can use this template to jump-start an almost-completed article, start new research manuscripts, finish a revise and resubmit (R&R), all with this template. TRELLO breaks down all those paper-related to-do lists in your head into doable chores, so all you have to do now is put them on your planner and go. With these templates, you'll never make the mistake of putting "That Old Summer Manuscript" on your to-do list instead of a writing activity

1.    Sign up for Trello (free). Trello offers academic publication templates for Assistant, Associate, Full Professors to suit your publication needs,  it's free,  and I don't get a commission for this personal recommendation. **Grad students** This academic thesis board was created to help students break down the writing of a thesis into manageable chunks. It can either be private or shared between the student and the supervisor. Aaron Price created and shared the thesis template, Western University Engineering.

2.     Copy the academic template(s) linked above into your new account. 

3.     Edit the board and add ALL of your manuscripts to the board. You can assign tasks to students, RA's, co-authors and yourself. I take the time to quickly add "covers" to my Trello cards. It is one small way to color-code your tasks for quick reference.

4.     Have a Sunday Meeting-- take the tasks from the "Publications" board and copy 1-3 tasks for each day of the next working week. <Comment below: Blog Post Idea: Why Academics need a Sunday Meeting>

5.     Make separate boards for teaching responsibilities,  mentoring tasks,  and/or administrative tasks.  You could add a board for each committee you are actively working on. Trello offers limitless possibilities to organize your academic tasks more efficiently during the workweek and enjoy your "off" time without Guilt. 6) [optional] takes 15 minutes to sign collaborators' or student researchers' names to any publications, teaching,  or administrative tasks.

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Ok fellow Academicians--WHAT DO YOU DO TO PREPARE FOR THE WEEK OF WRITING, RESEARCH, AND TEACHING? Personally, I've been trying out having a 15- minute meeting with myself on Sundays to re-assess the week ahead.  I personally use,  Trello.com to organize my publications in writing,  a daily breakdown of specific tasks to do each day (i.e., Monday,  Tuesday,  Wednesday, ...).

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Academic Guilt: The Consequences of "Publish or Perish"

 

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