Most of us can sympathize with the pressure of pending deadlines and procrastinated priorities. Writing can be especially daunting for even the most experienced professionals, and writing-based tasks often get pushed to the back burner.
Smile and Write is a free online community available to faculty and staff who need a structured, supportive environment to work on their writing projects -- to light a fire under those back burner projects.
Interested staff and faculty register to receive a Zoom link to their preferred Smile and Write session. Smile and Write members gather at their scheduled time, work on individual projects with their videos on, and then share their progress at the end of the session.
"What I like about Smile and Write is that if there is a task that seems insurmountable to start, that tends to be . . . 'I can't seem to find time to do this' . . . those are the ones that I'll put on my list to do," said Rachel Derscheid, associate professor of veterinary diagnostic and production animal medicine. "I have been so much more productive in terms of actually getting projects to completion."
Derscheid joined Smile and Write in the fall 2020 semester and found it was an effective approach to completing backlogged work.
"I had tried other methods before, early in my career here. I could never get to a point where I really committed the time that I needed. Writing always kind of came last."
Melissa Chamberlain, associate professor of management and entrepreneurship, shared a similar sentiment.
"I had hit a point as an assistant professor where I needed a little more motivation to get things done," she said. "It put a lot of structure in my day, which I had to some extent, but just needed more."
For Chamberlain, the ability to schedule specific appointments helped her establish a "protected time" to focus on her projects. She said the Smile and Write program helped her set aside daily distractions, better organize her time and find a writing community.
"It's kept the momentum going for my research and my writing," she explained. "Even though many of us feel confident in how we organize our time and prioritize work, there's always stuff on our agenda that don't get the time it deserves."
Derscheid noted the program has helped her "stay connected to the manuscripts" she was working on and ties Smile and Write to her professional success at Iowa State.
"I am looking at these projects at least once a month but usually weekly. This may not be helpful for everyone, but for me, this was exactly the kind of accountability I needed," she said. "I honestly don't know that I would have become tenured without it."
She said she tries to commit to two sessions a week and uses this time to work on various projects: developing workshops, grant writing, manuscript edits and other important tasks. She even has organized an informal cadre of colleagues who meet outside their weekly Smile and Write time slot.
Chamberlain also appreciates the camaraderie that forms among colleagues pursuing similar goals.
"I think it's also nice just to see other people. There are a lot of us who do this fairly regularly," she said.
The Smile and Write program runs through Dec. 11 and picks up again in spring semester. In addition to a regular Tuesday session, there are options on other weekdays at varying times. For those who want to find a community centered on productivity, accountability and mutual support, consider registering for a scheduled time to see whether Smile and Write can put a fire under projects left simmering on the back burner.
