Interlude: SMARTER Goals, Research Management, and a Two-Word Theory

The new year tends to spark a surge in goal setting. But many of us set goals without creating a plan of the actionable steps we need to take to accomplish those goals. And in the words of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, "A goal without a plan is just a wish."

I like to create SMART—Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound—goals. I have found this strategy to be really helpful in planning the steps I need to take to accomplish my goals.

But I recently learned about an expanded form of this approach: SMARTER. This expansion adds the criteria Evaluate and Reward, which are really important parts of accomplishing your goals.

We need to continually evaluate our progress to help us stay accountable, and we need to reward ourselves and celebrate our wins.

I'm going to add ER to my SMART goal-setting practices moving forward. And I hope that you will experiment with them too.

Now onto this week's round-up...

💌 Round-up

👓 Reading

​How research managers are using AI to get ahead​
This article shares several ways that research staff are using AI for research management. "For those at the interface of funding organizations and the scientific community, platforms such as ChatGPT can tackle menial tasks and free up time for relationship-building work such as coaching and mentoring."

​Guest Post — Hanging in the Balance: Generative AI Versus Scholarly Publishing​
"The issues with generative AI chatbots are known: accountability, potential to propagate bias, and not-always-reliable accuracy. But they can also help us humans to think in different and creative ways, and to streamline tedious tasks, which may ultimately be a boon for burdened researchers."

🖥️ Watching

Writing Advice from Matt Stone & Trey Parker @ NYU​
In this 2-minute clip, the creators of South Park share how a simple theory with two words—"but" and "therefore"—drives their approach to creating connections in their stories. I've been playing around with this theory, and I think it might help some writers avoid gaps in logic in their writing.

🧰 Tools

​Strava​
This tool might seem unusual to include in this newsletter, because it's not related to writing. But I've been a fan of Strava since I was an avid cyclist and still use the app as a runner. I find the app helps me stay accountable, connect with friends for kudos, and track my progress. If you're not a cyclist or runner, the app includes an array of exercises to help you track your fitness progress and goals.

📝 Experiment

On a fresh sheet of paper, write your biggest goal for this year at the top. Then write the letters S-M-A-R-T-E-R in a column down the left-hand side of page. Next to each letter, write down the relevant details of your plan to accomplish that goal. Now tape/pin that piece of paper somewhere where you will see it every day.

Thank you so much for reading.

Warmly,

Crystal