Staying Organized
Have an organization system
Keep your backups backed up
Managing Your Time
Keep track of long-term goals
Keep track of time spent working
Keep track of the different projects
Conducting Research
Determine what you need to research
Getting Feedback
Ask for feedback from faculty
Ask for feedback from peers
Actually Working on Your Portfolio
Find great places to work
Find great times to work
Staying Organized
Have an organization system - Be sure to start your organization process early on, so that you can familiarize yourself with the system once you’re gaining traction with your projects. My organization process involved having different dedicated folders in my Dropbox for each project. In these folders I kept journal articles, notes, outlines, drafts, and feedback. Each person who makes a portfolio is going to have a slightly different organization system. Determine what kind of organization works for you, and stick to it. The earlier you decide how you want to stay organized, the better.
Keep your backups backed up - Because nothing is perfect and we should always be prepared, it’s so important that you backup your work in more than one place. For instance, keep a hard drive that you backup your work onto every few days or so, and work from a cloud-based drive (such as Dropbox or Google Drive). Having both of these backup systems will hopefully keep anything dire from happening (like you losing all of your work). It can be easy to overlook these kinds of things, until you get hacked or your computers fritzes out. And if that does happen, you’ll thank yourself later. But for now, better safe than sorry.
Keep your backups backed up - Because nothing is perfect and we should always be prepared, it’s so important that you backup your work in more than one place. For instance, keep a hard drive that you backup your work onto every few days or so, and work from a cloud-based drive (such as Dropbox or Google Drive). Having both of these backup systems will hopefully keep anything dire from happening (like you losing all of your work). It can be easy to overlook these kinds of things, until you get hacked or your computers fritzes out. And if that does happen, you’ll thank yourself later. But for now, better safe than sorry.
Managing Your Time
Keep track of long-term goals - While you’re still in the planning process of your portfolio, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed. One of the ways I combatted this was by creating a semester-long schedule of all the different early phases of my projects for the fall semester of my second year. Instead of creating a regimented schedule that was broken down by the day, I chose instead to create weekly goals for myself that spanned the entire semester. In addition to keeping track of the goals for my portfolio projects, I also kept track of the different professional development work that I was working on throughout that semester. For instance, I included the preparation work I was doing for my PhD applications along with the different conferences I had planned to attend that semester. I tried to space out my portfolio project goals to ensure I had enough time to complete the research I needed to while still making time to meet my other professional goals.
By keeping track of all of these goals in one place, I felt like my initial portfolio project time was spent wisely without getting bogged down by my other responsibilities. Of course, organize these early stages in a way that makes most sense for you. And be honest about how much work you can complete during certain times! For instance, when I was away at conferences, I tried to only work on reading necessary articles/books, rather than trying to write. I did this because I know that conferences are far busier than I ever anticipate, and reading doesn’t drain me in the same ways writing does. Be honest with yourself about what’s possible - and don’t be afraid to adjust accordingly. Early on, though, I highly suggest creating a more regimented schedule, especially when the bulk of your work will simply be reading and outlining. It can be easy to push that work off, but dedicating time to conducting that necessary work can make all the difference.
By keeping track of all of these goals in one place, I felt like my initial portfolio project time was spent wisely without getting bogged down by my other responsibilities. Of course, organize these early stages in a way that makes most sense for you. And be honest about how much work you can complete during certain times! For instance, when I was away at conferences, I tried to only work on reading necessary articles/books, rather than trying to write. I did this because I know that conferences are far busier than I ever anticipate, and reading doesn’t drain me in the same ways writing does. Be honest with yourself about what’s possible - and don’t be afraid to adjust accordingly. Early on, though, I highly suggest creating a more regimented schedule, especially when the bulk of your work will simply be reading and outlining. It can be easy to push that work off, but dedicating time to conducting that necessary work can make all the difference.
Keep track of time spent working - While it might seem like an afterthought, it can be useful to keep track of the time you spend actually working on your projects. This is a tactic I learned from taking WRA-853, the workshop class, with Alexandra Hidalgo. She encouraged us to write about five hours a week, which was a pretty easy feat when I was trying to finish up my portfolio. In addition to keeping track of the hours I spent working each day, I also tried to keep track of the words I wrote during those times (at least while I was still in the drafting phase). Looking back, I’m thankful I kept track of those times because it helped me be realistic about how much time I actually need to work on projects. I realized that an hour was a lot longer than it felt, and that I was able to get quite a bit done in that span of time. This meant eventually learning not to make the excuse that I didn’t have the time to work. If I could carve out an hour for myself, I could get a good chunk of work done.
Once you start keeping track of the time you spend writing and working, you may learn something different. Maybe you need more time to work, or maybe you work during certain days of the week better than others. Whatever pattern of writing you may prefer, you can’t learn it until you start keeping track of it in some way. Having some kind of dedicated writing journal, even if it’s as informal as a post-it note on your computer, can help you learn your habits. Not to mention, there’s serious satisfaction in being able to look over all the time and work you’ve put into your portfolio project.
Once you start keeping track of the time you spend writing and working, you may learn something different. Maybe you need more time to work, or maybe you work during certain days of the week better than others. Whatever pattern of writing you may prefer, you can’t learn it until you start keeping track of it in some way. Having some kind of dedicated writing journal, even if it’s as informal as a post-it note on your computer, can help you learn your habits. Not to mention, there’s serious satisfaction in being able to look over all the time and work you’ve put into your portfolio project.
Keep track of the different projects - Your portfolio projects will likely all progress at different paces throughout your final year, so it’s a good idea to have a way to keep track of these projects and their differing trajectories. I kept track of my projects’ different stages by creating a grid with different goals and dates to achieve those goals. As things changed with the projects, I would be able to easily edit the grid accordingly.
While you may not use this exact method, it is a good idea to come up with a method to keep track of your different projects and how they are shifting as you work on them. Make this method something you can easily adjust as you need, and be sure to include reasonable goals. For example, don’t include just the goals “Finish draft,” and “Turn in final project to committee.” There will most certainly be some work to do between those two phases - use a system that allows you to reflect those different phases between starting and finishing so that you can be realistic about the work you need to do and the time it’s going to take to get there.
While you may not use this exact method, it is a good idea to come up with a method to keep track of your different projects and how they are shifting as you work on them. Make this method something you can easily adjust as you need, and be sure to include reasonable goals. For example, don’t include just the goals “Finish draft,” and “Turn in final project to committee.” There will most certainly be some work to do between those two phases - use a system that allows you to reflect those different phases between starting and finishing so that you can be realistic about the work you need to do and the time it’s going to take to get there.
Conducting Research
Determine what you need to research - The bulk of your time writing your portfolio projects will be spent doing research. The first step of doing research is deciding what you should (and, perhaps more importantly shouldn’t) research. It’s a good idea to have a central place to keep all these lists of sources. For example, maybe you’re talking to one of your colleagues about your research projects and they mention, off-handedly, a book or article or author they think would be useful to check out. Having a place to quickly jot those sources down will be useful so that you have a place to start when you’re conducting research. Maybe you keep these sources hand-written in a notebook you take with you everywhere, maybe you save them in a Notes document on your cell phone, or maybe you save voice memos for yourself. Whichever system you use to keep track of these sources, you just want to be sure that they are all in the same place, so that when you’re researching you don’t have to spend 30 minutes trying to remember the subject line to an email you sent to yourself and can instead just get right to researching.
Getting feedback
Ask for feedback from faculty - While your committee is an obvious resource to get feedback from during the portfolio writing process, don’t forget that you’re also surrounded by dozens of other brilliant scholars at MSU. Oftentimes faculty who aren’t on your committee are still interested in helping you flesh out your projects if it’s on a topic they’re passionate about. Don’t be shy about reaching out and be sure to be thankful!
Ask for feedback from peers - In my experience, the most generative ideas I got when writing my portfolio came when talking about research projects with my peers. Not only is talking with your peers a good way to practice the ever-dreaded research project “elevator pitch,” but it can also be a useful break from being inside your head all day.
Stuck wondering if an idea you’re conveying in your paper is making sense? Ask one of your friends to read through it (or better yet, see if you’re able to explain it to them). Feeling unable to get your ideas together cohesively? Reach out to a peer and ask to talk through it with them. Chances are your peers will be able to get you thinking about things differently and can likely empathize with the frustration you’re going through.
Ask for feedback from peers - In my experience, the most generative ideas I got when writing my portfolio came when talking about research projects with my peers. Not only is talking with your peers a good way to practice the ever-dreaded research project “elevator pitch,” but it can also be a useful break from being inside your head all day.
Stuck wondering if an idea you’re conveying in your paper is making sense? Ask one of your friends to read through it (or better yet, see if you’re able to explain it to them). Feeling unable to get your ideas together cohesively? Reach out to a peer and ask to talk through it with them. Chances are your peers will be able to get you thinking about things differently and can likely empathize with the frustration you’re going through.
Actually working on your portfolio
Find great places to work - So much of graduate school is spent just trying to figure out how you work best. This doesn’t just mean what type of work you’re best at, but what time of day your prefer to work and where you work best. Having a handful of different places to work is really useful, especially if you find yourself getting sick and tired of the same old places. Below is a list of some examples of places to work.
Remember, though, our preferences can always change! If you thought you were a morning worker, but find yourself in a slump when waking up early to work, consider changing things up. Maybe you needed a change of pace, or maybe your preferences just changed. Noticing these changes early and often and adjusting to them can be useful when working on your portfolio because these changes in working habits can cut down on frustration and writer’s block later on.
- Your on-campus office: I provide this example with some hesitation. It’s great that we’re offered offices to work in on campus, but I have rarely seen folks actually able to work in their office. We’re a chatty department, which is excellent for when you want someone to distract you, but not great when you actually need to buckle down and work. If you want to work in your office but can’t keep yourself focused because every other person who walks by likes to poke their head in and talk for 45 minutes, try to figure out when the department is empty. Oftentimes, early mornings and early evenings are good quiet times to work in your office. There may be the occasional interruption, but you’ll likely be able to get a few solid hours of work in. Also, feel free to close your office door when you’re working - it tells those around you that you’re hard at work and they’ll be less likely to stop in for a conversation.
- A dedicated working space at home: Your home will likely be the place you spend most of your time during grad school. Because of that, it’s so important that you have a dedicated space in your house to work on not just your portfolio, but your other grad school responsibilities. Of course, being grad students, many of us can’t afford a two-, or three-bedroom home. Because of this, you may have to get creative when it comes to your working space. Consider putting a desk in your bedroom. Maybe you could work at your kitchen table. Or perhaps you can get a cheap lapdesk and work in your bed. Either way, ensure that there is a dedicated space in your home for you to be comfortable and do your work.
- A library: Maybe you have rowdy roommates and want some peace and quiet. Libraries can be great spaces to go when you want some quiet. Be aware of your library’s hours, though; many public library close around 5-6pm, and some of the floors of MSU’s libraries close after 10-11pm. Be sure that you aren’t going end up kicked out, or worse, locked in the library because you got too in the zone and forgot about closing time.
- A coffee shop: Coffee shops are full of people wearing their headphones and browsing Facebook while they pretend to work. Join the club and get your work-on. All coffee shops are a little different, so don’t be afraid to try out different ones around the area. Find your perfect spot(s) and give yourself a change of scenery (and maybe a baked-goodie).
- A late-night diner: Look, I get it: grad school life is weird and hard, and sometimes you forget to eat a meal, or two, or three and you have four papers due next week. That’s the beauty of late-night diners. Many of them have wi-fi and a cheap menu. If you’re in a pinch and need a meal and to do some work, or you just love eating pancakes while you slam out those final paragraphs to your paper, a late-night diner is a perfect place to check out. Sure, the drunk/hungover undergrads might be a bit weirded out by you, but they’ll forget you even existed the next day. If you’re going to check out the late-night diner scene, though, always double check the hours and bring a charged laptop (or ask for a seat by an outlet).
Remember, though, our preferences can always change! If you thought you were a morning worker, but find yourself in a slump when waking up early to work, consider changing things up. Maybe you needed a change of pace, or maybe your preferences just changed. Noticing these changes early and often and adjusting to them can be useful when working on your portfolio because these changes in working habits can cut down on frustration and writer’s block later on.