For many, the academic year begins this month. This means preparing for teaching, meetings and the many other responsibilities that come with the start of a new semester.

It is also a useful time to think about work that is important but not urgent.

Fall brings deadlines. Recently, we have been talking about new opportunities with tight submission windows. Those types of opportunities require you to respond quickly.

But they also raise a broader question: How much of your work is spent reacting and responding, rather than initiating?

Now is a good time to identify the things you want to accomplish this fall that do not have deadlines attached to them. To start . . .

Keep your research moving

Furthering your research may be one example. It is probably also one of the activities you enjoy more than many of the entries on your calendar.

Usually, no one is waiting for you to think through an early idea, read about a new topic or develop a line of inquiry that is not already connected to a proposal. Because there is no pressing deadline, that work can easily be displaced by teaching, meetings, email or other responsibilities.

You do not need to maintain maximum effort on every part of your research through the entire semester. But do not lose sight of what you must do to keep the important work moving (or at least alive).

Reconnect with people

Consider colleagues you are due to check in with, even without any particular decision or opportunity pushing you to do so.

Perhaps meet for an extended lunch, go out to dinner or have coffee on a weekend.

You do not need to have an agenda or specific outcome in mind. Reconnecting has value in itself. And you never know what more practical outcomes may emerge from the conversation—a new idea, a valuable introduction, a collaboration or information that changes how you think about your work.

This is important work, but it is not always visible, deadline-driven or externally reinforced. If you want it to happen, you may need to deliberately allocate time for it.

Almost everyone has a packed schedule. For some, especially those with young families or other constraints, finding blocks of time may be difficult. But try to find ways to do some of the work that matters before the semester consumes all of the available space.

Decide what you are not going to do

Planning for the semester can also include deciding what you will not pursue.

DURIP is a good example. I recently wrote a Guide to that solicitation, and for many readers it probably is not a good option. If you are considering it, read the Guide and make a decision: Will you pursue it or not?

If the answer is no, it is better to decide that early. Put it out of your head. Close that mental tab! One less possibility quietly draining your attention and energy.

What else might you decide now that you are not going to do?

The semester will make plenty of claims on your time. Before that happens, remember that not all important work arrives with a deadline.

Especially now, with the funding environment so discouraging, it can be easy to let the next competition become the whole story. But most of you did not enter research to respond to others’ demands. You were drawn to the questions, the discoveries and the ability to work with those who care about similar things.

Make room for some of that this semester. Protect a question you are curious about. Spend time with someone you would like to know better. Keep a promising idea alive, even if it is not yet connected to an opportunity.

Realistically, you cannot protect everything at all times—but choose something. Do not lose sight of the parts of this work that you love before the semester has even begun.

Want to be more visible to AI? Check out this webinar I presented with Atom Grants on exactly this topic. If you haven’t watched it yet, it’s worth your time. There are a lot of small, easy steps you can take that add up to meaningful visibility gain. Spending just an hour or two on this process can make a real difference. It would be a great thing to check off your list before classes start.

Need to get your research funded, this year? Check out our 12-week program to get you there.

Ready to book a call to discuss how our program can support faculty at your institution? Let’s chat!