I’m looking forward to hosting our next community Q&A next Friday. I’m going to show you (finally) how you can use Canva to create graphics for your LinkedIn etc. In the meantime, please share any questions you may have. Have a great week!

I spent 13 months writing my first research paper. And guess what? It was painful. I told myself: "I hate writing." "I'm not good enough." "I just need to get this done." I was making massive mistakes that were killing my productivity and leading to rejections. Here are the 5 biggest mistakes I made (and how to fix them): 1. I tried to write the Introduction first. I thought I had to write linearly. Start at the top, finish at the bottom. The Fix: Flip the script. Write your Methods first. Then Results. Then Discussion. Write the Introduction last—once you actually know what story your data tells. 2. I tried to be a "Perfectionist" during the draft. I would write a sentence. Delete it. Fix the grammar. Rewrite it. I was thinking and writing at the same time. The Fix: Separate the two. Draft as quickly as possible. Don't worry about English or grammar. Just get the ideas down. Remember: Done is better than perfect. You can edit later. 3. I wrote without a plan. I used to write 40-page drafts because I had no plan. I included everything I thought was relevant. The Fix: The Perfect Outline. Spend 1-2 days just on the outline. Define your key messages and flow before you write a single paragraph. Outlines prevent waffling. Less is more. 4. I used "Fancy Words" to sound smart. I thought complex language made me look like an expert. The Fix: Plain language. Your goal is to make learning easy for the reader. If you use words like "desirous" just to sound academic, you are hurting your impact. 5. I ignored the "Novelty" trap. I thought new data was enough. The Fix: Verify your novelty early. 70% of desk rejections happen because of a lack of novelty. If you have an "Old Solution" to an "Old Problem," you will get rejected.Frame your work as a New Solution + Old Problem, or an Old Solution + New Problem. Writing doesn't have to be a struggle. You just need the right framework. Which of these mistakes are you making right now? P.S. If you are stuck staring at a blank screen, ask yourself: "Why does this research matter to others?". It changes everything.