Tips to Combat Decision Fatigue (Part 2)
Welcome to TEA Delivered, the newsletter of The Editorial Ally (TEA)!
A scholar reading page proofs once wrote on Twitter, “I’ve hit the stage when I look at my manuscript and all I see is blah, blah, blah, word, blah, blah.” Surely this scenario stems from many factors, but decision fatigue may be one of them.
In my last newsletter, I discussed decision fatigue and how it impacts authors. I shared some tips for combating decision fatigue early in the writing process. Today, I want to talk about breaking the cycle of exhaustion in the later writing and publishing stages, specifically during revisions and proofs.
If you have hit the point where you can’t see your manuscript, give these three techniques a try.
1) Read the text out loud. Obviously, you aren’t going to be able to read an entire monograph, or even a chapter out loud, but reading even a few paragraphs out loud can help you to re-set your brain and start to see the text more clearly again.
2) Print your document (double-sided, of course!). We spend so many hours staring at a computer screen each day that switching to paper can also help you to see the text with fresh eyes. For some people, getting out a pencil and actually making changes on the paper can further make the process feel new.
3) Use a bookmark. I find that I can slow my eyes down and really see the text if I force myself to read one line at a time (this technique helps me avoid accidentally skimming). I’ve employed the bookmark technique when reading a document on the screen and on paper.
All of these techniques help you to stop glazing over when you read and find some freshness—even though you’ve already read the words so many times.
Keep writing (and revising!),
Katherine