The Productive Researcher

by Mark S. Reed

In The Productive Researcher, Mark Reed shows researchers how they can become more productive in a fraction of their current working day. He draws on interviews with some of the world’s highest performing researchers, the literature and his own experience to identify a small number of important insights that can transform how researchers work. The book is based on an unparalleled breadth of interdisciplinary evidence that speaks directly to researchers of all disciplines and career stages. The lessons in this book will make you more productive, more satisfied with what you produce, and enable you to be happy working less, and being more.

The hardback edition has the title and design imprinted on a fabric cover, hand crafted by a book maker in Yorkshire. It contains spectacular colour photography throughout. Chapters are accompanied by close-up images of trees that build up to the forest metaphor that concludes the book. These are bookended by wide perspective canopy images that accompany the front matter (from which the cover design is derived) and concluding chapter. The overall effect is a touch and feel that makes this a book to savour.

Mark Reed is Professor of Socio-Technical Innovation at Newcastle University and Visiting Professor at Birmingham City University and the University of Leeds. He has over 140 publications that have been cited more than 10,000 times. He is author of The Research Impact Handbook, which he has used to train over 4000 researchers from more than 200 institutions in 55 countries.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Academia, Self Help, Research, Productivity, How To

167 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 1, 2017

Reviews

[Bogdan Antonescu · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book that aims not only to make researchers more productive, but also to "enable [them] to be happy working less, and being more." (p. 168). The book is based on the author's personal (and sometimes very personal) experiences, interviews with some of the most productive researchers in the world, and literature on psychology, organizational management, ecology, and international development. The first part of the book contains a series of principles (e. g., on motivation, retelling your story, prioritizing, find goals that inspire you) which are relevant both to early career researchers and to more experienced researchers. The second part of the book contains practical ideas (mainly for more experienced researchers) about how to become significantly more productive (e.g., work planning, say "yes" to say "no", writing, do less to do more, how to spend less time on emails, meetings, and online).

The book was inspiring (even if in few places I slightly disagreed with the author) and I will try to implement some of his ideas and strategies in my research activities and develop goals that are Stretching, Motivational, Authentic, Relational, and Tailored (i. e., the new SMART proposed by the author). Furthermore, the book is beautifully done, I really like the cover and the design.

[Gaialy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, this certainly changed the way I am doing my research from now on.

[Titus Hjelm · Rating 2 out of 5]

Writing a self-help guide for academics is no mean feat. I've read quite few intended for a general audience, and few of them work for the academic work cycle. So, I wanted to like this book. Unfortunately, the content didn't distinguish itself from the general self-help literature enough to make a lasting impression. I'm not saying Reed's system wouldn't work--indeed, I'd like to read the book again and follow the prompts while reading. But the personal examples of franchising his educational company (I guess) are a turn-off. Similarly, the 'literature review in a week' method might work for management or whatever his field is, but in the social sciences and humanities reading is often slow, and its function is understanding, not simply efficiency. I guess the goals are more long term. Or perhaps I'm just too skeptical.

[Sunny · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book can be separated into two main parts: i) the psychology of productivity and ii) application in the work place. Having confidence in your own abilities is important as it affects your productivity. The author presents some clear exercises to help identify limiting beliefs or negativity which may be holding you back. The key is to form a realistic and positive narrative of your career and goals. You need to really believe that the work you are doing is important in some way for you to really immerse yourself in it. There are further exercises that guides you through reframing your goals to be aligned with your core values and future growth. The second part of the book where author provide tips to remain productive with ever growing responsibilities and opportunities are highly practical and to the point.

The danger with psychology or ‘self-help’ books is that they can contain pages and pages of highly agreeable content yet leave the reader feeling unsure how to progress and utilise that knowledge. This is not one of those books, the reader writes from personal experience, and provide well grounded and practical explanations for reflection and growth. This book, particularly the first part on the psychology, require active participation and reflection, with note-taking recommended, to get the full benefit.

[Viktoriya Bessonova · Rating 4 out of 5]

I doubted at first whether I needed to read this book or not as it feels like I know every tip and trick on productivity from books, podcasts and blogs. But the book did surprise me, I haven't seen a single one of those tips and tricks here!

I think it has a broader application than just academia as things like negative stories about ourselves or saying no or cutting time spent on emails and meetings could be useful for virtually everyone. I was pleased to see that the book is concise and to the point which is often (ironically) not the case with productivity books.

The only reason I downgraded by 1 star is the last chapter on digital footprint: I regularly audit my time and I don't listen/read news or spend time on social media so I now have to think how I could integrate the time for engaging in SM activities in my work day. The same chapter could also benefit from some advice for PhD students who don't have papers or projects to promote yet but I guess who could also somehow benefit from SM.

Thank you for the great book, I am now inspired for yet another change in the way I work and hopefully reaching more goals!

[Rigo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good book. It describes some mistakes I've been doing. The only think I was expecting to give to this book five stars, is more advices and techniques from the other researches cited on this book.

[Will · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, full of useful advice and tips...most of which I hope to put into practice.

[Phil James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really easy to read book from a very accomplished researcher giving some ideas about how other researchers can become more efficient and productive. Well worth a read.

[Mohamad Zeina · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 - refreshing and holistic take on productivity