Mentoring Matters
Welcome to "Mentoring Matters" the podcast where professors Stephanie Hansen and Mary Drewnoski share their expert insights on how to excel as a mentor. Join us as we tackle the challenges of mentoring graduate students and offer actionable tips for building community, enhancing communication, and fostering a culture of learning within your team. With years of experience and hard-won wisdom, Hansen and Drewnoski will provide the guidance you need to succeed in your mentoring endeavors. Tune in to "Mentoring Matters" for valuable insights and advice on mentoring graduate students.
Mentoring Matters
The Case for Doing Less: How Slow Productivity Can Make You a Better Mentor
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
In this episode of Mentoring Matters, dig into the (unfortunately) age-old question: am I actually being productive, or just busy? Inspired by Cal Newport's Slow Productivity, we explore what it looks like to focus on fewer, higher-impact commitments, and why that matters not just for your own work, but for the quality of mentoring you can offer your students.
We talk through how to evaluate new opportunities before you say yes, why the real time cost of a commitment is almost always more than you think, and how to stop wearing "busy" as a badge of honor. Spoiler: sometimes the most productive thing you can do is say no.
Whether you're a new faculty member figuring out what to take on or a seasoned mentor feeling stretched thin, this one's for you. Our homework: try a time audit this week and notice what energizes you versus what drains you.
For actionable tips and strategies for mentoring please check out The Graduate Mentor's Trail Map available in paperback and ebook!
If you are enjoying this podcast please leave a rating or review which helps others find the conversation. Please share with others who would gain value from the show!