By Kimine Mayuzumi “What should I accomplish this term?” You may have asked yourself this question a few weeks ago, as the new academic term approached. You might have made lists — teaching, research, service, administration, community engagement — and mapped out deadlines, meetings, classes, conferences, writing projects, and other commitments across the weeks ahead. And now, a few weeks in, you may be starting to get a sense of what this term will actually…
By Riyad A. Shahjahan You have set aside time to write. You know what you plan to work on for the next 15 minutes, 30 minutes, or hour. You sit down to begin — or perhaps you are already writing — when suddenly an urge arises to do something else. Maybe you feel compelled to check the laundry, browse the news, scroll through social media, make a quick phone call, or do a bit more…
By Kimine Mayuzumi There is nothing passive about stopping, and when you decide to go, it’s a different kind of going because you stopped. — Jon Kabat-Zinn A few weeks ago, I led a session called Exhale – Reset through Reflection and Practice for a group of academics transitioning out of their academic year. I was reminded again how exhausting this season can be for many academics — trying to wrap things up while…
By Kimine Mayuzumi Ten years ago, I wrote a short post called “5 Ways to Slow Down NOW.” At the time, I didn’t know whether anyone would read it. I simply felt pulled to explore gentler ways of living and working — especially in environments organized around speed, output, and performance. I kept writing, not because I had a grand vision for what Being Lazy and Slowing Down (BLSD) would become, but because each piece…
By Riyad A. Shahjahan My recently published conceptual paper “Am I a Scholar” began with a keynote invitation. I’d been asked to deliver a keynote at an international forum I hadn’t attended in some time. The theme was “I Am a Scholar.” But as I sat with that phrase, it didn’t settle in very well. The certainty of it felt out of step for me. My experiences have been shaped more by ambiguity, deferral, and…
