Career & Tools

Having a hard time staying motivated through the summer? UCSB students have free access to the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD), an independent professional development, training, and mentoring community. Membership provides several forms of professional support - find out more here!

By Daina Tagavi, Professional Development Peer
Thursday, June 6th, 2019 - 8:30am


Having a hard time staying motivated through the summer? UCSB students have free access to the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD), an independent professional development, training, and mentoring community of over 71,000 graduate students, postdocs, and faculty members. NCFDD membership provides a series of mentoring services, including workshops focused on research and writing strategies, networking opportunities, and other forms of professional support and development.

To take advantage of this amazing resource, you must register with your UCSB account (see how to register here). Once you ​register, you are automatically subscribed to the Monday Motivator -- your weekly dose of ​positive energy ​and actionable steps to increase your productivity and motivation.

Monday Motivator: Tips & Challenges

As summer approaches, take a moment to reassess your usual routines, systems, and habits by asking yourself:

1) Are my typical work habits supporting my growth (or have I outgrown them)?
2) Am I missing something that would accelerate my productivity?
3) Should I try something new?

Start to rethink your relationships with various types of support, eliminate the things that aren't working, and streamline your daily work flow.

As you take this time, also know that there are great resources available to you as an NCFDD member to help increase productivity and improve your work flow. Here are some of the top resources:

Multi-Week Courses
These courses are facilitated by national experts, and they're designed to teach you what you need to know in the Academy but nobody ever tells you. This summer, NCFDD is featuring a multi-week course on Teaching In No Time.

The Buddy System
If you're interested in having an accountability partner, NCFDD offers the opportunity to be matched with a buddy. This is designed to support the implementation of productivity strategies, provide you with a peer-mentor, and expand your network. To request a buddy match, all you'll have to do is log into www.facultydiversity.org, click on "My Account," and request a buddy!

Discussion Forum
The NCFDD discussion forums are a private place where members connect, share information, peer-mentor, problem-solve, and celebrate each others' successes. In other words, it's the "safe space" for online community engagement that is available to you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The discussion forums also are home to the Monthly Writing Challenges designed to help you develop and maintain a daily writing habit. It's very simple -- you log in each day, post your progress, and receive the support and encouragement of those who are committed to online accountability.

The Monday Motivator
The Monday Motivator is the most popular membership resource. It provides a weekly dose of positive energy, electronic support, and a loving nudge forward. The purpose of the weekly e-mail message is to reinforce the core ideas, skills, and strategies presented in the NCFDD Core Curriculum.

Dissertation Success Curriculum
For graduate students, NCFDD has a 12-week Dissertation Success curriculum. The resources are designed for doctoral candidates who are focused on finishing their dissertation, and built on the assumptions that there is only one way to complete a dissertation: write it! Click here to learn more.

Resources & Referrals
Summer is a great time to do some reading to enhance your professional development and/or try out a new support resource (professional editor, writing retreat, etc.). The resources and referrals page contains great books, articles, and preferred vendors listed in one convenient place for you.