Struggling to focus when you sit down to write? You’re not alone, and the solution might be simpler than you think.

In this video, I’ll share how simple writing rituals (yes, even lighting a candle!) helped me to stop my procrastination loop and start writing with more ease and clarity.

But here’s the truth:

It’s not about the candle.

Instead, it’s about how your brain responds to patterns, cues, and rituals.

✨ In this video, you’ll learn:

• Why writing rituals actually work (it’s brain science-y)
• How to reduce decision fatigue and start writing faster
• 3 simple writing rituals you can try today
• 3 common mistakes that make rituals ineffective

So whether you’re a busy academic, parent (or both!) trying to find focus in a full life, these strategies are designed to help you write more efficiently without burning out.

👋 Hi, I’m Dr. Stacey Garrepy I help busy writers and researchers with full lives build sustainable writing habits, stay energized, and actually enjoy the process.

🎯 Resources Mentioned:

• 📺 Watch next: How to Beat the Blank Page: https://youtu.be/-NTDLL7ghhc?si=VevetBUR1J-onqyx
• ✍️ Free writing prompts: https://land.staceygarrepy.com/12prompts

💬 Let’s connect:

• Instagram: @crayonsinmymanuscript
• Facebook Community: CIMM Podcast

☕ Support the channel: Buy Me a Coffee → https://coff.ee/staceygarrepy

👍 If this helped you, don’t forget to like & subscribe!

Have you ever had that awful moment at 11:00 pm when you realize… you’re not going to finish your chapter in time? 😱

If you’re a grad student, early-career academic, or scholar balancing research with a full life, you intimately know and feel the pressure of writing deadlines. In this episode of Crayons in My Manuscript, Dr. Stacey Garrepy shares a personal story about missing her own review article deadline, and what it taught her about time management, perfectionism, and academic writing.

If you’ve ever thought: • “Maybe I’m not cut out for this.” • “There’s not enough time to write the way I want to.” • “What if I don’t finish in time?”

This episode is for you.

In today’s conversation we talk about: • Why academic writing deadlines feel overwhelming • Perfectionism’s hidden role in missed deadlines • Building a sustainable writing system (even especially with a busy life) • Time-blocking and the Pomodoro Technique for academic writing • Reassessing deadlines with honesty and self-compassion

Whether you’re writing during nap time, juggling teaching and research, or navigating academia as a first-gen scholar, you belong here.

Your voice matters. Your scholarship matters. Every sentence you write counts.

📌 Connect with the community: Instagram: https://instagram.com/crayonsinmymanuscript Facebook Group: CIMM Podcast

☕ Support the podcast: Buy Me a Coffee: https://coff.ee/staceygarrepy

👍 If this episode helped you, please like, subscribe, and leave a review; it helps more scholars find the channel.

If you’ve ever wondered whether you truly belong in academia, whether getting in was luck, timing, or some kind of fluke, I want you to know you’re not alone.

In this deeply personal episode of Crayons in My Manuscript, I’m sharing the fear I don’t often say out loud: that one day someone will “find me out,” see how messy my journey has been, and decide I don’t measure up.

From rejected grad school applications and changing programs mid-PhD, to NICU motherhood and rebuilding my career on my own terms, this is an honest conversation about imposter syndrome, resilience, and what it means to navigate academia as a First-Generation scholar.

This episode is for the first-gen, the parenting scholar, the nontraditional academic, the one quietly questioning themselves.

We talk about: • The fear of being “found out” • Why success doesn’t automatically quiet self-doubt • Pivoting when the plan falls apart • Redefining what belonging and success look like for us

You don’t have to have it all together to be worthy of being here.

We’re building honesty, knowledge, and support in this community. Your story and your research matters.

🔗 Resources Mentioned:

👉 Join the Crayons in My Manuscript community: https://facebook.com/cimmpodcast. 📸 Follow on Instagram: @crayonsinmymanuscript ☕ Support the show: https://coff.ee/staceygarrepy

✨ Major Takeaway: Don’t try to be someone else. Your story is your strength, and it might just light the way for someone coming after you.

#CrayonsInMyManuscript #ImposterSyndrome #FirstGenAcademic #AcademicParenting #PhDJourney #WritingMotivation #GradSchoolTruths #AcademicResilience

✨ Free Resource: Download my 10 Writing Prompts to Beat the Blank Page → https://staceygarrepy.net/prompts

If the sight of a blank page sends you into a mild panic (or a full-blown spiral), you are so not alone, friend. In this episode of Crayons in My Manuscript, we’re tackling the fear of the blank page head-on. I’ll share 6 real, doable strategies to get you unstuck and writing again.

As a First-Gen, parenting academic and writing coach, I know firsthand how hard it can be to write when your brain feels fried, your time is limited, and perfectionism is whispering SHOUTING in your ear. But here’s the good news: you don’t have to wait for inspiration or perfect conditions to start. You need some tweaks in your mindset, as well as a toolkit that works for real life to paraphrase a popular anthropomorphized Australian Blue Heeler (parents, iykyk).

In this episode, we’ll talk about 🖊️ The real reasons we freeze at the blank page (hint: it’s not laziness). 🎯 How perfectionism and comparison feed writing anxiety. 💡 Why “never start with a blank page” is the best writing advice you’ll ever get. 🪄 Six practical ways to start writing right now—even if you only have 10 minutes. 🌈 How to transform your anxiety into creative momentum.

Whether you’re a doctoral student, young professor, or nontraditional academic juggling kids, shift work, or military life—this episode is for you.

🎧 Listen and learn how to stop fearing the blank page and start writing with courage, clarity, and joy.

☕ Support the show: https://coff.ee/staceygarrepy

📺 Subscribe for more: Writing support for academics with full plates and even fuller hearts.

#AcademicWriting #WritingAnxiety #ProductivityForParents #CrayonsInMyManuscript #PhDLife #FirstGenAcademics

You’re in the flow, revising an article. Your deadline is tomorrow. And just then, your laptop freezes. Work lost. 😱

This episode explores 7 tips for how to respond calmly, protect your work, and build a writing practice that doesn’t collapse when technology does.

📔 Download the cheat sheet – 12 Writing Prompts to Bust Through Academic Writer’s Block! https://www.staceygarrepy.net/prompts 😊

📱 Follow me on Instagram: Instagram.com/crayonsinmymanuscript.

📱 Follow me on Facebook: facebook.com/cimmpodcast.

☕ Want to say thanks? A cup of coffee is the quickest way to this academic’s heart!

You can buy me one here: https://buymeacoffee.com/staceygarrepy.

Dr. Stacey Garrepy explains why we procrastinate: our brains crave finished loops, need rest to process ideas, and avoid the vulnerability of writing. She reassures listeners that procrastination is not laziness.

She offers practical strategies, namely: naming and befriending your feelings, trying an imposter or "worry hour" to get them out, set tiny, achievable goals (even one paragraph), and use grounding changes to reset your brain so you can make steady writing progress.

Want to support the channel? A cup of coffee is the quickest way to an academic’s heart! You can buy her one here: https://buymeacoffee.com/staceygarrepy.

Dr. Stacey Garrepy explores writing anxiety and the inner critic, sharing a personal story about harsh feedback and the physical, emotional toll it can take on academic writers.

She offers practical strategies—self-compassion, mindfulness (5-4-3-2-1), creating a supportive environment, short regular writing sessions, reframing the inner critic as a coach, and celebrating small wins—to help writers move from paralysis to progress.

This episode normalizes writing anxiety, addresses challenges faced by nontraditional and non-native English writers, and gives clear tools to reclaim confidence and momentum in scholarly work.

Want to support the channel? A cup of coffee is the quickest way to an academic’s heart! You can buy her one here: https://buymeacoffee.com/staceygarrepy.

Launch day is here! 🎉

I originally planned to release three full episodes today, but my final one encountered technical rendering issues on my current computer. Rather than delay the entire launch, I’m releasing two full episodes now — and next Tuesday you’ll hear a minisode on what to do when your writing tech fails you (a very timely topic).

Welcome to Crayons in My Manuscript — where real academic life meets sustainable writing.