iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Wendy Nicholls @drwendynicholls.bsky.social · 19h

This ladder. This is academia. You didn't choose to get on it. You just kept taking the next logical step. PhD. Postdoc. Lecturer. Senior lecturer. . . But there may come a point when ask how to keep climbing without breaking, and whether you actually want what is at the top. DM to discuss

000

Wendy Nicholls @drwendynicholls.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

We make trade offs all the time. We don't always choose them. That is one trap we fall into as academics when planning our year ahead. I have made a free download which covers three traps we can fall into when planning, and how to avoid them. Download link in comments.

100

Wendy Nicholls @drwendynicholls.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Every year I hear senior lecturers saying that the same things slip off their agenda: research, health, people who forgive you for missing stuff. We don't notice they've slipped until it is too late. That's one of three planning traps I've put in a free one-page guide. Link in comments.

100

Wendy Nicholls @drwendynicholls.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

"Just knowing you are there has been helpful." Not every session. Not weekly check-ins. Just having someone who knows your situation and doesn't need briefing from scratch. Academia has plenty of colleagues. Not many spaces to think without it feeling risky.

000

Wendy Nicholls @drwendynicholls.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Autumn used to mean fresh starts in academia. Now it's another restructure, set of metrics, round of consultations. The change never stops long enough for you to unpack. If you've noticed you can't quite settle, that makes sense. The ground keeps shifting. When you need to talk, I'm here.

001

Wendy Nicholls @drwendynicholls.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Every yes to someone else is a no to yourself. Your research. Your sleep. Your family. You can't keep doing this. Free workbook: learn to say no without guilt by rebuilding what "good academic" actually means. [Link in comments]

100

Wendy Nicholls @drwendynicholls.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

The constant noise of academic life - emails, meetings, admin - drowns out the thinking time your research actually requires. When was the last time you had space to think deeply? Ready to create that space again? DM me to start the process.

000

Wendy Nicholls @drwendynicholls.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

"I haven't taken a weekend off in months." We tell ourselves next week, month, semester will be different. But what we don't say out loud is that this job isn't designed for breathing space. Can you remember the last time you felt rested?

100

Wendy Nicholls @drwendynicholls.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

We start each year with fresh intentions and the same conditions, then we are surprised when it runs the same way. This free download runs through this, and two other traps we fall into when planning the academic year. Link in comments.

100

Wendy Nicholls @drwendynicholls.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

"I'll think about next year once I've got through this term." But the next year arrives already full, with little bandwith for reflection and planning inbetween. I created a free download to look at the year ahead & decide what you want, before it decides for you. Link in comments.

101

Wendy Nicholls @drwendynicholls.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

If you're doubting whether you belong in your academic role, or wondering if you're good enough, this is for you. Ready to feel like you belong in the career you've worked so hard for? Book a call. (link in comments)

110

Wendy Nicholls @drwendynicholls.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Most planning advice for academics is time management in disguise. It is not made for us and it doesn't work. Planning still helps, but only if you avoid the three traps most of us fall into first. Download my free one page guide to the three planning traps in academia and how to avoid them.

100

Wendy Nicholls @drwendynicholls.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

The academic calendar is designed to keep us permanently exhausted. Just as term ends, marking begins. Just as marking ends, resit deadlines loom. Just as those pass, we are into clearing. Are you ready to step off the hamster wheel? Book a call: www.rfr.bz/bacaa060d

000

Wendy Nicholls @drwendynicholls.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

The ladder gets harder as you climb. More responsibility. More demands. More unpaid overtime. What if the question isn't 'how do I progress without breaking?' What if it's 'do I want where this is taking me?' If you're asking that question, DM me. I can help you work it out.

000

Wendy Nicholls @drwendynicholls.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

100

Wendy Nicholls @drwendynicholls.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

100

Wendy Nicholls @drwendynicholls.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

From the outside for this client, nothing looked different. But she was closing her laptop at 5pm. Pushing back on deadlines. Building something intentional. None of that looks like a revolution. But if you've spent years doing the opposite, it feels like one.

100

Wendy Nicholls @drwendynicholls.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

What do you need to say no to so you can keep saying yes to what matters? Sleep? Your research? Time with your family? Those aren't negotiable. Everything else is. Download my new workbook (link in comments) to understand why your boundaries keep failing, and what you can do instead.

100

Wendy Nicholls @drwendynicholls.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

The academic year fills itself before you've had a say in it. There are three traps behind that. I hear academics describe falling into the same ones, year after year. Here is a free download naming all three, and what to do instead. See the comments below for the download link.

100

Wendy Nicholls @drwendynicholls.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Have you noticed how academic life shrinks your world? First weekends disappear. Then evenings. Then lunch breaks. Eventually, even your shower time belongs to work thoughts. Time to expand your world again - shall we talk? www.rfr.bz/bb9363de7

000

Wendy Nicholls @drwendynicholls.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

If you can't sleep properly. You can't focus on the work you used to love. You can't remember the last time you felt genuinely excited about research. And you're asking yourself: 'How can I progress in my academic career without breaking?' DM me. I can help you work it out

000

Wendy Nicholls @drwendynicholls.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

100

Wendy Nicholls @drwendynicholls.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

100

Wendy Nicholls @drwendynicholls.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Most of us never try to push back on deadlines. The assumption is that deadlines are fixed and saying no will mark you out as difficult. Sarah tested that assumption. If other people's deadlines are running your diary, that's worth looking at. DM to discuss.

001

Wendy Nicholls @drwendynicholls.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Every yes to something unsustainable is a no to something that matters. What are you saying no to without realising it? This workbook helps you see these exchanges clearly, then rebuild your definition of 'good academic' so boundaries don't contradict your identity. (link in comments)

100

Wendy Nicholls @drwendynicholls.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Every year you mean to protect your research time. Every year it's the first thing to go. It has no deadline, so it loses to everything that does. I am offering a free hour on planning the year so the thing you care about doesn't slip off the sides again. See the link in comments.

100

Wendy Nicholls @drwendynicholls.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

011

Wendy Nicholls @drwendynicholls.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

000

Wendy Nicholls @drwendynicholls.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Nobody gives academics a start-of-year review. You know you get induction, timetables, and a full inbox. Then your priorities fit inbetween the cracks. You don't get an hour to ask what you actually want from the year. So I'm giving you one. For free. Details in the comments.

100

Wendy Nicholls @drwendynicholls.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

000

Wendy Nicholls @drwendynicholls.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

We start each year with fresh intentions and the same conditions, then we are surprised when it runs the same way. In this free workshop we analyse last year, then we learn and plan from it. One hour, one workbook, and you're all planned and ready to go. Sign up in the comments.

100

Wendy Nicholls @drwendynicholls.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

100

Wendy Nicholls @drwendynicholls.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

"I'll think about next year once I've got through this term." But the next year arrives already full, with little bandwith for reflection and planning inbetween. I'm running a free workshop to look at the year ahead & decide what you want, before it decides for you. Link in comme

100

Wendy Nicholls @drwendynicholls.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

You know you can't keep going on like this year in, year out. What are you waiting for? That downtime never comes. If you want to make a change to how things are, then now is the time to do it. Book a call and start that change.

100

Wendy Nicholls @drwendynicholls.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

000

Wendy Nicholls @drwendynicholls.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

The academic year arrives already full. You can meet it as a list of things other people need from you. Or you can spend one hour deciding what you need from it first. Free online workshop, details in the comments.

100

Wendy Nicholls @drwendynicholls.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

"You get the context, but also help me actually do something with it." Empathy isn't enough on its own. Neither is strategy without it. If you're unsure whether coaching is for you, that uncertainty is worth a conversation. Book a call.

100

Wendy Nicholls @drwendynicholls.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

We make trade offs all the time. We don't always choose them. An empty inbox traded for sleep. What did last year cost you that you never decided to pay? This is just one question in my free workshop which supports you to look back before we plan the year ahead. Sign up link in commen

100

Wendy Nicholls @drwendynicholls.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

No emails after 7pm. One work-free weekend day. Protected writing time. These are reasonable boundaries. Then you feel that tension between what you want to do to uphold your boundaries, and what you think you should do as a good academic. I've created a free workbook that addresses this tens

100

Wendy Nicholls @drwendynicholls.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Most planning advice for academics is time management in disguise. It is not made for us and it doesn't work. Join my free workshop, to plan your academic year. Let's get those things done that keep sinking to the bottom of your to-do list. Link below.

100

Wendy Nicholls @drwendynicholls.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

The perfect academic doesn't exist. The myth keeps us working harder, sleeping less, and feeling more inadequate every day. Set your own standards for where you want to be. Your worth isn't measured by your h-index, publication count, or grant income. If you need some help doing that, DM me.

000

Wendy Nicholls @drwendynicholls.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

100

Wendy Nicholls @drwendynicholls.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

100

Wendy Nicholls @drwendynicholls.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Most academics have tried things before. A workshop. A week of good intentions. Things that made sense and dissolved by week three. The difference is working through what's driving the behaviour, not managing the symptoms.

100

Wendy Nicholls @drwendynicholls.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

100

Wendy Nicholls @drwendynicholls.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

100

Wendy Nicholls @drwendynicholls.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Your research matters. Your teaching matters. You matter. None of these improve when you're running on empty. Ready for a conversation about sustainable academia? DM to discuss.

000

Wendy Nicholls @drwendynicholls.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

000

Wendy Nicholls @drwendynicholls.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

100

Wendy Nicholls @drwendynicholls.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

"I think it was the first time I fully admitted how miserable it was making me." That's usually true for a long time before people say it out loud. She left academia & hasn't looked back. Most people I work with don't leave. The work is the same: getting clear on what you want.

000