Welcome to the Student Productivity Project!

We hope you’ll join us.

Student Productivity, Accountability, and Support

Are you struggling to be a productive student? Are you experiencing a lack of accountability that’s making it hard to get your work done? You are not alone. Graduate school is like a world unto itself and graduate students often struggle with feelings of isolation and a lack of support. With between 30% and 70%* of graduate students failing to complete their degree, it’s a huge problem!

Far too many graduate students lack encouragement and accountability. From absentee advisors to hands-off professors, to an uncaring administration, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and lose motivation. The truth is, many faculty are hired to bring in research dollars and their ability to guide students to degree completion is pretty far down on the list of qualifications. Some students luck out and their advisor is great but, frankly, not nearly enough. 

That’s where the Student Productivity Project comes in. Graduate students with strong social support report lower stress and more persistence in graduate school. We’re not just talking about faculty support either, outside support serves a unique role in increasing academic and overall satisfaction in grad. school. 

So, if you’re procrastinating, feeling frustrated and alone, or struggling to maintain motivation in an uncaring or unsupportive environment, read on…

The Student Productivity Project Can Help

Our job is to give students encouragement, structure, and accountability. While we can’t become your professors or advisor, we can be your cheerleader, virtual coworker, and nagging accountability partner all wrapped up with a genuine interest in your success. With both individual accountability sessions and virtual productivity support groups, we offer the type of academic support and encouragement you’re looking for.

Our Story

Nearly a decade ago, Dr. Cristie Glasheen started coaching graduate students for academic success. Over the years, she’s helped students with a diverse array of issues, from procrastination, to perfectionism, to absentee and difficult advisors. As the years went by, she recognized the need for an additional service, that of accountability and productivity partner.

Many students aren’t looking for full-on academic coaching, many are just looking for someone to meet with them and motivate them to work on the tasks they’re avoiding. They are looking for someone to check in and give them encouragement. They need someone to answer to, outside of themselves, to boost productivity. They want a level of support in-between nothing and full-on coaching. Enter our productivity specialist and accountability partner, Ann Allen, and the Student Productivity Project was born.

Services

One-on-One Accountability Sessions

These one-on-one virtual meetings will encourage you and hold space for your productivity. Your accountability partner is someone to answer to and follow-up on your productivity commitments. The sessions themselves are part strategy session, part virtual coworking session. You’ll set a specific work goal to accomplish during the session, spend time actually working on stuff, and then you’ll set goals to continue that productivity afterward. If you choose a multi-session package, your productivity partner, Ann, will check in on your progress and provide encouragement between sessions. At the next session, you’ll report on your achievements and determine your new goals. Half cheerleader, half nagging friend, let Ann support you and your productivity.

Student Productivity Groups

Join Ann as she facilitates these online group productivity sessions. Meet other dedicated graduate students while you work on your coursework, research, and writing. Enjoy the accountability of a set meeting time (complete with pestering reminders) combined with the motivational encouragement of Ann and your fellow students. These virtual coworking sessions are always a good reminder that you’re not alone.

Take Control of Your Productivity

To book one-on-one accountability sessions, click on the blue “Book Now” button below to schedule your first session. Once you’ve scheduled, we will send you a welcome email with instructions and a link to pay for your session(s). Check your spam folder if you don’t receive the welcome email from us within 24 hours.

If you want to join a group productivity session, click on the yellow “Book Now” button below to find a group that works with your schedule and follow the instructions to purchase a seat in that group. To make sure that you get the best experience, group seats are limited. If there are no available sessions, that means that all currently scheduled groups are already full.

Benefits

You might be wondering what benefits you’ll get from the Student Productivity Project and how it’s different from other virtual coworking services. Here’s what we provide:

• Someone outside of yourself to be accountable to. Your accountability partner is more than just a virtual coworker or study buddy. Because you are meeting with the same person consistently, Ann knows your timeline and activities and can follow up to make sure you’re completing them on time.
• Encouragement and support. Unlike other virtual coworking platforms, we get to know you and your goals, and we care about helping you reach them. We can’t wait to get the email that says: I graduated!
• The structure of scheduled productivity sessions, goal setting, and in-between session follow-up.
• Space to tackle the tasks you are avoiding. Sometimes, all it takes is someone to sit with you and support you in getting started on whatever you’re avoiding. Starting is usually the hardest part and these sessions can give you the momentum you need to get those tricky tasks done.
• Our group productivity sessions provide structure and camaraderie. They are a reminder that you aren’t alone. Many students think that they are the only ones struggling to get something done or be more consistently productive. These online coworking sessions are a great reminder that we all struggle sometimes and needing support doesn’t make you a bad graduate student. Plus, it’s just more fun to work with others sometimes.

Not sure which program is right for you?

If you’re not sure about the difference between our Academic Success Coaching services and the Student Productivity Project, here’s a handy table. It all depends on the level of support that you want and the kinds of roadblocks you are trying to get past. Plus, you don’t have to pick just one. You can participate in any combination of services that you want.

If you have further questions, you can reach out to us at coaching@gradstudentsuccess.com

Related References

*Estimates are old and vary by program and university.

Bain, S., Fedynich, L., & Knight, M. (2011). The successful graduate student: A review of the factors for success. Journal of Academic and Business Ethics, 3, 1.

Rigg, J., Day, J., & Adler, H. (2013). Emotional exhaustion in graduate students: The role of engagement, self-efficacy and social support. Journal of Educational and Developmental Psychology, 3(2), 138.

Johnson, B., Batia, A. S., & Haun, J. (2008). Perceived stress among graduate students: Roles, responsibilities, & social support. Vahperd Journal, 29(3), 31-36.

Estrada, M., Zhi, Q., Nwankwo, E., & Gershon, R. (2019). The influence of social supports on graduate student persistence in biomedical fields. CBE—Life Sciences Education, 18(3), ar39.

Tompkins, K. A., Brecht, K., Tucker, B., Neander, L. L., & Swift, J. K. (2016). Who matters most? The contribution of faculty, student-peers, and outside support in predicting graduate student satisfaction. Training and Education in Professional Psychology, 10(2), 102.