Finding the Next Big Project

Responding to a Question from Office Hours

Photo by Ameen Fahmy on Unsplash

A reader posed a question in Office Hours that I think many of us can relate to:

Having finished some big writing projects (three books that I edited or co-edited were published last year), I've been flailing a bit to figure out what big project to do next. Or do I even want a big project right now? Any suggestions about this?

A disorienting thing happens after we wrap up big projects like dissertations, books, or a series of journal articles based on one set of data. We suddenly lose our daily to-do lists, our sales pitch to other scholars when they ask what we're working on, and our overall sense of purpose in our professional lives. There are numerous reasons why we may struggle to find a new project for some time, as well as numerous reasons why we may not need to find one yet. Here are a few ideas to think through as you consider your next big project.