In 2007, Katy Milkman was in the middle of her doctoral degree at Harvard when she got bad news. Her manuscript, which she’d worked on for two years, was rejected by the journal she had submitted it to. She wasn’t sure what to do next and consulted her academic advisor, Max Bazerman. Bazerman assured her the work was strong, and was certain Milkman’s paper would be published. 

In addition to the rejection, three experts wrote extensive notes that criticized her research methodology. Bazerman advised her, “Spend the next forty-eight hours doing everything you can to address the critiques, and then send it off to another journal. The worst thing you can do is sit on bad news.” Milkman agreed to get back to work right away, and she sent it off again. She eventually got the paper published.

When you experience rejection, learn from it and improve the next attempt—but do it with a short deadline. 48 hours is plenty. Don’t allow yourself to sit with rejection and let it fester.

You can also prepare in advance by making a list of other prospective places to submit to, knowing the varying deadlines and criteria, and clearing your calendar so there’s time for you to address feedback before making another attempt.

This post is an excerpt from my newsletter, Three Thought Starters.