Dr Jennifer Fraser jfraserbbkacuk Outline Common time management problems Concept of time management Awareness of expectations and time use Planning Monitoring Common time management problems ID: 596720
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Slide1
Time management for PHD students
Dr Jennifer Fraser (j.fraser@bbk.ac.uk) Slide2
Outline
Common time management problemsConcept of time management?Awareness of expectations and time use
Planning
MonitoringSlide3
Common time management problems
High workloadPlanning too optimistically
Deadline pressure
Procrastination
Deadlines not met
Demands from all parts of our lives
Others?Slide4
Concept of time management
The impossibility of managing timeHow we manage ourselves and our lives
Time management as a major academic skillSlide5
Concept of time management
Three main aspectsPreparation or awareness (what, when, where)
Planning and implementation (how, focus on priorities)
Monitoring and evaluation (what works, what does not)Slide6
Preparation and awareness
Awareness
of
expectations
Be clear about our goals
What is and what is not part of a PhD?
Knowing our obligations in and outside of the PhDSlide7
Preparation and awareness
Awareness of how we use timeKeep
a diary for a day
All activities
15 minute intervals
What are you doing well?
What would you like to improve?
What
is wasting your time?
What is saving you time?Slide8
Planning and implementation
Requires knowing ourselves and our rhythmsLong term view, prioritising tasks, weekly & daily list of tasksSlide9
Activity
Calculation
Each total
Number of hours of sleep each night
x7
Number of hours per day grooming (washing,
dressing etc.)
x7
Number of hours for meals/snacks per day
x7
Total travel time (weekdays)
x7
Total travel time (weekends)
x2
Number of hours of work (paid or voluntary employment) per week
Estimated number of hours in scheduled lectures, tutorials, lab time etc. per week
Number of average hours per week on leisure, family and social activity
Chores, domestic and family responsibilities etc
Leeway hours + 7
Grand total =Slide10
Planning and implementation
There are 168 hours in every week.Deducting the total (from the previous page) from 168 gives us the number of hours we have to dedicate to our PhDs.
This exercise gives us information about the time that we have and the demands on our time outside of our PhD.Slide11
Planning and implementation
Distinguish between goals and tasks – tasks help us achieve goalsTime and tasks then need to be allocated on the basis of: priority, important, pending
Lists
Charts
Post-it notes
Brainstorming (mind maps)Slide12
Planning and implementation
Have a long-term overview of the project – deadlines for each part of the project against the 3-5 yearsHave a yearly overview of the project – what needs to be accomplished this year and what are the deadlines?Slide13
Planning and implementation
Have medium and short-term strategiesUse a diary (electronic or paper)
Anchored planning: according to schedules
Contingency planning: plan A, if fails, plan B
Leeway hours: in case something goes
wrongSlide14
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
6.00
7.00
8.00
9.00
10.00
11.00
12.00
13.00
14.00
15.00
16.00
17.00
18.00
19.00
20.00
21.00
22.00
23.00
24.00Slide15
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
6.00
*Abstract
for SRHE due
*Article for JFS
due
7.00
8.00
9.00
Writing group
10.00
Library
11.00
12.00
13.00
14.00
Tutorials
Tutorials
15.00
16.00
To do:
Revise Weds
lecture slides
Final edit and proof of JFS article
Grade essays
17.00
18.00
Lecture
Lecture
19.00
20.00
21.00
22.00Slide16
Planning and implementation
When and how we work is as important as how much we workKnow your energy levels
Different seasonal, monthly, weekly, daily rhythms
Morning or evening person?
Choose a good space to work in
Office, lab, library, home, coffee shop?
Develop regular, consistent working habits
More productive over long term
Mitigate against motivation issues and vaguenessSlide17
Planning and implementation
Learn to say no
Why am I saying yes?
What will I have to give up to fit this new thing in
?
Positive no’s
‘That sounds like a great opportunity, but I just can’t take on any additional commitments at this time.’
‘I wish I could take on x, but I just can’t this term.’
Protect holiday time by saying no to things that will interfereSlide18
Monitoring and evaluation
Control distractions and time wastersEmail
Closed doors
Allocate specific time to writing and stick to them
Organise research and files
Use scheduling tools and softwareSlide19
Conclusions
Be aware
Your rhythms
Your goals and tasks
Your attitudes to time and goals
Your behaviour toward time and
goals
Learn to say no
Make your PhD the most important thing you do every daySlide20
Further resources
Joan Bolker, Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day: A Guide to Starting, Revising, and Finishing Your Doctoral Thesis
(New York: Henry Holt, 1998)
Rowena Murray,
How to Write a Thesis
(Maidenhead: Open University, 2006)
Rena Seltzer,
The Coach’s Guide For Women Professors Who Want a Successful Career and a Well-Balanced Life
(Sterling, VA: Stylus, 2015)