Effective Time Management for PhDs - PowerPoint Presentation

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Effective Time Management for PhDs2012 ANZAM Mid-Year Doctoral WorkshopVictoria University, Friday 17 August

Professor Gael McDonaldSlide2

Alternative title – producing research, staying married, employed, healthy and saneSlide3

The secret of managing your time is to work more efficiently, not harderBy being productive and more efficient, you are:

Working

on the task that you

should be working

on and which yield

the best outcomes

Giving

full and devoted attention

to the task at

hand

Regrettably

there isn’t one golden rule, but a number of

common

recommendationsSlide4

Recommendation 1 – Work Out Your MotivationsGet a clear understanding of why you are doing this:

What do you want to achieve?

Why do you want to achieve it?

What are the intrinsic and extrinsic motivations?Slide5

Intrinsic factors relate to motivations that are linked to your feeling of self-worth, or your wish to acquire and/or apply new knowledge or achieve a personal goalExtrinsic factors tend to relate more to what postgraduate study/research attainment might actually achieve or do for you, that is, in the form of better job prospects, better pay and higher statusSlide6

Reinforce it – visualise -www.livemygoals.com Slide7

Recommendation 2 – Get Your Head RightThrow your fears out of the window

You are not inadequate; you are not an imposter

You deserve to be here

You don’t know it allSlide8

Recommendation 3 – Plan AheadWhat is that you are wanting to achieve in the next 1 – 3 years?

Be specific e.g. PhD, grant submissions, paper submissions, publications, journal rankings

Discuss it with somebody else to check for realism

What are your goals and your timelines?

If you want a detailed project plan, go to

www.mindtools.comSlide9

Recommendation 4 – Get to Know Yourself Timing – when do you work best?

Location – where do you work best?

Are you organised or disorganised?

What usually gets in your way?

What activities erode your time?

What scares you – is it writing, stats, fear of criticism, procrastination?Slide10

Recommendation 5 – Find the Time Scheduling productive research/study time is difficult for those in full time work with families, but not impossible - it takes commitment

Binging versus chewing - more frequent sessions provide continuity of thought and consistency and avoids the where was I question?

Let the subconscious work for you

Sacrifices will have to be made – it’s usually sleep

What are you prepared to give up – assessment/preparation?Slide11

Recommendation 6 – Start SchedulingIn whatever format you feel appropriate - electronic calendar, diary, study journal etc, schedule in each day, for each week put in as much as you can, particularly in regard to:

Research time – research sessions

Work commitments – teaching, committees etc

Family commitments – blocked times e.g. Sunday

Health commitments – exercise, relaxationSlide12

Recommendation 7 – Fine Tune Your ScheduleCan the schedule be sustained?

Reflect on what’s working and what’s not working

Experiment with alternative approaches

Negotiate with partners and colleagues

Stick to it

Record your hours in a work log - there is a ‘merit badge’ affectSlide13

Recommendation 8 – Develop To-Do ListsTake the goal that you want to achieve and break it in to smaller units of what needs to be accomplished

Tentatively plan out a timeline e.g. lit review, ethics approval, data collection, write-up etc. For grants – identify and approach partners, prepare proposal, have proposal reviewed etc

Each week refine your to-do list, ticking items off as you goSlide14

Recommendation 9 – Establish Your Research/Study EnvironmentDetermine your primary workplace

Try not to cart material around

Ensure your workstation is ergonomically appropriate

Consider different locations for variety

Set up your filing systemSlide15

Recommendation 10 – Do Weekly Planning Before the week begins (Friday) review what is needed

In a quiet place for 20-30 minutes, determine what’s important for next week. Put priorities in

Don’t fill up the day; leave some spaces free

Put the “big rocks” inSlide16

Recommendation 11 – Do Daily PlanningDo this before the day begins

Somewhere quiet, it should take 5 - 10 minutes

Make a realistic list

Check today’s appointments; prioritise

Push a bit more

Multi-taskSlide17

Recommendation 12 – Plan Your Work SessionsAvoid boredom, plan your work sessions in two hour units and create mini deadlines within that session

Organise your tasks by looking at the to-do list

Try not to do one task for an entire session

Take a mini break after a two hour slot - stretch

Do something creative - research has shown that the mental process used in play and creative acts change the chemistry of the brain to bring back more energy (McGee-Cooper & Tranell 1994)Slide18

Recommendation 12 – Plan Your Work Sessions (Continued)Respect your rituals

Start with a warm-up task

Try to balance tasks – creative versus routine

Finish on a down-hill slope

Don’t be a wanderer

Don’t be a martyr

Reward yourself for a good sessionSlide19

Recommendation 13 – Dealing With External DistractionsDisruptions from outside – interruptions from others

Talkative colleagues, telephone, email, computer breakdown, ill child, an extra work commitment, bereavement

Develop strategies e.g. hang a sign / close the door, walk away, don’t take calls, answer emails only three times a day, hide in the library, turn the cell phone off, create rules regarding internet use etc, saying no, doing it once, hitting the delete button, storing it straight away, using empty time while waitingSlide20

Recommendation 14 – Dealing With Internal DistractionsIt’s often not about managing time, but about managing yourself

Interruptions from inside are those things that we do to ourselves, such as interruptions from static or unrelated thoughts, feelings or distractions – ‘the mental debris’

Study your own avoidance strategies

Keep a log of 15 minute intervals, this could give you insightSlide21

Procrastination – People Procrastinate For A Number of Reasons (Lewis 1995)

The need for perfection – constantly striving for perfection can create delays

Boredom – some tasks are just not interesting or engaging, so we put them off

Hostility – there may be some resentment embedded in a task, so we just don’t do it

Deadline high – the need for an adrenalin rush, working under pressure towards a looming deadline

Deadline fear – the sheer enormity paralyses usSlide22

Procrastination Is An Umbrella Term

Vacillation – changing ones mind, postponing or putting off, the inability to come to a conclusion

Displacement - not working on the task at hand, but another fulfilling task

Fragmentation – undertaking numerous alternative activities and not achieving closure on any specific task

Busy work – photocopying, labelling etcSlide23

Strategies to Deal With ProcrastinationManage the fear – use the negative emotion positively

Try controlled displacement

Deal with indecision

Manage fragmentation

Work out what’s important

Order your tasksSlide24

Recommendation 15 – Write…And Keep WritingProvide a rough outline of the paper

Insert notes, observations and random thoughts

You don’t have to work sequentially

Don’t censor yourself

It’s easier to go from larger to smaller, than smaller to larger

Paper or computer

Redraft, redraft, use a thesaurus, have the paper proofedSlide25

Recommendation 16 – Keep Your Life In BalanceProduction versus production capability

Don’t squeeze out the things you enjoy

Listen to your body

Keep relationships in good repairSlide26

Who Are You?A dawdler – works through things without any plan or direction

Impatient – needing to do everything immediately, even if it means working excessive hours

A perfectionist – missing deadlines to perfect your work

A procrastinator – putting off tasks and letting them pile up until they are really urgent

A slow warmer – taking ages to get in to it

A butterfly – flitting from one task to another

An optimist – setting unrealistic expectations and deadlines

An over –committer – taking on too much and not saying ‘no’

Easily distracted – easily seduced by other demands on your time

An interrupter – walking about and interrupting others

Disorganised – surrounded by mountains of paper; or

A staller – waiting for a good block of timeSlide27

Recommendation 17 – Renew RegularlyPhysical: Exercise, nutrition, rest, stress management

Mental: Stimulus through reading, writing, learning and study

Social & emotional: Consistent deposits in one’s emotional bank account, maintain key relationships

Spiritual: Providing service within one’s values, meditation, being with nature, reflecting on beautySlide28

General CommentsDon’t mistake effort for accomplishment

Only work on those things that are important, and are instrumental

Avoid the trivia

Have a stack of small tasks that you can do when your concentration is fading – know your mental limits

Work in odd places and multi taskSlide29

Recommendation 18 – Try To Keep Some Stability In Your LifeTry not to have a baby, change your job, move house, or change your lover - stability is the key!Slide30

Common QuestionsBut what if I need the panic of an immediate deadline before I get going?What if I miss my deadlines?

What if I’m not a list person?

What if I get writers block?

Other questionsSlide31

Thank you