TIME MANAGEMENT FOR
SCIENTIFIC RESEARCHERS
UCC Careers Service
The most democratically assigned
resource…?
168
The most non-renewable…?
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Picture this:
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Each day your bank deposits
$86,400 in your
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checking account.
There’s just one catch.
You have to spend it all in one
day.
You can’t carry over any
money to the next day.
To realise the value of...
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ONE YEAR, ask a student who failed a grade.
ONE MONTH, ask a mother who gave birth to a
premature baby.
ONE WEEK, ask the editor of a weekly newspaper.
ONE DAY, ask a daily wage laborer with kids to feed.
ONE HOUR, ask the lovers who are waiting to meet.
ONE MINUTE, ask a person who missed the train.
ONE SECOND, ask a person who just avoided an
accident.
ONE MILLISECOND, ask the person who won a silver
medal in the Olympics.
“How to Live on 24 Hours a Day”
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Arnold Bennett’s book published in
1907.
Henry Ford gave 500 copies of the
book to his managers.
President of another American motor
company issued 18000 copies – one to
each employee.
Time really is money...
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Emphasising the huge significance and opportunities in time
management, a 2007 survey by Proudfoot Consulting
(Guardian 22 Oct 07) covering 2,500 businesses over four
years and 38 countries, indicated that wasted time costs UK
businesses £80bn per year, equivalent to 7% of GDP.
The causes of wasted time - labour inefficiency in other
words - were:
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inadequate workforce supervision (31%)
poor management planning (30%)
poor communication (18%)
IT problems, low morale, and lack or mismatch of skills (21%)
Time Awareness
99% Self-Discipline
Overview: The 10 Steps to Effective
Time Management
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Step 1: Identify where your time is actually going.
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Step 2: Clarify your personal vision.
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Step 3: Set SMART goals to realise your long-term objectives.
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Step 4: Identify the important tasks that should be prioritised.
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Step 5: Assess your current success in prioritising important work.
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Step 6: Increase your productive time on a daily basis.
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Step 7: Take control of externally imposed time pressures.
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Step 8: Plan before you leap! (How to plan tasks comprehensively).
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Step 9: Rate your current stress level.
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Step 10: Choose rewards for the time you will have saved.
WHERE DOES YOUR TIME
ACTUALLY GO?
Step1: Recognise Your Typical Day/
Week worksheet 1
Your current Work/Life Balance
Work
Family
Sleep
Work
OR
Friends
Leisure
Relaxing
Sleep
Family
Sleep
?
Discussion: Analysing your Week
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Are some segments bigger or small than
you’d like them to be?
Are some segments missing or almost
missing? How do you feel about this?
Which of the segments do you find the
most satisfying? Which is the least
satisfying?
What might your ideal chart look like?
“Would you tell me please which way I ought to go from
here?”
“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to”,
said the cat.
“I don’t much care where” said Alice.
“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go”, said the cat.
Alice in Wonderland by Louis Carroll
Know Where You are Going
Abstract
Vision
Goals
Priorities
Tasks
Specific
Short-term
Long-term
WHAT IS YOUR VISION?
Step 2: Clarify your vision./worksheet 6-8 minutes
Keep Motivated!
Abstract
Vision
Goals
Priorities
Tasks
Specific
Short-term
Long-term
Goal Setting should be SMART
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Specific
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Measurable
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Achievable
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Relevant
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Time-bound
Setting robust long-term goals
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WHAT: What is the long-term goal?
WHY: Why is this goal important?
WHO: Who or what can help me?
WHEN: What is a realistic timeframe?
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And last but most important... HOW? HOW? HOW?
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REALISING YOUR VISION
Step 3: Set achievable long-term goals.
Keep Focussed!
Abstract
Vision
Goals
Priorities
Tasks
Specific
Short-term
Long-term
The “Busy-ness” Trap
Taking the Helicopter View
“I’ve
got good news and bad news. The good
news is that we’re 500km ahead of schedule. The
bad news is that we’re travelling in completely
the wrong direction”.
Doing the right things is more important that doing things right.
Are the tasks on your list the right things?
“I just don’t know where the day went!”
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How did you spend your time at work last week?
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What goals were you able to achieve?
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Which ones did you fail to achieve?
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What unplanned tasks did you have to do?
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How often were you interrupted and for how long?
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What were the most frequent interruptions?
Which describes you?
Types of Behaviour
Reactive
Inactive
Dreamer
Proactive
80/20 Rule
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Economist Vilfredo Pareto identified the 80/20 Rule.
In any list of tasks, 80% of the importance lies in 20% of the
list.
How would prioritize this list of daily
tasks?
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Write the underlined word of the tasks
which would be on your
“A” List
“B” List
“C” List
Buy laundry detergent.
Finish writing an article for submission to a national journal.
Re-organise your book shelf.
Set exam questions for the adult education module you are teaching.
Schedule an appointment with your supervisor to discuss your progress.
Email an old college friend who has started working locally for coffee.
Shop for a new pair of running shoes.
Register your car for an NCT as it is three months over due.
Are you working your “A’s” off? Or do
you have “C” fever?
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“A” LIST
Set exam questions for the adult education module you are teaching.
Finish writing an article for submission to a national journal.
“B” LIST
Schedule an appointment with your supervisor to discuss your progress.
Email an old college friend who has started working locally in another academic department.
“C” LIST
Buy laundry detergent.
Re-organise your book shelf.
Shop for a new pair of running shoes.
Register your car for an NCT as it is three months over due.
Causes of “C fever”:
•“A” tasks are hard.
•Fear of failure.
•Fear of success!
It’s all about endorphins!
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Set a goal to complete a task/project.
After completing the task, reward yourself with
something that is pleasurable for you.
The body releases endorphins- the feel good hormone.
Over time with repetition, you will come to associate
feeling good with completing a task/project.
You won’t procrastinate as much.
21 Days
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It take s21 days to change A HABIT
You can do it |!
Time Log Guidelines
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Pick a “NORMAL” day.
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Develop a “watch-watching” habit.
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For personal use – be honest!
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Add up totals for each category of activity,
e.g. “planned” versus “unplanned”, “urgent”,
“important” etc.
Calculate an average time per activity
Make time for the right things
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Have you enough time for the important work? E.g.
Research? Writing?
Are you devoting the most productive times of the day to
this work?
Divide your important work into smaller manageable chunks.
Avoid “binge” writing/research – establish and maintain a
regular routine.
Break through perfectionism and procrastination – just do it!
SEEING THE FOREST FROM
THE TREES
Step 4: Identify the important work.
NOT IMPORTANT
IMPORTANT
The Time Management Matrix
URGENT
NOT URGENT
Quadrant 1:
Quadrant 2:
Crises
Urgent problems
Critical deadlines
Planning
Prevention
Relationship Building
Recognising new opportunities
Quadrant 3:
Quadrant 4:
Interruptions
Some calls/emails/meetings
Proximate, pressing matters
Popular activities
Trivia, busy work
Recreational emails/calls
Personal calls/emails/matters
Time wasters
Pleasant activities
NOT IMPORTANT
IMPORTANT
Strategies for each Quadrant
URGENT
NOT URGENT
Quadrant 1:
Quadrant 2:
Defer it?
Delegate it?
Develop staff.
Do it now.
Diary it.
Delegate part of it?
Quadrant 3:
Quadrant 4:
Drop it.
Defer it.
Delegate it.
Decimate it.
Deadline it.
HOW ARE YOU USING
YOUR TIME AT WORK?
Step 5: Quadrant Self-Assessment worksheet10 min
Increasing productive time
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Take control of your diary.
Make prioritising a priority.
Recognise and drop any unhelpful habits.
Eliminate time wasters.
Enlist the support and agreement of others.
Recognise and tackle the symptoms of chronic stress.
Create more time for the activities that you value.
Prioritising: The Four D’s
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Drop it. – Must it be done at all?
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Delegate it. – Must it be done by me?
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Delay it. – Must it be done now?
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Do it.
Taking Control of Your Diary
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Block out time to schedule tasks.
Set realistic deadlines.
SCHEDULE EVERYTHING!
Avoid unscheduled activity as much as possible.
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Review, Review, Review:
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Plan on a weekly and daily basis.
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Review at the end of each day and week.
Know Your Daily Energy Cycle (i.e.
Circadian Rhythm)
Secrets of Our Body
Clocks Revealed
140
130
Perry, Dawson. Macmillan
Publishing, 1988
120
110
Energy 100
Level
90
80
70
60
50
6
9
12
15
18
21
0
3
6
Hour of Day
Do you tick when you should tock?
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6 to 10 am*: Short-term memory
Tasks such as last minute reviewing for tests are best performed
early in the morning.
8 am to 12 pm*: Cognitive, or mental tasks
Tasks such as reading, calculating, and problem solving are
performed most efficiently in the morning.
1 to 4 pm*: Longer term Memory
Tasks such as memorizing speeches and information for application
are best performed in the afternoon.
* If a night owl, shift to 3 to 4 hours later in the day.
Do you tick when you should tock?
Contd.
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2 pm to 6 pm*: Manual Dexterity
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Manual Dexterity: You are most efficient at tasks involving the use of your
hands such as keyboarding and carpentry in the afternoon and early evening.
4 to 9* pm: Physical Activity
Because of Circadian Rhythms it is best to engage in physical activity in the
evening when your large muscle coordination is at its peak.
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Studies show you will perceive the workout to be easier in the evening.
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Exercising about 5 hours before bedtime improves the quality of sleep.
* If night owl, shift to 3 to 4 hours later in the day.
Do you suffer from self-induced jetlag?
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Do you get up at about the same time each morning?
Yes___No____
Do you wake up without an alarm most mornings?
Yes___No____
Do you almost always get 7-9 hours of sleep per night?
Yes___No____
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If you answered no to any of these questions, you are compromising your body’s
efficiency.
DIARY TEMPLATE
Step 6: Plan tomorrow as you mean to continue.
Unhelpful Habits
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Over-committing
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Focussing on urgency
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Becoming “bogged down” in routine activities
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Saying “yes” prematurely to others.
External and Internal Interruptions
Managing External Interruptions
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Managing Internal Interruptions
Desk location & position
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Batch similar tasks together
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Desk tidiness
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Schedule a ’Red Hour’/
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Prime time
Chairs
In-tray
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“Stand-up & step out”
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Delay the interruption
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Go to their desk
Managing Unscheduled Calls/Visitors
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“Hello.”
“What do you need?”
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“Goodbye!”
Handling EMAILS
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Schedule time each day to process emails.
Set up a filing system and employ filters:
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“Action”
“Priority”
“Newsletters”
“Reading”
“References”
Factor in the needs and expectations of your colleagues and other stakeholders.
Consider multiple email addresses (e.g. Social)
Clear the clutter every couple of months.
Avoid spam.
As a last resort, create a “Backlog” folder and schedule time daily for tackling that
folder separately. But you should really avoid this ever happening in the first place!
Top 10 Time Wasters
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Telephone calls
Emails
Dealing with Day to day crises (“fire-fighting”)
Chasing “hard-to-get” stakeholders
Unscheduled “drop-in” visitors
Personal disorganisation
Being too available
Correspondence and paperwork
Ad hoc and regular meetings
Procrastination
Problem may be external and internal
“The Enemy Without”
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Agree priorities with supervisor/mgr
– not just once a year!
“The Enemy Within”
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Ensure that they know and support
your goals and objectives.
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Ensure that they know how your time
is being spent.
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Own and take responsibility for
achieving agreed objectives.
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Set clear goals that are
personally motivating and
meaningful.
Practise prioritisation and
self-discipline.
Increase productive time.
Prevent and manage
interruptions and distractions.
TACKLING EXTERNALLY
IMPOSED TIME PRESSURES
Step 7: Taking control.
“Plans are useless but planning is essential.”
Dwight Eisenhower, Former US President
Keep Organised!
Abstract
Vision
Goals
Priorities
Tasks
Specific
Short-term
Long-term
Planning Tasks Effectively
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Step 1: Define the objective of the task.
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Step 2: Define the high-level action points required.
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Step 3: Allocate a time estimate for each high-level
action point.
Step 4: Set a start date and realistic target date.
CASE STUDY:
PLAN BEFORE YOU ACT
Step 8: Planning tasks effectively.
“STRESS”
“When the perceived demands placed
on you exceed your ability to cope”
SOS Response: “Fight or Flight”
• Heart
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Breathing
Adrenal gland
Muscles
Stomach
Liver
Hands & feet
Perspiration
Pupils
Stress and Distress
Performance Level
Peak Performance
Boredom
Panic
Stress Level
What causes stress?
• WORK
• HOME
• LIFE!
What are the effects of stress?
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Physical
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Emotional
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Behavioural
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Organisational
Physical and Emotional Symptoms
Physical Symptoms:
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Headaches
Backache
Nausea
Insomnia
Indigestion/Heartburn
Loss of appetite
Constant tiredness
Breathlessness
Cramps or muscle spasms
Nail biting/Fidgeting
High blood pressure
Emotional Symptoms
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Irritability
Feeling a failure
Down on self
Wanting to cry
Feeling unable to cope
Difficulty concentrating
Unable to make decisions
Inability to finish tasks
Suppressed anger
Increased intolerance
Behavioural and Organisational
Symptoms
Behaviour Symptoms:
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Increase in alcohol consumption
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Sleep disturbance
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Comfort eating
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Procrastination and Inactivity
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Accident proneness
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Relationship difficulties
Organisational Symptoms:
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Reduced productivity/
performance
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Increased absenteeism
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Decreased morale
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Decreased creativity
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Increased staff turnover
The Life Events Scale
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Holmes and Rahe (Washington Medical
School) studied a link between stress and
disease:
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Developed a yardstick for evaluating stress
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Quantified and ranked the main “life events”
that can cause stress
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Enables us to calculate if we are “at risk”
THE LIFE EVENTS SCALE
Step 9: Are you at risk?
Tips for Managing Stress
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Sleep (8 Hours)
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Diet Eat good Food
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Exercise 3 times a week
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Talk it out to those you trust
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Take regular breaks
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Relaxation tapes/techniques
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Sense of humour!
10 Work/Life in Balance Strategies
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10.
Establish boundaries.
Get a routine.
Consult significant others..
Be present.
Book breaks and holidays.
Delegate – outsource – get help.
Exercise, diet and maintain health.
Make “me time”.
Review your priorities.
Have fun!
What would you do with two extra
hours in your day?
WORK/LIFE BALANCE
ACTIVITY
Step 10: What will you do with those two hours?
Next Step – Choose three commitments.
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Start going home earlier in the evenings.
Block out one hour per week for planning.
Delegate one responsibility.
Start keeping a daily “to-do” list.
Insist that others bring solutions as well as problems.
Divide monthly priorities into manageable tasks.
Do up a weekly plan.
Start tracking something you’d like to change.
Next Step contd.
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Stop taking work home.
Redefine your role with your manager/supervisor.
Hide for an hour a day.
Keep a time log for three days.
Schedule important tasks in your peak energy hour.
Tackle one thing on which you have procrastinated.
Plan two events with family or friends this month.
Seek feedback on your time management habits.
Other.....
Appoint a “Chief Nag”!
And arrange to meet for coffee in two weeks time to discuss your progress.
Support Resources
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www.mindtools.com
www.studygs.net/timman
www.businessballs.com>self/personal
www.postgrad.com/blog/essential-tools-andresources-for-postgraduate-students/
Closing Thought
“Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time,
for that is the stuff life is made of.”
Benjamin Franklin