Time
Management
Outline
• How busy will you be in grad school?
• Self-assessment
• The five categories of time management
• Tips to increase your efficiency
About me…
• Ruslan Suvorov – Linguistics
– rsuvorov@iastate.edu
• Bernie Anding - Chemistry
– bjanding@iastate.edu
Time Management and You
• Graduate School
– it’s a job, not an extension of your undergraduate
education
– you will work flexible hours
• weekends, breaks, etc.
Time Management and You
– 50% TAs: expected 20 hours per
week
– RA: expected at least 20 hours
per week
– Conclusion: you are going to be
busy
How good is your time
management?
• Questionnaire taken from mindtools.com
–
scoring
–
Can be broken down into 5 categories:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
Goal setting
Prioritization
Scheduling
Managing interruptions
Procrastination
Goal Setting
• This is step one…
• Benefits of goals:
– achievements
– you’ll notice
accomplishments
– avoid daily “grind”
Goal Setting
• What should your goals be?
• Start big, then set smaller goals designed to
achieve the large goal
– example:
• Overall goal: Earn PhD
– publish 4 papers
– serve on a collegiate committee
– teach a stand-alone course
– It doesn’t hurt to start thinking about your CV
already
Prioritization
• You will always have something to do
• Make sure what you are doing is the most
important thing toward achieving your goals
Urgent
vs.
Must be done soon
• e-mails
• grading
• reading for class
Important
Vital to your career
• manuscripts
• thesis
These are what help you
achieve your goals
Prioritization
• Make “To Do” Lists:
Prioritization
• Make Prioritized “To Do” Lists:
1) write down all the things you have to do
2) grade them A through F
• A is most important
• A is not necessarily urgent
3) follow the list doing A’s first, B’s second, etc.
Prioritization
• Make Prioritized “To Do” Lists:
YOU WILL PROBABLY NOT COMPLETE YOUR
“TO DO” LIST IN ANY ONE DAY
…try not to get frustrated
Scheduling
• Now you have goals and priorities…
– create a schedule to keep on track
• Pickle Jar theory
– large pickles, golf balls, marbles, and sand
– A-list priorities are the large pickles
Scheduling
• in application:
–
Make daily schedules:
1)
2)
3)
4)
–
identify the time you have available
block out time for A-list activities
leave time for distractions
fill in space time with urgent activities
use planners or other electronic tools if
they help
Scheduling
• and don’t forget to schedule
BREAKS!!!
– nobody is a machine
– it makes you more efficient in the long run
Scheduling
This
includes
SLEEP!
Managing Interruptions
• Another look at Important/Urgent activities:
• Try to minimize
interruptions
• Learn to manage
interruptions
Managing Interruptions
• Some interruptions are part of the job
– Don’t scare interruptors away!!
– they will most likely be labmates and students
Managing Interruptions
• Tips:
– Rate the urgency of interruptions
– Set “available” and “unavailable” time
• if you have regular interrupters, schedule
meetings with them
– Learn to say “no”
• or at least limit the time you give to these
interruptions
Procrastination
• The most obvious waste of time
• Know yourself
• Learn the steps you need to take to beat
procrastination
– tips:
• Do tedious chores (like cleaning glassware)
immediately before they pile up
• avoid unnecessary perfectionism
• scheduling helps you get motivated
Tips
• Limit Internet usage for non-academic
purposes:
– LeechBlock for Firefox
• Disable email notification pop-ups (unless
needed)
• Avoid sitting at the computer all the time
• Change study/work locations:
– Your office, lab, library, MU, coffee shops
Tips
• Turn off/silence your cell phone when at
work
• Work/study with a partner who can
prevent you from getting distracted
• Do not bring work home:
– No computer at home
– Necessary for those with families; helps
motivate you to stay on task during work
hours
Questions
Please fill out the evaluation before you leave