Time management for PHD students Dr Jennifer Fraser (j.fraser@bbk.ac.uk)

Outline Common time management problems Concept of time management? Awareness of expectations and time use Planning Monitoring

Common time management problems High workload Planning too optimistically Deadline pressure Procrastination Deadlines not met Demands from all parts of our lives Others?

Concept of time management The impossibility of managing time How we manage ourselves and our lives Time management as a major academic skill

Concept of time management Three main aspects Preparation or awareness (what, when, where) Planning and implementation (how, focus on priorities) Monitoring and evaluation (what works, what does not)

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 PhD

Preparation and awareness Awareness of how we use time Keep 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?

Planning and implementation Requires knowing ourselves and our rhythms Long term view, prioritising tasks, weekly & daily list of tasks

Number of hours of sleep each night Activity Calculation Each total Number of hours of sleep each night x7 Number of hours per day grooming (washing, dressing etc.) Number of hours for meals/snacks per day Total travel time (weekdays) 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 =

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.

Planning and implementation Distinguish between goals and tasks – tasks help us achieve goals Time and tasks then need to be allocated on the basis of: priority, important, pending Lists Charts Post-it notes Brainstorming (mind maps)

Planning and implementation Have a long-term overview of the project – deadlines for each part of the project against the 3-5 years Have a yearly overview of the project – what needs to be accomplished this year and what are the deadlines?

Planning and implementation Have medium and short- term strategies Use a diary (electronic or paper) Anchored planning: according to schedules Contingency planning: plan A, if fails, plan B Leeway hours: in case something goes wrong

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 24.00

Revise Weds lecture slides Final edit and proof of JFS article 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 15.00 16.00 To do: Revise Weds lecture slides Final edit and proof of JFS article Grade essays 17.00 18.00 Lecture 19.00 20.00 21.00 22.00

Planning and implementation When and how we work is as important as how much we work Know 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 vagueness

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 interfere

Monitoring and evaluation Control distractions and time wasters Email Closed doors Allocate specific time to writing and stick to them Organise research and files Use scheduling tools and software

Conclusions Be aware Learn to say no 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 day

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)