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What are we going to talk about?  Who are Beth, Erika and Jane?  What you might want to think about  What questions do you have for us? 2

Beth  Director, GVU Center at Georgia Tech – 5 years  Professor in Interactive Computing – 12 years  Previous research staff member at Xerox PARC  Mom – 2 kids [8,5 ]  Wife – 10+ years  Daughter – Mom is … (well she won’t let me say) 3

Erika  Assistant Professor, Penn State College of Information Sciences & Technology - 1 month  Recent graduate from Georgia Tech (go Jackets!) 4

Jane  Senior Research Program Manager Microsoft Research – 6 years  UVA – teaching faculty in computer science for 12 years  NSF Division of Undergraduate Education Computer Science Program Director  Mom – 3 kids [32, 29, 25 ]  Wife – 35+ years  Daughter – Mom is 90 5

PhD Student Timeline  Different each year  Y1: getting comfortable, class/tests, TAing  Topic search, advisor search  Y2-4: In the thick of it  Y5+: last mile  Paper deadlines  Identifying letter writers  Writing the thesis  Applying for jobs 6  Going to conferences  Internships  Finding a thesis topic  Figuring out what comes next  Finding an advisor  Comprehensive exams  Paper deadlines  Encountering rejection

Observations  Demands come in waves  Many of us are very goal-oriented  We all have insecurities  We humans cannot maintain an insane pace continuously (time management)  Not sustainable  Leads to burnout / poor productivity  Will wear you out  Erase “I should” from your vocabulary  There is always more to do  There’s more to life than your work 7

Goals and Expectations  Set by yourself or others?  Note when they are self-inflicted!  Understand completely what is required given a goal  Know why you want to achieve it  Evaluate your progress  Talk about it with your mentor(s) and others  Enough is enough: Recognize when things get different instead of better  Learn how to enjoy the process  Focus on the present  Appreciate your achievements before moving on  Work to ensure that goals are achievable 8

Managing Goals and Expectations  Learn how to enjoy the process  Focus on the present  Appreciate your achievements before moving on  Work to ensure that goals are achievable and match your personal values 9

Managing Insecurities  Yes, you will feel insecure (This is normal)  Seek out a good mentor (may/may not be your advisor)  Be proud of and celebrate your accomplishments  Keep a “good file” of positive feedback  Your campus and community have resources to help you  Fellow grad students!  People in your life who are not academics!  Thesis support groups (check your counseling center)  Toastmasters  Writing centers/workshops  Individual/group counseling (if your problems are small but are bothering you, you are NOT taking away resources from “people with bigger problems”) 10

Our Common Insecurities  I am an imposter!  How did I get here? I know nothing. I’ll never have another research idea.  I care deeply about what others think of me  I have panic attacks before entering areas where lots of people are (for fear I’m going to mess up in some way)  I take things very personally  Rejection, not being included, the success of others 11

Be Organized  Keep a calendar that you always have with you  Electronic (back it up) or paper  Keep it up to date  Meetings as well as work things ( , paper reading, writing, coding, seminars, etc)  Schedule in both work and play  Know when you work efficiently and honor that time  Block out time for research, even if you feel stuck  Learn the art of writing to think  Keep a research/idea book or wiki  Recommended reading: “Getting Things Done” by David Allen; “Finish Your Dissertation Once and For All” by Allison Miller 12

Time Management  There's always more to do  Learn how to estimate accurately the time required  Don't take on too much or feel pressured to say yes  Worse to take on something and only contribute minimally or do an average/poor/late job at it than to say no  Find a “no buddy”  Renegotiate unmanageable commitments  Be honest with those you are working with  Identify a solution that works for all  Taking on a new task can be an opportunity to let go of an old one.  Work with people who are good at getting things done.  Identify your guiding principles 13

Audience Participation Time Take a minute and write down the three most important things in your life 14

Guiding Principles  Doing great research and share it with others?  Working on interesting and high impact research problems?  Making a difference in students’ lives?  Making time for family?  Staying healthy?  Staying connected to personal faith/spirituality? 15

Finding Balance  Most importantly -- take care of you!  Figure out what makes you happy/unhappy  Look up every once in a while to take stock  Let go of things that don’t align with your guiding principles  Exercise! Eat your vegetables! Sleep enough!  Apply money to the problem if possible  Reach out to fellow students, your family, your friends  Find something that keeps you smiling and isn’t your work  Remember that whatever happens, the sun will rise tomorrow. You’ll be ok. 16

Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense. -Ralph Waldo Emerson 17