1. Other duties as assigned
How to thrive in the diverse roles of today’s departmental research administrator
Nikki Turner, Associate Director
Research accounting

2. Agenda Introduction Time Management Strategies Goal Setting
Focus Skills
Tips and Tricks

3. Introduction Why am I talking about it? Why is this Important?
Greater Productivity
Reduced Stress
Less Burnout
Why am I talking about it?
Ten years in Research Administration, eight in management
Five years working concurrently in the office of the Controller
Project manager of institution- wide travel software implementation

4. Time is really the only capital that any human being has, and the only thing he can’t afford to lose.
Thomas Edison
Time Management

5. Know thyself What environment inspires me to concentrate?
Quiet vs. Busy
Dark vs. Bright
Sitting vs. Standing
Do impending deadlines spur me on, or paralyze me?
When do I work best – morning, afternoon, or evening?

6. Time management skills
Important vs. Urgent
Determine if the task is truly urgent
Make time for the important, or everything becomes urgent
Pencil in time in your calendar for interruptions
Process Design
At least 60% of the time accomplishing a new task should be spent in the design of the process
Look for bottlenecks, and see if you can either eliminate them or reduce their effect
Why is this a bottleneck?
Is there a way to accomplish this task in tandem with another task?
If not, how can I make this task more efficient?
Set Goals!

7. Goal Setting
SMART Goal Method for ambitious, yet achievable goals

8. Starting your smart goal with the 5 whys
In order for your goal to be specific, you have to understand why it is your goal in the first place
Ask yourself the “5 Whys” to discover the root cause of your goal

9. SMART Goal attributes
Measurable – How can I tell that I am moving closer to my goal?
Achievable – Is this goal something that challenges me, but that I can complete within a reasonable time period?
Relevant – Does my goal fill a current need? Is there a better use of my time?
Timely – Do I have a reasonable deadline for my project?

10. Prioritization Make a list, but think about how you prefer to work:
FIFO
Biggest Issues First
Small Wins
Gantt Charts can be helpful with multiple projects
Work with your supervisor to make sure that you are on the same page

11. GANTT Charts
Simple charts to track a few projects can be made in Excel
More complex Gantt charts can be made in online software packages
Try to be realistic about the time it takes to complete a task (Hofstadter’s Law)
Use the chart to track your progress, and adjust as necessary

12. Focus - why is it so hard??? Distractions are everywhere! Coworkers
Phone notifications
Webpages
It can take up to 25 minutes to get back on track from a disruption

13. Focus opportunities Schedule like tasks together, including meetings
Adopt some digital minimalism principles
Turn off notifications, whether it is on your browser or your phone
Turn off the little red dot!
Block off time in your calendar for focused work and try to not answer any phone calls or s
Most experts agree that 2 hours is as long as people will go without calling you back

14. More focus ideas Try the Pomodoro Method
Work for 25 minutes, then take a 5 minute break
Take care of yourself! Breaks, healthy eating, and exercise are an important part of mental sharpness and focus.

15. Tips and tricks
Try not to multitask – it can reduce your focus and make you less productive
Use active listening techniques when speaking with coworkers
Ask questions when you don’t understand the task
Delegate if you can – yes, it takes time to train, but it will save time in the long run!

16. Organization & communication tools
Wunderlist
Evernote
Slack

17. Thank you! Questions? Please contact Nikki Turner at nt008@uark.edu