1 / 24

Time Management

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.

vega
Download Presentation

Time Management

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Time Management

  2. Outline • How busy will you be in grad school? • Self-assessment • The five categories of time management • Tips to increase your efficiency

  3. About me… • Ruslan Suvorov – Linguistics • rsuvorov@iastate.edu • Bernie Anding - Chemistry • bjanding@iastate.edu

  4. 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.

  5. 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

  6. How good is your time management? • Questionnaire taken from mindtools.com • scoring • Can be broken down into 5 categories: • Goal setting • Prioritization • Scheduling • Managing interruptions • Procrastination

  7. Goal Setting • This is step one… • Benefits of goals: • achievements • you’ll notice accomplishments • avoid daily “grind”

  8. 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

  9. 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. Important • Must be done soon • e-mails • grading • reading for class • Vital to your career • manuscripts • thesis These are what help you achieve your goals

  10. Prioritization • Make “To Do” Lists:

  11. Prioritization • Make Prioritized “To Do” Lists: • write down all the things you have to do • grade them A through F • A is most important • A is not necessarily urgent • follow the list doing A’s first, B’s second, etc.

  12. Prioritization • Make Prioritized “To Do” Lists: YOU WILL PROBABLY NOT COMPLETE YOUR “TO DO” LIST IN ANY ONE DAY …try not to get frustrated

  13. 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

  14. Scheduling • in application: • Make daily schedules: • 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

  15. Scheduling • and don’t forget to schedule BREAKS!!! • nobody is a machine • it makes you more efficient in the long run

  16. Scheduling This includes SLEEP!

  17. Managing Interruptions • Another look at Important/Urgent activities: • Try to minimize interruptions • Learn to manage interruptions

  18. Managing Interruptions • Some interruptions are part of the job • Don’t scare interruptors away!! • they will most likely be labmates and students

  19. 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

  20. 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

  21. 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

  22. 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

  23. Questions Please fill out the evaluation before you leave

More Related