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‘Time Management’ or ‘Ugghh, how am I ever going to cope?’

‘Time Management’ or ‘Ugghh, how am I ever going to cope?’. Michelle Everson m.everson@bbk.ac.uk. Basic Messages. You are not alone!!! Issues of time management affect us all: your supervisor is probably having similar worries. Do no feel inadequate or guilty!

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‘Time Management’ or ‘Ugghh, how am I ever going to cope?’

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  1. ‘Time Management’or‘Ugghh, how am I ever going to cope?’ Michelle Everson m.everson@bbk.ac.uk

  2. Basic Messages • You are not alone!!! • Issues of time management affect us all: your supervisor is probably having similar worries. Do no feel inadequate or guilty! • Time management equals stress management • As an MRes/Mphil/PhD student you are vulnerable: ‘the culmination of my intellectual life syndrome’. The solution? My research is an (important) job……

  3. Getting the Job Done! • All fancy courses, literature and Birkbeck staff agree: No quick solutions.. Just three golden guidelines: • The guidelines: • Prioritise • Use a diary • Combat time wasting!

  4. (1) Prioritise!! • What is the job? • Finishing my thesis!

  5. Rather than… Doing lots of teaching Giving loads of conference papers Being the best networked ever! Publishing a vast number of articles (though a few do help!).. ..I need to.. Clearly identify a series of different tasks Undertake something towards at least one of these tasks each week Keep a regular plan and update Prioritising

  6. But remember… • Sometimes your priorities may vary from those of your supervisor: be firm (it is your thesis!), but take advise… • ‘The best laid plans of mice and men’. Do not get depressed if things go awry. Always have a few ‘mechanical’ tasks in reserve should all else fail (stress management!)

  7. (2) Use a Diary • Allocate a time for all tasks and check them with your supervisor • Organise parallel work tasks (empirical tasks together with theory!) • Block out good times • Treat difficult tasks separately (try to avoid conflation of issues and ‘head whirling’)

  8. …The Diary continued… • Schedule in meetings and presentations and remember to enjoy them! It is your thesis after all! • Schedule in rest days and holidays (you deserve them!) • Again: do not panic if all goes awry. Remember those reserve ‘mechanical tasks’!

  9. (3) ‘the Washing Windows Syndrome’ (avoiding time wasting) • Known to us all in a variety of forms: • E-mailing • Spring cleaning • Comprehensive new wardrobes • Full blown depression (second year blues) • The manifestation of stress….

  10. Avoidance Strategies • Technical: • Close the door • Switch off the e-mail • Be assertive: I want to be alone! • Psychological: ‘break down that door’ • Remember this is a common thing • Remember your mechanical tasks • Do small things, the big things will follow of their own accord!

  11. In conclusion… • This is YOUR thesis • Yes, it may be just a job, just one step on a long road… • But, it is also uniquely yours… • Enjoy it, enjoy the attention you get, feel pride in your achievements!

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