Time management good time management is not about

Time management good time management is not about getting everything done but about getting the important things done

Three factors 1. Not wasting time 2. Working efficiently 3. Working on the right things/planning

1. Not wasting time a. know when you are wasting time, and set limits b. procrastinate productively c. have a list of 5 min, 15 min ½ hour tasks

Working efficiently a. never touch the same piece of paper twice b. have a place for record keeping: computer, book, filing cabinet c. house-keeping, housekeeping d. do things early enough to be efficient e. estimate how long tasks will take (motivates boring tasks). set time limits on ‘perfection’ tasks

4 Ds • • Delete Delay Delegate Diminish

Working on the right things/planning a. Prioritization b. Scheduling Not important Important Not Urgent Most email Unnecessary volunteerism Teaching preparation Committee preparation Ongoing papers Ongoing experiments Urgent Ringing telephone Colleague or student at the door Grant deadlines

Prioritization Have a principle for prioritizing tasks: e. g. the paper closest to completion a. Turn off email “Freedom” b. Each morning/evening write down a list of the 5 things you want to do that day, work from that list c. don’t agree to do anything in the future you wouldn’t want to do tomorrow d. don’t let a task be a time sink

Scheduling Time is like space, everything should have a place before agreeing to do something you need to find it a space “time map”

Self Assessment Assess why you don’t get to important tasks 1. Technical errors: tackling high focus projects too late in the day, misjudging time needed for projects 2. External realities: unrealistic expectations about the environment 3. Psychological obstacles: perfectionism, ‘midnight abstract syndrome’, waiting before meetings