Time Management

Time is the most valuable thing

a man can spend. - Laertius Diogenes

Time Management Pitfalls

The tyranny of urgentChoose tasks by whatever grabs my attention

- latest crises - telephone call

- impending deadline Solution: Make a plan and then work your

plan

Time Management Pitfalls Poor Prioritization Symptoms of Poor Prioritization

- Too much to do and not enough time

- Feeling overwhelmed and out of control

- Feeling under constant time pressure

- Not making significant progress on important goals

Causes of Poor Prioritization Unidentified priorities Trying to find time for the important stuff

“You will never find time for anything. If you want time, you must make it.”

- Charles Bixton

Baited by distractions Procrastination (Avoid at All Costs)

Solution – Big Rocks in the Jar

Put the rocks in first, the gravel and sand will fit.

Concentrate on the rocks first, then you can make room for the other stuff.

Moral

Make time for your big rocks

Only if you put them into the schedule first

Then allow the other stuff to fill the gaps

Effective Time Management Principles

Prioritize your work

- List your projects/goals

- Prioritize them

- Select the most important

- Break down into tasks

- Develop a timeline

- Delegate

- Repeat process with all of your projects

How to Prioritize

Task List – task description, importance tag, due date

Higher priority – more important and long term (e.g., paper due next month)

Medium to Low priority – less important and short-term tasks

How to Prioritize(Ailamaki & Gehrke, 2003)

1. How will this help my research program and my career goals?

2. Will this improve my standing in my department and my community?

3. How long will this take?4. What is the deadline?5. How busy am I during the period when I

must devote time to this task? (i.e., Will it interfere with higher priority tasks?)

6. Will this be fun to do?

Review Tasks and Due Dates periodically May need adjustment Be realistic about required timeframe for

completion Utilize planners Organize your documents and workspace Schedule breaks for yourself Schedule meetings if necessary, but only

when necessary Stay focused

Thank You

Resources and Sources

Plethora of Resources Randy Pausch Time Management Pointershttp://www.alice.org/Randy/timetalk.htm#Why%20Time

%20Management%20is%20Important Time Management Lecturewww.youtube.com/watch?v=oTugjssqOT0• Time Management Self-Assessment

http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_88.htm