Time & Stress Management

Developing
a plan Dealing
with stress

Managing time

Outline

Review of importance of management

developing a plan
scheduling your time
balancing multiple responsibilities
managing stress

Research management

Why?
Managing well will help you and your team reach your objectives
faster and at lower cost.
How?
Start by defining your objectives.
Investigate the background and work by others.
Re-consider your goals
Make a realistic plan and start implementing it.

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 Management

Resources
“The Time Trap”
R. Alec Mackenzie, McGraw-Hill, New York: 1975, 1997.

A classic on time management skills.

What do managers do?

Plan
objectives, strategies, procedures, policies, budget
Direct
delegate, coordinate, motivate
Decide
defining issues, gathering information, making choices

Control
ensure timely action, evaluate performance, set reporting
procedures, identify any need for correction, reward
performance

Communicate
knowledge, ideas, plans, check feedback and response

Managed groups
The manager and the managed must:
Use meetings wisely:
Prepare for meetings - prepare agendas
Record points of agreement and action plans.
Stay on-topic

Plan and review at appropriate intervals

Discuss goals, strategies, and timetables
Define mutual expectations
Listen carefully.
Be considerate of each team member’s time.

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 Managed groups
Advice for being a good boss
Share credit and joy in success.
Say “thank you”.
Criticize in private. Praise in public.
Show confidence and enthusiasm.
Share your vision and thoughts.
Make decisions promptly.
Delegate whenever appropriate.

On being managed
Advice for the managed.
Expect the best.
Communicate, and encourage communication.
Don’t act on untested suppositions.
Set a good example for the boss.
Help set priorities and define goals.
Take time for self-management.
Keep your objectives well defined.
Your goals, and the team’s goals.

Special topics
Timely action is essential
An organization has a tempo
Beware of delaying decisions
They are seldom improved by waiting
Three useful categories for decisions-
They can and should be decided by someone else.
They can be decided by you immediately.
They can be decided after a brief period of fact-gathering.

The false fourth category…..

For everyone’s sake - Delegate!

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 Delegation
Barriers to delegation
Misunderstanding of delegation’s value
Fallacy of omnipotence
Fear of being disliked
Lack of confidence in subordinates
Lack of confidence in self

Reverse delegation - origins

Fear of taking a risk
Fear of criticism
from The Time Trap
Lack of resources or authority
Boss never says no

Time Management

Acknowledgments
• Eugene Griessman
• Steven Covey
• Alan Lakein

How much time is there?

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 Time is like money

the currency of life

not unlimited, so spend wisely
use conscious approach

Time
→ Task
Management Management

Developing a plan

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 Have a plan
1. Identify long-term goals
PhD
Postdoctoral training

It is not enough to be industrious, so are

the ants. What are you industrious about?
Thoreau

Have a plan

1. identify long-term goals

2. identify time it should take
3. don’t become overcommitted

how long?
MS 1-2 yrs
PhD 4-5 yr
postdoc 2-5 yr (total)

Developing a plan
make a list of what you must accomplish
courses
exams
fellowships proposals
add other things you would like to
accomplish
publications
presentations at meetings

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 Have a plan

3. set short-term objectives (check points)

Particularly important after completing “requirements”

• predoctoral students after 2nd year
• postdoctoral students

Have a plan
1. Identify long-term goals
2. Identify the time it should take
3. Set short-term objectives
4. Develop plan

Setting goals &

establishing a plan
possible grad student milestones

1. courses
Q 1st 2nd 3rd
2. exams taken Yr
01 1 1
3. expts completed
02 1 3 2
4. pubs submitted
03 4 3 3
5. thesis defended
04 4 3

0? 4 5

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 Setting goals &
establishing a plan
possible grad student milestones

1. courses
Q 1st 2nd 3rd
2. exams taken Yr
01 1 1
3. experiments
02 1 3 2
4. pubs submitted
03 4 3 3
5. thesis defended
04 4 3

05 4 5

How hard to work?

remaining

sleep 56
food 14
travel 7
rec. 6
sleep
free. 18
recreation
remaining 67
travel
misc.
food

Use your plan!

Consult plan regularly (e.g., every 6 mo)
Revise activities and/or plan as necessary

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Scheduling your time

October
methods
day planner
palm pilot
scraps of paper

Scheduling your time

October

add essentials
first

Scheduling your time

add essentials
October
first
schedule events
for when you
work best
create blocks of
time

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 Set Daily Objectives

Creating blocks of time

insert in schedule
get up early
arrive early, leave late
arrive late, leave late
work, meet elsewhere

Schedule time to read, think & plan

leave time to evaluate, plan

October
consider a quiet hour at least
once per week
turn phone to voice-mail
check email infrequently
discourage interruptions
If you don’t control your time
then you are letting someone
else control it and you.

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 To-do lists?

To-do lists

Pros:
frees your mind for other tasks
focuses on what to do, time permitting
reminds you: more than one thing to do

Cons:
not all items of equal value

Managing to-do lists

rank items by importance

____ repeat experiment #5

____ fellowship application due Dec. 1
____ shop for food
____ organize files on computer
____ read article for journal club tomorrow
____ pick up kids at daycare

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 Managing to-do lists
work on the most important items first
Realize you probably won’t get everything done
If you can complete a task in 2 minutes or less than
do it to get it out of the way

Organize Your Tasks

•Do the High Priority Urgent
activities promptly
•Limit low Priority activities
•Shift time from Low Priority
Urgent -> Low Priority Not
Urgent activities

See Article by Peter Fiske

Decide what’s important

help you reach important goal?
an important deadline?
directive from your supervisor?
help your career? not doing, hinder?
important to someone you care about?
increase knowledge, potential?
matter a year from now?
matter if you don’t do it?
B. Eugene Griessman

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 Procrastination

Dealing with procrastination

will you eventually do the project?

A wise person does right away

what the fool does eventually.

A Proverb

Dealing with procrastination

break large task into pieces

Writing a research article

1. determine authors
2. select journal
3. make outline
4. prepare tables and figures
5. write first draft...

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 Dealing with procrastination
Recognize your tendency to procrastinate
don’t wait for a “right time”
Stick to your priorities
set a time limit for working on it
avoid perfectionism

Perfectionism

• avoid “all or nothing” thinking

Imperfect now
is better than perfect later

Perfectionism

• most tasks not worth perfection

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Perfectionism

• set time limit in advance

Parkinson’s Law

A task

to fill
the time allotted
for its completion

C. Northcote Parkinson

Evaluate and Improve

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 Managing Stress

Stress
minimize it
exercise regularly
eat well
get adequate sleep
schedule time for re-creation
identify positive ways to cope
devote time to what you enjoy doing

Summary
set goals, develop plan and take control
these goals are worthy of thoughtful
planning.
make conscious use of time
evaluate and improve scheduling
know what causes, relieves your stress
even the smallest effort can have wonderful
consequences!

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 Survival Skills & Ethics Program

Faculty
Beth Fischer
Michael Zigmond
Craig Wilcox

Funding
NIMH
NINDS
University of Pittsburgh www.survival.pitt.edu

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