Time for Research

Hugh Kearns
Flinders University Lecture Research Self-management
Twitter

@iThinkWellHugh
Ben Bulben, County Sligo, Ireland

Ag. Science
UC Dublin
Overcommitment
Overcommitment

• Overloaded?
– Balls and tube

• Overcommitment

• How many balls in your tube?

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 Time management – saying no

Learn how not to say YES

Buy yourself time to think

Give people alternatives

Delegation

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Saying NO

Situation:
A colleague has asked you to consider
taking on an additional project which she
sayd could be very exciting. She’s
expecting that you will say yes.

Feelings:
As you knock on her door about to say NO
how do you feel.
Saying NO
Situation: Saying NO

Feelings: Nervous, guilty, anxious

ANTs
Automatic Negative Thoughts

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Situation: Saying NO

Feelings: Nervous, guilty, anxious

ANTs
Automatic Negative Thoughts

She’ll be very
disappointed
She’ll be upset with me

I should be doing it

She’ll think I’m not

committed
I’ll miss out on more
chances

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Situation: Saying NO
Feelings: Nervous, guilty, anxious
ANTs AND SO
Automatic Negative Thoughts
She’ll be very She’ll make me feel bad
disappointed and guilty
I’ll feel terrible
She’ll be upset with me She might take it out on me

I should be doing it Maybe I’m not committed

enough
She’ll think I’m not She might tell others
committed It’ll affect my career
I’ll miss out on more I’ll be stuck in this job
chances forever
I’ll never get a promotion
I’ll be falling behind
Maybe I’m not up to it
Maybe I’m not cut out for
this type of work
I knew it – I’m a failure!
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Situation: Saying NO
Feelings: Nervous, guilty, anxious
ANTS AND SO MATHs
Automatic Negative Thoughts More Accurate Thoughts
She’ll be very She’ll make me feel bad She might be but I’m not being
disappointed and guilty unreasonable
I’ll feel terrible
She’ll be upset with me She might take it out on She hasn’t in the past.
me Unlikely.
I should be doing it Maybe I’m not I do good work.
committed enough
She’ll think I’m not She might tell others I am committed. I just can’t do
committed It’ll affect my career this one thing.
I’ll miss out on more I’ll be stuck in this job Overall I’ve got a good track
chances forever record.
I’ll never get a People forget and move on
promotion It’s not a race
I’ll be falling behind She told me before I was doing
Maybe I’m not up to it well
Maybe I’m not cut out Ditto
for this type of work
I knew it – I’m a failure! Not really!
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Time Management

Big rocks and little rocks

Putting first things first

What are your big rocks?

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Prioritisation

Prioritisation
The Pareto Principle – 80/20 rule

80%

20%

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Prioritisation

Prioritisation
The Pareto Principle – 80/20 rule

80%

20%

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Prioritisation

Prioritisation
The Vital Few and the Trivial Many
Which are your Vital Few

80%

20%

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Perfectionism
Perfectionism

80%

20%

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Selective Perfectionism
Some things 100%

Some thigns 80%

Soem thngs 50}

Paperwork

• Paperwork and emails

– Set aside specific times
– Velcro fingers
– The 3 D’s
• Do it
• Diarise
• Ditch it

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Distraction
Real time 2
=
Fantasy time 10
emails

They interrupt and distract

Don’t check first thing in the morning

Set specific, limited times

to deal with them

Email addiction

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emails

Vacation messages
– Back on …
– Will be deleted …

Get off lists

Filter them

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 Distractions

Specific strategies
– Consultation times
– Dedicated research time
– Answering machines
– Do not disturb and doors

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 Write little and often

 Binge writing

 Regular snacks

 The 2 golden hours

Turbocharging your writing 31

 Two Golden Hours

 What counts as writing?  Nailing your feet to

the floor
 It’s not:
 Assume the position
 Editing

 Formatting
 90% of success is
 Surfing the net just turning up!
 Emails

 Referencing

 Photocopying

Turbocharging your writing 32

 Write first thing

 Write early in the day (most

people)

 Distractions

 Tiredness

 Write when you are awake!

Turbocharging your writing 33

 Where to Write

A dedicated place

Close the door

Turbocharging your writing 34

 Where to Write

 A dedicated place

 Close the door

 Do not disturb

 Pull out the internet cable!

Turbocharging your writing 35

Focus
ithinkwell.com.au
T
N
T
T SMALL
N Micro

T nano
 Quick Starting

 Parking your car on the hill

 Notes to yourself

 Example

Turbocharging your writing 41

Procrastination
 Procrastination

Think of something you are

putting off

Two problems
– It doesn’t get done
– The black cloud

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 Procrastination

How motivation happens

Set a specific time
Break into smaller
pieces
Build in a reward
AFTER Motivation

Action

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 Procrastination

That thing you were putting off

How could you start

Tell the people

around you

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 Work/Life Balance – Boundaries

• When are you off duty?

• Time to regenerate

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 Being
Strategic
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 Research outputs

Backward planning

What is your target or aim

• A position?
• A promotion?
• A grant?
• Impact?
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Plan Ahead

Long lead time

Promotion criteria
Grant criteria

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Publication strategy

Is there a story?

Which papers are for future funding or

collaborations?

Building a team for future grant

applications
 Publication strategy tool

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Publication productivity

Set publication targets

• For your next grant
• For your next promotion
• For the next year
• For your working life!
Keep track of your publications

Prioritise the ones that are best for your career (eg next
grant, promotion etc)
Publication productivity

2 for 1
3 for 1
4 for 1
 Publication productivity

Squeeze your PhD

Papers
Books
Conferences

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 Prioritising

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 Paper tracking
Team writing tool

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Waiting

Passive
WAITING
Active
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Team writing

• Who else are you writing with?

• How is the process being managed?

• Who else could you write with?

• Asking and offering.

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More time for publishing

• Reduce the time spent on hands-on research

(get others to do it)
• Focus on:
– Writing papers
– Managing others (RA’s, PhDs, co-authors, teams)
– Ideas
– Interpretation
– Grant writing
– Writing papers!
The successful research leader

• Number one job is to look after the team

(PhD students, RAs, post docs, co-authors)

• Priorities
– Regular meetings
– Responding quickly to drafts
– Clarifying the “next” publication
– Making people feel valued

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Good habits

Write early
Write often
Snack v binge
Writing v editing
Interruptions
80/20 rule
Research

What is your research plan

Areas of expertise
Being strategic
What is the target
What do you need to get there

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 Circles of influence

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 Can’t Control

Can Influence

Can Control

Self-Management
Registrar Wellbeing
forWorkshop
GP 65
Registrars: Hospital Essentials
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 Can’t Control

Control the Controllables

Can Influence

Can Control

Self-Management
Registrar Wellbeing
forWorkshop
GP 66
Registrars: Hospital Essentials
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 What are your Controllables?

• What can you do (or not do!) that could

help you manage your time
• For example:
– Set priorities/big rocks
– Saying no
– Not checking emails

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