Academy Coaching

Time management - it’s not just for graduate school, it’s for your career too. Yet many people find that joining the Academy as a faculty member doesn’t necessarily equate with managing time well. But there is hope, starting first with your mind set and then identifying some practical steps. A quick easy read from the Chronicle may help you get into the frame of mind that you need to step back and reconsider how well you think you can possibly manage your time.

http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2008/08/2008082201c.htm

Of course, once you get the right frame of mind about what you actually have control over, a few helpful hints are worth having. Some may be new to you, others not. Either way, a quick refresher on time management is never a waste of time.

Writing

• Write daily. Mike Arnzen who periodically writes a forum on faculty time management has a great saying; “If you dive into water, you swim. Write daily and you will get things done”.
• Figure out what time of day (and where) is the best place for you to immerse yourself in your writing verses email/cell phone/interruptions from well meaning partners or chatty peers. Make a commitment to go to that place every day and schedule it in your planner (okay 5 out of 7 days, give yourself a mental break twice a week) - start in small increments. Maybe just an hour and then build on that commitment.
• Create deadlines. Stick to them.
• Participate in a writing group or work with a career coach and ask for feedback on your progress not just your content. Have someone who helps hold you accountable.

Teaching

• Don’t reinvent the wheel; unless you have tenure and have absolutely unlimited free time to leave your mark on the curriculum development within your institution. Talk to senior faculty about the history of the course; take a look at their syllabi (or related syllabi online).
• Develop templates of your “master” syllabus and adjust accordingly each term. If you use any media such as CTools learn how to develop without specific due dates (except on the calendar function) save and copy for future courses.
• Be careful about the assignment due dates, don’t bog yourself down with everything around the same time and certainly not at times when you would like to be doing something (like opening Christmas gifts) besides reading 35 twenty page papers on the meaning of life in today’s hectic world.

Service

• Understand the time involved before saying yes. How often will the committee/group meet? Is it always in person or can it involved conference calls/video streams? When is the workload the heaviest, and then consider how does this fit with your other roles and responsibilities.
• Consider making an informal volunteer commitment before signing on. Get an insider’s look to how organized the committee/group is and whether it would be an opportunity for you to meet other faculty who you might develop future collaborations with or if the group dynamics would cause you unnecessary stress and frustration.
• Manage student requests in an honest and timely manner and in a way that serves you and them well. For example, don’t agree to an independent study if you are simultaneously going to be out of the country writing your book. Chances are you will not want to focus on drafts other than your own. Managing requests also applies to email correspondence and potential expectations for immediate accessibility. Consider a signature line or automated response that provides a realistic time frame for your response.

Self Renewal

• Make time on a weekly basis for engaging wholeheartedly in something other than your research and writing.
• Exercise. Take a walk, get a membership to a local gym or take advantage of the various metro parks in your area. Being active is a great way to reduce muscle tension and emotional fatigue.
• Notice the small wins, the little gains you make along the way. Give yourself credit.
• Read something simply for the pure joy of immersing yourself in something creative, funny, inspiring or intriguing.