The past year, I've been conducting an enormous amount of large-scale experiments (my funder is quite generous). Tomorrow I'll have finished large-scale test number 98, and I will have tested 14 slabs (half-scale slab bridges) and 9 wide beams/slab strips. In this past year, I've learned by trial and error how to get a good routine and manage the testing program.
1. Plan
There's much more to plan about doing an experiment than the experiment itself, obviously. You will need a planning to arrange the delivery of your material, the fabrication of your specimens, side testing and then the course of the experimental program itself. Even though your planning will change (mine is changing frequently because of unexpected delays: sickness of technicians, the carpenter being unavailable,... ), you still need a planning to make sure you won't forget anything and to estimate the time every step will take you.
2. Prepare
Don't walk into the lab with empty hands. When I go to the lab, I have my fixed set of documents along with me: a sheet with predicted values to immediately compare my test result to and a table that I fill out during testing in which I note down observations for every load step. I also take the camera along with me to photograph the failure patterns (and sometimes something to snack on).
3. Classify
Don't wait until months after testing to organize and classify your data and notes. Right after a test, I save the raw data and pictures into their respective folders. I add results into tables which I build up test by test. I write a short summary in my lab book. You get the picture: take action immediately to keep it all neatly organized.
4. Automatize
If you carry out a large test series, try to automatize your data processing as much as possible. Even though programming might take you a few days, the benefits will return to you in the long run. I for example wrote a Matlab code that reads my raw data and returns all plots and numerical values I need for the considered test. Programming is by far not my specialty, but I learned something while writing my code, and now I generate all plots in just a few seconds. That sure is a win.
5. Write
Don't wait until months after the experiment to write your report. With my large testing program, I sketched an outline of how I want to discuss every specimen and test and made it a good habit to complete the report after finishing a specimen. Initially, I could remember every detail of every test, but now I notice that every now and then I have to check in my report to verify what happened during a certain experiment. There's a limit to our memory, so you'd better not wait until you start confusing to write down your results and observations into a report.
6. Smile
You probably won't be working all by yourself if you carry out a series of tests. Respect the technicians you work with, don't treat them as "inferior" because they are not pursuing a doctoral degree. Arrive in time when you need to fabricate a specimen and technicians are volunteering to help you. (I'm writing this because I've seen bad examples, unfortunately). It might be hard work (my muscles used to hurt terribly after working in the lab for the first months), but make sure you enjoy. Joke around, have fun, and above all: smile.
Social Media and Academics
on Thursday, November 18, 2010
Today, I attended a workshop on Online Networking and Social Media by Floor Drees at the PhD Event 2010. One of the most striking observations was the reluctance of young academics to social media. I was surprised to see that only about half of the audience has a LinkedIn profile, and very few hands were raised when Floor asked about Twitter.
I understand the criticism. In the end, for an academic career, your publications are very important, and to get something out of social media, you need to spend some time on it. You might be wasting your time, you should be researching and publishing.
It took me time to convince myself to explore Twitter, too, and to start writing this blog. I was afraid of writing something unintelligent and losing some academic credit for that. But then I realized that social media is very much me and what I like and stand for. I'm the kind of nerdy kid that was building websites as a teenager. I'm the kind of kid that as a child, rejoiced over having Windows 3.1 installed on our home computer. I love new stuff, and I love all that is hot and happening.
But that's just me. What might be in there for a young academic?
Organizations which give you updates on their next conferences, and you can tweet about the conference using the appropriate hashtag.
Personal leadership advice : Doing a PhD is all about managing a giant project, and you need a good set of soft skills to reach your goals. On Twitter, a lot of young entrepreneurs with a small business like to share their ideas and advice with you. Even though my university stimulates me to attend trainings and workshops, a few encouraging words per day are always welcome.
Be visible If you're on the internet, participating in discussions on your topic (for example in the LinkedIn groups), you can show to peers further away where your expertise lies. And since you do a PhD in a specific topic, you will be one of the experts in that topic.
It doesn't take that much time. Some people have the idea that social media, and especially Twitter, are a waste of your time since you might end up tweeting your every move from your office and not getting work done. I love social media, but my priority is obviously my research. Therefore, I don't touch any social media website during my workday. When I come home, I check what is going on. In total, I spend about 20 minutes per day, which seems to be enough for me to get the benefits out of it.
I understand the criticism. In the end, for an academic career, your publications are very important, and to get something out of social media, you need to spend some time on it. You might be wasting your time, you should be researching and publishing.
It took me time to convince myself to explore Twitter, too, and to start writing this blog. I was afraid of writing something unintelligent and losing some academic credit for that. But then I realized that social media is very much me and what I like and stand for. I'm the kind of nerdy kid that was building websites as a teenager. I'm the kind of kid that as a child, rejoiced over having Windows 3.1 installed on our home computer. I love new stuff, and I love all that is hot and happening.
But that's just me. What might be in there for a young academic?
Organizations which give you updates on their next conferences, and you can tweet about the conference using the appropriate hashtag.
Personal leadership advice : Doing a PhD is all about managing a giant project, and you need a good set of soft skills to reach your goals. On Twitter, a lot of young entrepreneurs with a small business like to share their ideas and advice with you. Even though my university stimulates me to attend trainings and workshops, a few encouraging words per day are always welcome.
Be visible If you're on the internet, participating in discussions on your topic (for example in the LinkedIn groups), you can show to peers further away where your expertise lies. And since you do a PhD in a specific topic, you will be one of the experts in that topic.
It doesn't take that much time. Some people have the idea that social media, and especially Twitter, are a waste of your time since you might end up tweeting your every move from your office and not getting work done. I love social media, but my priority is obviously my research. Therefore, I don't touch any social media website during my workday. When I come home, I check what is going on. In total, I spend about 20 minutes per day, which seems to be enough for me to get the benefits out of it.
Branding Fail
on Monday, November 15, 2010
Today, I was reading an article on an online newssite. The article was about a company that offers training courses to demotivated and burnt out employees. I thought that sounded interesting (I enjoy reading about personal leadership and development), and so I clicked on to the website of the company, where I discovered they hadn't updated their website since 2005. Like, 5 years ago!
They only advertise a personal branding workshop which they were offering on a certain date in 2005. Really, I found this such a difference between the statement the company makes (we don't care to give you up-to-date information) and what their actualy goal is (training on personal branding, and getting more fulfillment from your job).
They only advertise a personal branding workshop which they were offering on a certain date in 2005. Really, I found this such a difference between the statement the company makes (we don't care to give you up-to-date information) and what their actualy goal is (training on personal branding, and getting more fulfillment from your job).
The work-life balance thing
My first blog post here was all about writing down my new academic year's resolutions and making them public and thus pushing myself to actually do something about it.
One of the "problems" I wanted to tackle is that my work-life balance was pretty much gone. I would get absorbed in my material and only go home at the point I'd be close to starving (or shove another granola bar into my mouth and go on). To avoid my brain from getting overloaded and blurred, I knew I had to go away from the books and get some exercise. One evening of choir repetition per week is not exactly enough of relaxing activity for me.
Last year I had a subscription to the university's gym, but I didn't like it. Since I prefer group fitness, I need a place with certified and enthusiastic instructors, which is not quite what I can say about the gym of my university.
And so I decided to go to another place this year. Since I have to pay a fair amount of money per month(for a grad student, that is), I am motivated to squeeze everything out of my euros.
Since last week, I can say I'm officially addicted. I enjoy it a lot, enjoy pushing my own limits. Other than that, I just feel so much better: I have more energy, sleep better, and can concentrate better during the day.
Another advantage is that, since I know I have to leave my office in time to get to the class I want to take, I try much harder to get my work for the day done in time. I haven't found myself browsing around the internet and wasting time anymore recently. I feel focused on my project, step by step and day by day.
So, all good news from this side, and a smile to go with it!
One of the "problems" I wanted to tackle is that my work-life balance was pretty much gone. I would get absorbed in my material and only go home at the point I'd be close to starving (or shove another granola bar into my mouth and go on). To avoid my brain from getting overloaded and blurred, I knew I had to go away from the books and get some exercise. One evening of choir repetition per week is not exactly enough of relaxing activity for me.
Last year I had a subscription to the university's gym, but I didn't like it. Since I prefer group fitness, I need a place with certified and enthusiastic instructors, which is not quite what I can say about the gym of my university.
And so I decided to go to another place this year. Since I have to pay a fair amount of money per month(for a grad student, that is), I am motivated to squeeze everything out of my euros.
Since last week, I can say I'm officially addicted. I enjoy it a lot, enjoy pushing my own limits. Other than that, I just feel so much better: I have more energy, sleep better, and can concentrate better during the day.
Another advantage is that, since I know I have to leave my office in time to get to the class I want to take, I try much harder to get my work for the day done in time. I haven't found myself browsing around the internet and wasting time anymore recently. I feel focused on my project, step by step and day by day.
So, all good news from this side, and a smile to go with it!
How a few software tools created several hours per week...
on Monday, November 8, 2010
One day, about half a year ago, I was browsing around on the internet during my workhours, and reading the news of the day. One of the articles of the day was about time management software. I read the description and I thought it would be a way too confronting. In the end, I can only concentrate about 20 minutes, and I need a break every now and then, so I thought.
But I kept thinking about the idea and a few days later I downloaded my first tool Rescuetime. Initially I was enjoying the free trial period of the extended version in which the software asks you after an idle period what you have been doing (meeting - phone call - other).
After two weeks of using this software, I realized how much time I actually need for my activities in the lab. The software clearly showed me that I do not only spend the time in the lab which I need for an experiment, but I also go downstairs to check regularly, to help the technical staff here and there and the discuss our planning, material schedule and casting dates. I also need some time after every experiment to sort out my labnotes and to put certain data into the computer. All those small tasks are necessary, but they take up 10 and 20 minutes every time and add up to the total time I actually need per experiment.
A second conclusion I drew from using this software is that, in total, I was spending a way too much time per day on surfing around on the internet, reading the news and playing around on social networking sites. I saw the results of my "very distracting time" per day, per week and per month and I was alarmed about it. However, I did not take action right away. Somehow I couldn't just give up on my bad habit. But after a two-week holiday and a one-week sick leave (related to that holiday, unfortunately) in which I had not had any time at all to visit social networking sites, I realized I could do without these sites during my workday. At the beginning of the new academic year, I decided to simply block my distractions.
The result is that by now I can go home about 1,5 hours earlier per day and I feel much less guilty about spending time in my office on social networking sites. I now have time in the evening to go to the gym and play some music at home. In turn, having these activities in the evening which help me unwind, results in having more concentration during my work hours and being able to focus better. It's a giant win, and apparently a software tool was the impulse to act which I needed.
Once I started to see the advantages of Rescuetime, and my free trail period ended (it still keeps track of my very productive and very distracting activities nowadays), I decided to try out a few more other time management tools. I downloaded a few tools which were of not much use to me. However, ManicTime turned out the perfect addition to RescueTime's free verion. ManicTime is an incredibly easy to use tool. It obviously tracks the software and documents which you use, but at the same time you can also tag slots of time with the activity you have been carrying out. I can tag the time that I spend in the lab, or the patches of time I use to write a paper.
All this helps me to estimate how much time I need to finish a certain task, and I am sure this knowledge will help my planning and will help me reach my goals in time within the next years of my PhD.
But I kept thinking about the idea and a few days later I downloaded my first tool Rescuetime. Initially I was enjoying the free trial period of the extended version in which the software asks you after an idle period what you have been doing (meeting - phone call - other).
After two weeks of using this software, I realized how much time I actually need for my activities in the lab. The software clearly showed me that I do not only spend the time in the lab which I need for an experiment, but I also go downstairs to check regularly, to help the technical staff here and there and the discuss our planning, material schedule and casting dates. I also need some time after every experiment to sort out my labnotes and to put certain data into the computer. All those small tasks are necessary, but they take up 10 and 20 minutes every time and add up to the total time I actually need per experiment.
A second conclusion I drew from using this software is that, in total, I was spending a way too much time per day on surfing around on the internet, reading the news and playing around on social networking sites. I saw the results of my "very distracting time" per day, per week and per month and I was alarmed about it. However, I did not take action right away. Somehow I couldn't just give up on my bad habit. But after a two-week holiday and a one-week sick leave (related to that holiday, unfortunately) in which I had not had any time at all to visit social networking sites, I realized I could do without these sites during my workday. At the beginning of the new academic year, I decided to simply block my distractions.
The result is that by now I can go home about 1,5 hours earlier per day and I feel much less guilty about spending time in my office on social networking sites. I now have time in the evening to go to the gym and play some music at home. In turn, having these activities in the evening which help me unwind, results in having more concentration during my work hours and being able to focus better. It's a giant win, and apparently a software tool was the impulse to act which I needed.
Once I started to see the advantages of Rescuetime, and my free trail period ended (it still keeps track of my very productive and very distracting activities nowadays), I decided to try out a few more other time management tools. I downloaded a few tools which were of not much use to me. However, ManicTime turned out the perfect addition to RescueTime's free verion. ManicTime is an incredibly easy to use tool. It obviously tracks the software and documents which you use, but at the same time you can also tag slots of time with the activity you have been carrying out. I can tag the time that I spend in the lab, or the patches of time I use to write a paper.
All this helps me to estimate how much time I need to finish a certain task, and I am sure this knowledge will help my planning and will help me reach my goals in time within the next years of my PhD.
Friday already?
on Friday, October 8, 2010
Before last February, I used to feel a sort of panic on Friday afternoons, thinking: "Oh no, this is the end of the week, and I have done so little!"
What I changed last February is that I started to make different levels of To Do lists. I used to go with one list, and that worked perfectly fine as long as I was attending school and finishing classes at the end of every semester. With something as vast as a PhD-project, that didn't really seem to work for me though. The list kept growing, and my sense of panic grew alongside it as well.
My different levels of To Do list are the following:
1. General research ideas
This is my little goldmine of research ideas, that might keep me busy for quite some time after I graduate, provided that I can stay in academics/research; or ideas that could work for a master's thesis. There's no timeline attached to these, I just keep this file as a source of ideas.
2. To Do list
This to do list consists of well-defined small projects that need to be done by a certain month or date. It includes for example the deadlines for conference papers which are a few months ahead, or the next few parameter studies I would like to carry out.
3. To Do in Month X
Very clear: the list of what I need to get done this month. I subdivide it in a few categories, and try to be as realistic as possible.
4. To Do in Week Y
About a quarter of the contents of To Do in Month X goes into my To Do in Week Y. I then take my planner and write down per day what I should focus on: testing 1,2 on day 1, testing 3 on day 2 along with reading paper z and so on.
At the end of the week, on Friday afternoon, I review again my weekly and monthly documents, add what I have done, and see what still needs to be done... and usually leave my office with quite a sense of accomplishment.
What I changed last February is that I started to make different levels of To Do lists. I used to go with one list, and that worked perfectly fine as long as I was attending school and finishing classes at the end of every semester. With something as vast as a PhD-project, that didn't really seem to work for me though. The list kept growing, and my sense of panic grew alongside it as well.
My different levels of To Do list are the following:
1. General research ideas
This is my little goldmine of research ideas, that might keep me busy for quite some time after I graduate, provided that I can stay in academics/research; or ideas that could work for a master's thesis. There's no timeline attached to these, I just keep this file as a source of ideas.
2. To Do list
This to do list consists of well-defined small projects that need to be done by a certain month or date. It includes for example the deadlines for conference papers which are a few months ahead, or the next few parameter studies I would like to carry out.
3. To Do in Month X
Very clear: the list of what I need to get done this month. I subdivide it in a few categories, and try to be as realistic as possible.
4. To Do in Week Y
About a quarter of the contents of To Do in Month X goes into my To Do in Week Y. I then take my planner and write down per day what I should focus on: testing 1,2 on day 1, testing 3 on day 2 along with reading paper z and so on.
At the end of the week, on Friday afternoon, I review again my weekly and monthly documents, add what I have done, and see what still needs to be done... and usually leave my office with quite a sense of accomplishment.
Day zero project
on Monday, October 4, 2010
Since August, I have my own Day zero project ( http://dayzeroproject.com/ ), which consists of my 101 goals in 1001 days - ending around April 27th, 2013. I've gradually started to accomplish small things that simply make me feel happier and less stressed out. My list consists of 5 categories: home (10 goals), work (15 goals), family (20 goals), finance (15 goals) and myself (45 goals).
So far, I've accomplished 11 goals on my list, and I'm working towards more of them (such as preparing an abstract for a conference where I really would like to go to). One of the important goals in my list is to find a work-life balance. If you'd leave me with enough food in my office, I wouldn't leave it. I can't concentrate at all when I'm hungry, the only thing I can think then is: "Food, now. Food, please. Ow, I need food. I'm so hungry." Granola bars and "peperkoek" save me and my work on a regular basis - I keep a stash of them in my drawer all the time.
Two months, 61 days, into my project I happy to see that I've met some goals:
Home - Goal #10
Rearrange my clothing cupboard in Delft and get a shoe organizing system.
I've rearranged my cupboard and the drawers underneath my bed. The only thing I'm still looking for is that shoe organizing system. The ones at Ikea take up too much space and I am undecided where to look for it since Ikea doesn't have it.
Work - Goal #3
Quit checking Facebook and Twitter during the day.
Well that one was pretty easy, I simply downloaded a tool and blocked these sites from my Firefox. My RescueTime amounts of "very distracting time" have shrunk to just a couple of minutes per week. That's a yay for personal productivity!
Family - Goal #7
Meet my boyfriend's family.
I met them and spent 2 weeks at their place last August. They are at 20 hours of travel away from me (that is flight and lay-overs, not walking hours!)so this goal needed some planning ahead (my mom helped me getting the ticket, if not I would have needed to start saving money way ahead of the actual travel).
Family - Goal #14
Decide where my boyfriend and I will live.
I went to see his home country, and he came to see mine last winter. With that in mind, and possible job opportunity, I've decided to take the big leap and go and live in his country after I finish my PhD. It will be quite a challenge, and few people understand this decision, but all I can say is that I've been thinking this through and through and have decided on it.
Finance - Goal #4
Buy flexi-8s.
I've always wanted these, and never bought them because they are kind of expensive. So I finally decided I can only enjoy them (and the fact that they'll keep my tailbone-length hair out of my face).
Finance - Goal #5
Make an overview of my expenses.
I've been meticulously tracking all my expenses since I started my PhD, so this one was a rather easy goal as well. I made an overview of expenses and savings per month, and decided that overall I'm not doing too bad. My salary is not bad, but having a boyfriend at the other side of the Atlantic makes things a bit more difficult. Still, I've managed to save a little bit of money over the last year, which hopefully I can spend on a well-deserved holiday later on.
Finance - Goal #10
Get the bonus card from the local supermarket.
Really, that didn't take much time, but why did it take me one year before I actually applied for the card? Going to the desk and filling out my information was the only effort it took. I should have done this way earlier!
Finance - Goal #14
Part ways with my Corsa.
Me and my Corsa have spent miles and miles on the road together. He turned into an old rusty boy, and has been replaced by my dad's car (another financial winner, I was expecting to spend a painful amount of money on a new old car).
Finanice - Goal #15
Buy a new pencase and toiletries bag.
My pencase had giant holes in it and my toiletries bag was -yuck!- 11 years old. I got a very bright and colourful new pencase on my trip to my boyfriend's family, and I happened to find another toiletries bag among my stuff at my parents' place. Having new, freshly smelling and shiny containers for the products I use daily makes me quite happy.
Self - Goal #10
Weigh 58kg.
I caught salmonella a month ago and that made the weight-goal a very easy one. It's been one month since I lost that little bit of bellyfat and I'm still on the same weigth below 58kg.
Self - Goal #15
Start a blog.
Eh, this one is obivious, no?
Self - Goal #16
Write every monday in my dairy.
I've made this an item in my planner for every monday, and now I take the time to sit down and write. I did some good thinking progress while writing today, so this is definately a goal which is very good for myself.
I hope to achieve some more goals within one and two months from now. Bit by bit, goal by goal, I'm working on my work-life balance by placing little sparks of fun and pride in my accomplishments into my lab-dominated world.
So far, I've accomplished 11 goals on my list, and I'm working towards more of them (such as preparing an abstract for a conference where I really would like to go to). One of the important goals in my list is to find a work-life balance. If you'd leave me with enough food in my office, I wouldn't leave it. I can't concentrate at all when I'm hungry, the only thing I can think then is: "Food, now. Food, please. Ow, I need food. I'm so hungry." Granola bars and "peperkoek" save me and my work on a regular basis - I keep a stash of them in my drawer all the time.
Two months, 61 days, into my project I happy to see that I've met some goals:
Home - Goal #10
Rearrange my clothing cupboard in Delft and get a shoe organizing system.
I've rearranged my cupboard and the drawers underneath my bed. The only thing I'm still looking for is that shoe organizing system. The ones at Ikea take up too much space and I am undecided where to look for it since Ikea doesn't have it.
Work - Goal #3
Quit checking Facebook and Twitter during the day.
Well that one was pretty easy, I simply downloaded a tool and blocked these sites from my Firefox. My RescueTime amounts of "very distracting time" have shrunk to just a couple of minutes per week. That's a yay for personal productivity!
Family - Goal #7
Meet my boyfriend's family.
I met them and spent 2 weeks at their place last August. They are at 20 hours of travel away from me (that is flight and lay-overs, not walking hours!)so this goal needed some planning ahead (my mom helped me getting the ticket, if not I would have needed to start saving money way ahead of the actual travel).
Family - Goal #14
Decide where my boyfriend and I will live.
I went to see his home country, and he came to see mine last winter. With that in mind, and possible job opportunity, I've decided to take the big leap and go and live in his country after I finish my PhD. It will be quite a challenge, and few people understand this decision, but all I can say is that I've been thinking this through and through and have decided on it.
Finance - Goal #4
Buy flexi-8s.
I've always wanted these, and never bought them because they are kind of expensive. So I finally decided I can only enjoy them (and the fact that they'll keep my tailbone-length hair out of my face).
Finance - Goal #5
Make an overview of my expenses.
I've been meticulously tracking all my expenses since I started my PhD, so this one was a rather easy goal as well. I made an overview of expenses and savings per month, and decided that overall I'm not doing too bad. My salary is not bad, but having a boyfriend at the other side of the Atlantic makes things a bit more difficult. Still, I've managed to save a little bit of money over the last year, which hopefully I can spend on a well-deserved holiday later on.
Finance - Goal #10
Get the bonus card from the local supermarket.
Really, that didn't take much time, but why did it take me one year before I actually applied for the card? Going to the desk and filling out my information was the only effort it took. I should have done this way earlier!
Finance - Goal #14
Part ways with my Corsa.
Me and my Corsa have spent miles and miles on the road together. He turned into an old rusty boy, and has been replaced by my dad's car (another financial winner, I was expecting to spend a painful amount of money on a new old car).
Finanice - Goal #15
Buy a new pencase and toiletries bag.
My pencase had giant holes in it and my toiletries bag was -yuck!- 11 years old. I got a very bright and colourful new pencase on my trip to my boyfriend's family, and I happened to find another toiletries bag among my stuff at my parents' place. Having new, freshly smelling and shiny containers for the products I use daily makes me quite happy.
Self - Goal #10
Weigh 58kg.
I caught salmonella a month ago and that made the weight-goal a very easy one. It's been one month since I lost that little bit of bellyfat and I'm still on the same weigth below 58kg.
Self - Goal #15
Start a blog.
Eh, this one is obivious, no?
Self - Goal #16
Write every monday in my dairy.
I've made this an item in my planner for every monday, and now I take the time to sit down and write. I did some good thinking progress while writing today, so this is definately a goal which is very good for myself.
I hope to achieve some more goals within one and two months from now. Bit by bit, goal by goal, I'm working on my work-life balance by placing little sparks of fun and pride in my accomplishments into my lab-dominated world.
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