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.
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.
The possible cause for concentration problems
on Thursday, September 23, 2010
Yesterday afternoon I had difficulties concentrating. Instead of being mad at myself and disappointed, I've decided to try to look for the possible causes of yesterday's reading failure (while my back-up is running and Scopus seems to be down).
So I've been sitting here and staring at the screen and contemplating all possible reasons why yesterday turned out the way it did, and, more importantly, what I could do about that.
1. I wasn't really reading exciting new material.
In fact, I was reading a PhD thesis. The material of this thesis was published in journal papers in the subsequent years, and I've had already read all these papers. All I had to do is to go and search for some more details in the thesis, which was heavy on concentration-intensity.
2. Reading an entire day is hard on me
I know this, but somehow I fail to plan accordingly. Reading an entire day gives me the vast amount of time of "an entire day" and somehow puts me off. I work much better when I divide the morning into reading and the afternoon into lab preparation.
3. Lack of breaks
Yesterday, after lunch, I didn't see any person nor talked to anyone nor had a break with the others. Bad idea, as simple as that.
4. My body
I was feeling painful and unfit yesterday. I did go to the gym in the evening, but my muscles (if any) were not collaborating at all.
The lesson I've learned from this is that I mainly should plan better and divide my time into smaller chunks so I can get a little more variation in my day.
So I've been sitting here and staring at the screen and contemplating all possible reasons why yesterday turned out the way it did, and, more importantly, what I could do about that.
1. I wasn't really reading exciting new material.
In fact, I was reading a PhD thesis. The material of this thesis was published in journal papers in the subsequent years, and I've had already read all these papers. All I had to do is to go and search for some more details in the thesis, which was heavy on concentration-intensity.
2. Reading an entire day is hard on me
I know this, but somehow I fail to plan accordingly. Reading an entire day gives me the vast amount of time of "an entire day" and somehow puts me off. I work much better when I divide the morning into reading and the afternoon into lab preparation.
3. Lack of breaks
Yesterday, after lunch, I didn't see any person nor talked to anyone nor had a break with the others. Bad idea, as simple as that.
4. My body
I was feeling painful and unfit yesterday. I did go to the gym in the evening, but my muscles (if any) were not collaborating at all.
The lesson I've learned from this is that I mainly should plan better and divide my time into smaller chunks so I can get a little more variation in my day.
A few good Friday habits
on Friday, September 17, 2010
Friday means the end of the workweek and the beginning of the weekend. Or at least, it means that for the next two days I can sleep in a bit and work/read from home. Naturally, my energy level is lower on a Friday, and that is the reason why I developed a few good Friday habits.
1. Back-up time
Thursday evening I put my external HD in my backpack and my first action on Friday morning is to make a back-up of this week's work.
2. Plan less intense work
I reserve certain tasks that require less brain power for Friday's lower energy level. For example, I run my code to obtain the graphs for my test report, and write about the most recent experiments in my test report, based on the notes from my lab book.
3. Make an overview of the past and next week
Every Friday evening I make a to do list for the next week, and I look at the past week's to do list. I write on the bottom of the past week's and current month's to do list what I've accomplished. For about half a year I've been doing this now, and it gives me a much better estimate of how much work I can actually do in a week's time.
4. Time for chores
My last Friday habit is to try and get as much chores done as possible: getting groceries, cleaning, doing laundry and more of that fun stuff. Getting this done on a Friday gives me more time during the weekend to divide between reading papers, studying, relaxing and working out.
Do you have any special Friday habits?
1. Back-up time
Thursday evening I put my external HD in my backpack and my first action on Friday morning is to make a back-up of this week's work.
2. Plan less intense work
I reserve certain tasks that require less brain power for Friday's lower energy level. For example, I run my code to obtain the graphs for my test report, and write about the most recent experiments in my test report, based on the notes from my lab book.
3. Make an overview of the past and next week
Every Friday evening I make a to do list for the next week, and I look at the past week's to do list. I write on the bottom of the past week's and current month's to do list what I've accomplished. For about half a year I've been doing this now, and it gives me a much better estimate of how much work I can actually do in a week's time.
4. Time for chores
My last Friday habit is to try and get as much chores done as possible: getting groceries, cleaning, doing laundry and more of that fun stuff. Getting this done on a Friday gives me more time during the weekend to divide between reading papers, studying, relaxing and working out.
Do you have any special Friday habits?
First steps in speed reading
on Thursday, September 16, 2010
I'm naturally a slow reader, a very slow reader even. When I read a book, I create an entire universe in which I can visualize the characters. I can imagine how they look like, how they act amongst eachother (outside of the story of the book), how they are dressed, what their voices sound like...
However, having this habit of slow reading isn't helping when there are piles and piles of papers waiting to be read. I've been reading around the internet about speed reading, selective reading, skimming and more of those fashionable terms, and I decided to give it a try. As for now, I'm very positive about my results.
At the moment, I have a folder of papers on my desk which basically gives background to my research. It is not exactly about my topic, but I need to know more about the general background and the application of my research. So I've decided to read all of these papers, and try to read them fast.
My first attempts have been based on this method:
1. Read the abstract.
2. Read the introduction.
3. Skim through the text, paying special attention to graphs and (sub)titles.
4. Write down a few keywords.
5. Go to the conclusions.
These actions I perform in one wave of concentration, and afterwards I "relax" by putting the reference into my system to manage references (Endnote, in my case) and by adding the relevant information to the "scope" chapter of my literature review.
I've only been using this method for a few days now, and I will write about my progress.
However, having this habit of slow reading isn't helping when there are piles and piles of papers waiting to be read. I've been reading around the internet about speed reading, selective reading, skimming and more of those fashionable terms, and I decided to give it a try. As for now, I'm very positive about my results.
At the moment, I have a folder of papers on my desk which basically gives background to my research. It is not exactly about my topic, but I need to know more about the general background and the application of my research. So I've decided to read all of these papers, and try to read them fast.
My first attempts have been based on this method:
1. Read the abstract.
2. Read the introduction.
3. Skim through the text, paying special attention to graphs and (sub)titles.
4. Write down a few keywords.
5. Go to the conclusions.
These actions I perform in one wave of concentration, and afterwards I "relax" by putting the reference into my system to manage references (Endnote, in my case) and by adding the relevant information to the "scope" chapter of my literature review.
I've only been using this method for a few days now, and I will write about my progress.
A new blog
on Tuesday, September 14, 2010
A new academic year comes with some kind of new year's resolutions. For me, one of those was to start a blog, in which I am supposed to keep track of how well I'm doing with my other resolutions.
I have finished the first year of my PhD, and luckily I have done a fair amount of testing. However, there are always better ways to do things, and most of the time you discover this while doing. And so, after a year of working on this seemingly never-ending PhD task of mine, I have come to a few conclusions.
1. It's not like homework
Initially I wanted to show my supervisors every single calculation I had made, and show and tell them every single piece of work I had done. It took me a while to realize that it is my and only my responsibility to make this project a success, and that it also mainly depends on my judgment.
2. It's my playground
This conclusion follows from the previous one. So it's not homework, but then what is it? It's my playground. Where else in the world or when during your life would you ever get the chance to play around with something you like for an entire period of four years' time. Think of the idea. It's awesome, and not as scary as you would think.
3. It's so easy to drift off
There are several pitfalls that can result in drifting off too far. You can loose your point of focus by wanting to do too much and looking at too many things at the same time. Somehow, there is a point where you have to decide what you will work on, and stick to it. There's a lot of interesting material out there, but not all of that is what you need. And then another problem of course is not keeping concentrated on the work you are actually doing: going online and reading the news, talking to colleagues around you and more creative ways of procrastination.
My main resolutions for the new academic year are the following:
1. Stay focused
... in both ways I previously discussed. Some time management software is keeping track of my productivity to cover the procrastination problem. And when it comes to sticking to the main point of focus, it's all up to me. I find it very hard not to read another paper that touches the boundary of what I work on. It's interesting, and good background knowledge, but it won't make me move forward.
2. Find a work-life balance
I've taken a subscription to a gym, and I'm so ready to put a little bit more effort into staying healthy and fit. I know that it will benefit my research too, but somehow I find it very hard to allocate hours for it, or to stop what I'm working on to go to the gym and work out. Also, I have decided that once a month I will go and do something fun during the weekend. It doesn't have to take an entire day, but just something to mark the weekend and enjoy.
Two resolutions might not seem that much, and easy to handle, but these two will have quite an impact and will require some effort as well.
It's a new academic year and I'm full with good ideas and intentions!
I have finished the first year of my PhD, and luckily I have done a fair amount of testing. However, there are always better ways to do things, and most of the time you discover this while doing. And so, after a year of working on this seemingly never-ending PhD task of mine, I have come to a few conclusions.
1. It's not like homework
Initially I wanted to show my supervisors every single calculation I had made, and show and tell them every single piece of work I had done. It took me a while to realize that it is my and only my responsibility to make this project a success, and that it also mainly depends on my judgment.
2. It's my playground
This conclusion follows from the previous one. So it's not homework, but then what is it? It's my playground. Where else in the world or when during your life would you ever get the chance to play around with something you like for an entire period of four years' time. Think of the idea. It's awesome, and not as scary as you would think.
3. It's so easy to drift off
There are several pitfalls that can result in drifting off too far. You can loose your point of focus by wanting to do too much and looking at too many things at the same time. Somehow, there is a point where you have to decide what you will work on, and stick to it. There's a lot of interesting material out there, but not all of that is what you need. And then another problem of course is not keeping concentrated on the work you are actually doing: going online and reading the news, talking to colleagues around you and more creative ways of procrastination.
My main resolutions for the new academic year are the following:
1. Stay focused
... in both ways I previously discussed. Some time management software is keeping track of my productivity to cover the procrastination problem. And when it comes to sticking to the main point of focus, it's all up to me. I find it very hard not to read another paper that touches the boundary of what I work on. It's interesting, and good background knowledge, but it won't make me move forward.
2. Find a work-life balance
I've taken a subscription to a gym, and I'm so ready to put a little bit more effort into staying healthy and fit. I know that it will benefit my research too, but somehow I find it very hard to allocate hours for it, or to stop what I'm working on to go to the gym and work out. Also, I have decided that once a month I will go and do something fun during the weekend. It doesn't have to take an entire day, but just something to mark the weekend and enjoy.
Two resolutions might not seem that much, and easy to handle, but these two will have quite an impact and will require some effort as well.
It's a new academic year and I'm full with good ideas and intentions!
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