Making Time in the Academic Career
Advice from SCU's Teaching Scholars
Tom Plante, Psychology
Good time managers are a bit obsessive compulsive
Good time managers are realistic -- they avoid overkill
Good time managers hire many assistants
Good time managers collaborate
Good time managers structure their time well
What works for me?
I skip lunch: all I need is mass and a power bar.
I always ask "what's the point?"
I "cheat:" double dip as often as possible.
I try to remember that every moment is sacred.
Cynthia Mertens, Law School
Seek out projects that energize: Don't do things you don't like.
Make time to do the things that give you energy (exercise...).
Be realistic.
Let go of a few things: drop the low priorities.
Create time: stay home where you can work more efficiently.
Set long-range goals: look ahead five years, then break projects into small steps with due dates.
Delegate responsibilities.
Analyze your own strengths and weaknesses.
Keep a notebook by the phone, record all messages.
Create a sticky note folder.
Michael Kevane, Economics
On the big things:
Stay at home.
Cluster courses or write grants to buy time off.
When writing a paper, do the bulk first, writing what you know.
Never leave a paper on your desk awaiting perfection: send it out (let the reviewers do some of the work).
Teaching improves naturally. Get research going early.
On the little things:
Never let paper go through your hands twice.
Hire student help.
Organize and file everything: groupwise and paper.
Create a Web site with your papers available for downloading;
Create PDF files through library.
Use google for templates for research.
Reflection:
Give your brain time to think.
We are in better jobs and have better lives than 90% of the population of the world.
The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The next best time is today.
Have lunch, take a nap; have dinner, take a walk.
No matter how long a log stays in the water, it doesn't become a crocodile.
The remarks above were prepared for a Teaching Scholar Symposium on November 7, 2001.
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