Managing yourself, managing change, managing time

Pauline Kneale

Career and personal management

• Only you will manage your career

• Heads of School etc will guide / advise / interfere / …

• You are on your own.

• OR ARE YOU – networks: local / regional / national / international

University life is all about

CHANGE

What words do CHANGE evoke

Change

• Risk is the threat of Change leads to feeling insecure

• Negative responses / helplessness• Some people become polarised around winner /

loser• But continuum• Fight to survive or Civilised and planned

development• Remember you and colleagues will respond

emotionally• Logic will therefore not always be in evidence

Benefits of Planning

• Planning helps with directions

• Lets you keep an eye on the big picture despite the local, daily incidents

• Helps with security

• You can and will change plans but it should help you make sure you get your quota of research and quota of holidays.

Planning Educating DeliveringVision

Developing an idea to a paper / grant

PLANNING

5%

EDUCATING

15%

DELIVERING

75%

VISION

5%

Developing an idea to a paper / grant

PLANNING

5%

EDUCATING

15%

DELIVERING

75%

VISION

5%

Developing an idea to a paper / grant

This needs time and support

Using a Force Field Analysis

• Driving Forces • Restraining Forces

Keeping Records of PG Supervisions

• Driving Forces

• School demands it• University demands it• Staff like it• PGs want it• Perceived benefits,

PDP links

• Restraining Forces

• Involves work• Offends ones

professionalism• Staff don’t value it• PGs think it a waste of

time• No perceived benefit

How can we make the situation worse

How can the situation be worseSchool requires weekly records of meetings

Your research student will not co-operate

Procedures change each year

Very complex form takes an hour to complete

Then plan from the converseIn order to manage my pgs well I will: • Explain to my postgrads why this is a useful

process, benefits of planning and protection if a supervisor goes awol / ill / fieldwork.

• Make sure each form has an action plan that is reasonable for the next time slot, and start each supervision with reference to the plan so the system has a place and value. Not just the minutes of your meeting.

• Develop a logical writing and filing system for me and my pg

• Push for rewards to staff who are good pg tutors, argue for time in the workload model

What would I look like as a World Class researcher?

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•

•

•

•

•

What would I look like as a World Class academic?

• Driving Forces • Restraining Forces

What does a rubbish academic look like?

Then plan from the converseTo be a world class academic I will

• -

• -

• -

• -

• -

• -

• -

• -

Academic Plans

• 10 Year Challenge

• 5 Year Challenge

• 1 year Challenge

• Semester Challenge

• This week

• Sharing our approaches

STYLE 1

THIS WEEK

NEXT WEEK

COMING UP Non Academic

STYLE 2

REALLY URGENT

VITAL COMING UP EVENTUALLY

Weekly PlannersTasks

6-9 9-11 11-1 1-2 2-4 4-6 6-9 9

M

T

W

T

F

S

S

Developing a Planner

Papers: Research topics

Learning and Teaching topics

Revising

With Jnl / Editor

Drafting

Ideas to follow up

Research Projects Papers:

Res L&T

Current – field / lab / writing

Funding / next grant

Dissemination – conferences: dates funding

Revising

With Jnl / Editor

Research CPD Drafting

Conference Workshop

Dates

Funding

Ideas to follow up

Teaching Projects Research Projects

Papers:Res / L&T

Teaching

Admin

CPD

Conferences

Workshops

Current – field lab writing

Funding / next grant

Dissemination – conferences: dates funding

Revising

With Jnl / Editor

Research CPD Drafting

Conference Workshop

Dates Funding

Ideas to follow up

Teaching Projects Research Projects

Papers:Res / L&T

Teaching

Admin

CPD

Conferences

Workshops

Current – field lab writing

Funding / next grant

Dissemination – conferences: dates funding

Revising

With Jnl / Editor

Personal Development

Research CPD Drafting

What do I do now to do X in y years

Conference Workshop

Dates Funding

Ideas to follow up

Urgent Tasks

Teaching Projects Research Projects

Papers:Res / L&T

Teaching

Admin

CPD

Conferences

Workshops

Current – field lab writing

Funds/nxt grant

Dissemination – conferences: dates funding

Revising

With Jnl / Editor

REAL LIFE

Personal Development

Research CPD

Drafting

Sport

Family

Hobbies

What do I do now to do X in Y years

Conference Workshop

Dates Funding

Ideas to follow up

Setting Priorities

• What is the worst you could do??• Life happens BUT• Lists or Tables or Spider Diagrams or …?• What is Urgent?• How often should you revisit your plan?• What do the tutors here today do?• What are you going to take away from this

session?