{"id":275,"date":"2022-03-19T16:45:59","date_gmt":"2022-03-19T20:45:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/undergradresearch\/?post_type=chapter&#038;p=275"},"modified":"2022-05-13T02:02:57","modified_gmt":"2022-05-13T06:02:57","slug":"time-management","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/undergradresearch\/chapter\/time-management\/","title":{"raw":"Time Management","rendered":"Time Management"},"content":{"raw":"Stress is induced by the time-crunch, the nearing of some inevitable reveal that you feel hopelessly unready for. Recounting his honours journey, Alexander notes:\r\n\r\nIf it were not for that nervous feeling that my time was coming I would not have felt nearly motivated enough to work regularly on a thesis due in a year. One of such \u2018friendly\u2019 reminders that my judgement day was nearing was the schedule I created for myself in September\u2026 and again in November \u2026 and once more in February (after the RQDA \u2018catastrophe\u2019). The schedule was an initially naive draft of when I would complete each section of my thesis: starting with refining the research question, then conducting the literature review, then assembling data, analyzing data, writing about said data, and finally the discussion and conclusion. My initial schedule was broad, and rarely noted the specific days that I would work on these sections. It was, however, later complemented by a weekly agenda, where I noted the readings I needed to do (for all my classes) and the particular sections of my thesis that I wanted to get done.\r\n\r\n[pb_glossary id=\"706\"]Time management[\/pb_glossary] involves the process of determining needs, setting goals to achieve these needs, and prioritizing and planning tasks required to achieve these goals (Claessens, van Eerde, Rutte, &amp; Roe, 2007). In setting your goals, it might be helpful to adopt the [pb_glossary id=\"708\"]SMART-ER principles[\/pb_glossary] (Macleod, 2012):\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Specific (clear, simple, significant)<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Measurable (the ability to track progress )<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Achievable (attainable)<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Relevant (reasonable, realistic, results-based)<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Timebound (time sensitive)<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Engaging (be involved)<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Rewarding (incentivize yourself)<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nThere is of course no uniform way to do this, precisely because these tasks must be sensitive to the very non-conformist entity that is your reality. This flexibility, however, must be tempered with a good-natured rigidity. Think of the schedule as a loving but stern parent\u2026 which you gave birth to. The schedule plays a disciplinary and nurturing role. The goal is to make you aware of the steps that need to be taken in order to mitigate the scenario in which you must take on <em>all <\/em>or <em>a lot <\/em>of the stress at once. A good schedule, like any regulator, ought to protect you from that scenario by creating small, clear, realistic steps towards your goal. See Table 4.2 for a sample macro outline of how you could set targets for your thesis completion. Adapt it as necessary to suit your working habit, lifestyle and goals.\r\n\r\n[table id=5 \/]\r\n\r\nAn important way to balance rigidity and flexibility is to divide your scheduling into a micro and a macro model. The <em><strong>[pb_glossary id=\"696\"]macro model[\/pb_glossary]<\/strong><\/em> can be the shallow but effective overarching goals you want to achieve (likely by the month). Common macro goals could include \u201cfinishing the literature review,\u201d or \u201cread all your media articles and create the first set of codes.\u201d The macro model will serve as the basis of reflection when asking: \u201cAm I fulfilling the larger purpose of my thesis\u201d? This model can likewise be reassurance that all the little micro stuff will add up to something.\r\n\r\nThe [pb_glossary id=\"698\"]micro-models[\/pb_glossary] will be the small, tangible tasks that can be achieved weekly in order to meet your macro goals. The capitalists know this process fairly well. As Henry Ford famously put it: \u201cNothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs.\u201d This means thinking carefully about the short-term goals involved in creating your broader goal (the thesis or research project) and setting aside times (which you trust to get work done in) to complete that task. With this in mind, it is important that your schedule does not stay broad. It must specify parts of your thesis which can be realistically completed early on.\r\n\r\n[table id=11 \/]\r\n\r\nA way to facilitate conversation between our micro and macro-scheduling is through research journaling. Many undergraduate researchers use journaling to regularly keep track of their progress and the new obstacles which arose.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--exercises\"><header class=\"textbox__header\">\r\n<div class=\"ewa-rteLine\">Box 4.3 - Student Testimonial \u2013 Journaling<\/div>\r\n<\/header>\r\n<div class=\"textbox__content\">\r\n<div class=\"textbox__content\">\r\n\r\nUBC Sociology Honours Student (2021), Alexander explains:\r\n\r\n[Journaling] for me, since a lot of new obstacles that I could not have predicted got in the way of my ridiculously broad schedules. Whenever I came to a crossroads in my research, be it for my own ethical considerations, a problem in my methods or data analysis, seeking to answer a different gap in the field, I would note it down in my green five-star note-book. (It was often merely a scribble with the date above; sometimes, especially when I was tired, it would be reduced to mere acronyms or half-gibberish: \u201cRemem Avg Uber Driv Income\u201d). I suggest you try to do the same, as it will enliven your schedule to be sensitive to every twist in the research process (and there are many).\r\n\r\nOn a final note, remember to account for plenty of rest. A schedule which exhausts and causes excessive stress\/burnout is defeating the very purpose that it was created for. Instead, make sure to account for your own feelings of exhaustion and consider times of rest and recuperation when drafting your schedule. This might include, I don\u2019t know\u2026 weekends?\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<h1>References<\/h1>\r\nClaessens, B.J.C., van Eerde, W., Rutte, C.G. and Roe, R.A. (2007). A review of the time management literature.\u00a0<em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.emerald.com\/insight\/publication\/issn\/0048-3486\">Personnel Review<\/a><\/em>, 36(2), 255-276.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1108\/00483480710726136\">https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1108\/00483480710726136<\/a>","rendered":"<p>Stress is induced by the time-crunch, the nearing of some inevitable reveal that you feel hopelessly unready for. Recounting his honours journey, Alexander notes:<\/p>\n<p>If it were not for that nervous feeling that my time was coming I would not have felt nearly motivated enough to work regularly on a thesis due in a year. One of such \u2018friendly\u2019 reminders that my judgement day was nearing was the schedule I created for myself in September\u2026 and again in November \u2026 and once more in February (after the RQDA \u2018catastrophe\u2019). The schedule was an initially naive draft of when I would complete each section of my thesis: starting with refining the research question, then conducting the literature review, then assembling data, analyzing data, writing about said data, and finally the discussion and conclusion. My initial schedule was broad, and rarely noted the specific days that I would work on these sections. It was, however, later complemented by a weekly agenda, where I noted the readings I needed to do (for all my classes) and the particular sections of my thesis that I wanted to get done.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"glossary-term\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-describedby=\"definition\" href=\"#term_275_706\">Time management<\/a> involves the process of determining needs, setting goals to achieve these needs, and prioritizing and planning tasks required to achieve these goals (Claessens, van Eerde, Rutte, &amp; Roe, 2007). In setting your goals, it might be helpful to adopt the <a class=\"glossary-term\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-describedby=\"definition\" href=\"#term_275_708\">SMART-ER principles<\/a> (Macleod, 2012):<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Specific (clear, simple, significant)<\/li>\n<li>Measurable (the ability to track progress )<\/li>\n<li>Achievable (attainable)<\/li>\n<li>Relevant (reasonable, realistic, results-based)<\/li>\n<li>Timebound (time sensitive)<\/li>\n<li>Engaging (be involved)<\/li>\n<li>Rewarding (incentivize yourself)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>There is of course no uniform way to do this, precisely because these tasks must be sensitive to the very non-conformist entity that is your reality. This flexibility, however, must be tempered with a good-natured rigidity. Think of the schedule as a loving but stern parent\u2026 which you gave birth to. The schedule plays a disciplinary and nurturing role. The goal is to make you aware of the steps that need to be taken in order to mitigate the scenario in which you must take on <em>all <\/em>or <em>a lot <\/em>of the stress at once. A good schedule, like any regulator, ought to protect you from that scenario by creating small, clear, realistic steps towards your goal. See Table 4.2 for a sample macro outline of how you could set targets for your thesis completion. Adapt it as necessary to suit your working habit, lifestyle and goals.<\/p>\n<table id=\"tablepress-5\" class=\"tablepress tablepress-id-5\">\n<thead>\n<tr class=\"row-1\">\n<th colspan=\"8\" class=\"column-1\"><strong>Table 2.3 - Illustration of an Undergraduate Project Timeline<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody class=\"row-striping\">\n<tr class=\"row-2\">\n<td class=\"column-1\"><strong>Activities<\/strong><\/td>\n<td class=\"column-2\"><b>Sept<\/b><\/td>\n<td class=\"column-3\"><b>Oct<\/b><\/td>\n<td class=\"column-4\"><b>Nov<\/b><\/td>\n<td class=\"column-5\"><b>Dec<\/b><\/td>\n<td class=\"column-6\"><b>Jan<\/b><\/td>\n<td class=\"column-7\"><b>Feb<\/b><\/td>\n<td class=\"column-8\"><b>Mar<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-3\">\n<td class=\"column-1\">Write and submit ethics application<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-2\">X<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-3\"><\/td>\n<td class=\"column-4\"><\/td>\n<td class=\"column-5\"><\/td>\n<td class=\"column-6\"><\/td>\n<td class=\"column-7\"><\/td>\n<td class=\"column-8\"><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-4\">\n<td class=\"column-1\">Research and write the literature review<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-2\">X<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-3\">X<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-4\"><\/td>\n<td class=\"column-5\"><\/td>\n<td class=\"column-6\"><\/td>\n<td class=\"column-7\"><\/td>\n<td class=\"column-8\"><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-5\">\n<td class=\"column-1\">Write methodology<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-2\"><\/td>\n<td class=\"column-3\">X<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-4\">X<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-5\"><\/td>\n<td class=\"column-6\"><\/td>\n<td class=\"column-7\"><\/td>\n<td class=\"column-8\"><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-6\">\n<td class=\"column-1\">(Recruitment and) Data collection<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-2\"><\/td>\n<td class=\"column-3\"><\/td>\n<td class=\"column-4\">X<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-5\">X<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-6\"><\/td>\n<td class=\"column-7\"><\/td>\n<td class=\"column-8\"><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-7\">\n<td class=\"column-1\">Data analysis<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-2\"><\/td>\n<td class=\"column-3\"><\/td>\n<td class=\"column-4\"><\/td>\n<td class=\"column-5\"><\/td>\n<td class=\"column-6\">X<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-7\">X<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-8\"><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-8\">\n<td class=\"column-1\">Write up results<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-2\"><\/td>\n<td class=\"column-3\"><\/td>\n<td class=\"column-4\"><\/td>\n<td class=\"column-5\"><\/td>\n<td class=\"column-6\"><\/td>\n<td class=\"column-7\">X<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-8\"><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-9\">\n<td class=\"column-1\">Edit and submit final paper<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-2\"><\/td>\n<td class=\"column-3\"><\/td>\n<td class=\"column-4\"><\/td>\n<td class=\"column-5\"><\/td>\n<td class=\"column-6\"><\/td>\n<td class=\"column-7\">X<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-8\">X<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><!-- #tablepress-5 from cache --><\/p>\n<p>An important way to balance rigidity and flexibility is to divide your scheduling into a micro and a macro model. The <em><strong><a class=\"glossary-term\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-describedby=\"definition\" href=\"#term_275_696\">macro model<\/a><\/strong><\/em> can be the shallow but effective overarching goals you want to achieve (likely by the month). Common macro goals could include \u201cfinishing the literature review,\u201d or \u201cread all your media articles and create the first set of codes.\u201d The macro model will serve as the basis of reflection when asking: \u201cAm I fulfilling the larger purpose of my thesis\u201d? This model can likewise be reassurance that all the little micro stuff will add up to something.<\/p>\n<p>The <a class=\"glossary-term\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-describedby=\"definition\" href=\"#term_275_698\">micro-models<\/a> will be the small, tangible tasks that can be achieved weekly in order to meet your macro goals. The capitalists know this process fairly well. As Henry Ford famously put it: \u201cNothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs.\u201d This means thinking carefully about the short-term goals involved in creating your broader goal (the thesis or research project) and setting aside times (which you trust to get work done in) to complete that task. With this in mind, it is important that your schedule does not stay broad. It must specify parts of your thesis which can be realistically completed early on.<\/p>\n<table id=\"tablepress-11\" class=\"tablepress tablepress-id-11\">\n<thead>\n<tr class=\"row-1\">\n<th colspan=\"2\" class=\"column-1\"><b>Table 4.1 - Sample Micro-Schedule<\/b><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody class=\"row-striping\">\n<tr class=\"row-2\">\n<td class=\"column-1\"><b>The Month of December<br \/>\n(Focus on specific time or section of thesis).<\/b>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-2\"><b>Work Period<br \/>\n(December-Jan)<\/b>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-3\">\n<td class=\"column-1\">Main Task: The Methods Section and Self-Care over Break<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-2\">Dec-Jan<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-4\">\n<td class=\"column-1\">Select and Summarize my method<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-2\">Dec 1st - 5th<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-5\">\n<td class=\"column-1\">Set boundaries for my data and write of potential difficulties<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-2\">Dec 5th - 10th<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-6\">\n<td class=\"column-1\">REST BREAK<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-2\">Dec 10th - 12th<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-7\">\n<td class=\"column-1\">Summarize the instruments and measures used<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-2\">Dec 13th - 15th<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-8\">\n<td class=\"column-1\">Outline the procedure<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-2\">Dec 15th - 17th<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-9\">\n<td class=\"column-1\">Figure out and discuss the data analysis method<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-2\">Dec 17th - 20th<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-10\">\n<td class=\"column-1\">REST BREAK\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-2\">Dec 21st - 30th<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-11\">\n<td class=\"column-1\">Rewrite and revise methods section<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-2\">Jan 1st<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-12\">\n<td class=\"column-1\">Self-Care before the second semester -<br \/>\nPick a mindfulness strategy and revise your larger tasks for the second semester<br \/>\nCheck in with other students on their progress.<br \/>\nNote, based on your past progress, which goals will be the most exhausting and allow yourself maximum time to achieve those tasks when outlining your next schedule.\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-2\">Jan 1st - 15th<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><!-- #tablepress-11 from cache --><\/p>\n<p>A way to facilitate conversation between our micro and macro-scheduling is through research journaling. Many undergraduate researchers use journaling to regularly keep track of their progress and the new obstacles which arose.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--exercises\">\n<header class=\"textbox__header\">\n<div class=\"ewa-rteLine\">Box 4.3 &#8211; Student Testimonial \u2013 Journaling<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"textbox__content\">\n<div class=\"textbox__content\">\n<p>UBC Sociology Honours Student (2021), Alexander explains:<\/p>\n<p>[Journaling] for me, since a lot of new obstacles that I could not have predicted got in the way of my ridiculously broad schedules. Whenever I came to a crossroads in my research, be it for my own ethical considerations, a problem in my methods or data analysis, seeking to answer a different gap in the field, I would note it down in my green five-star note-book. (It was often merely a scribble with the date above; sometimes, especially when I was tired, it would be reduced to mere acronyms or half-gibberish: \u201cRemem Avg Uber Driv Income\u201d). I suggest you try to do the same, as it will enliven your schedule to be sensitive to every twist in the research process (and there are many).<\/p>\n<p>On a final note, remember to account for plenty of rest. A schedule which exhausts and causes excessive stress\/burnout is defeating the very purpose that it was created for. Instead, make sure to account for your own feelings of exhaustion and consider times of rest and recuperation when drafting your schedule. This might include, I don\u2019t know\u2026 weekends?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h1>References<\/h1>\n<p>Claessens, B.J.C., van Eerde, W., Rutte, C.G. and Roe, R.A. (2007). A review of the time management literature.\u00a0<em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.emerald.com\/insight\/publication\/issn\/0048-3486\">Personnel Review<\/a><\/em>, 36(2), 255-276.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1108\/00483480710726136\">https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1108\/00483480710726136<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"glossary\"><span class=\"screen-reader-text\" id=\"definition\">definition<\/span><template id=\"term_275_706\"><div class=\"glossary__definition\" role=\"dialog\" data-id=\"term_275_706\"><div tabindex=\"-1\"><p>The process of determining needs, setting goals to achieve these needs, and prioritizing and planning tasks required to achieve these goals<\/p>\n<\/div><button><span aria-hidden=\"true\">&times;<\/span><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Close definition<\/span><\/button><\/div><\/template><template id=\"term_275_708\"><div class=\"glossary__definition\" role=\"dialog\" data-id=\"term_275_708\"><div tabindex=\"-1\"><p>Goal setting technique to ensure that your plans are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound, engaging and rewarding (see MacLeod, 2012).<\/p>\n<\/div><button><span aria-hidden=\"true\">&times;<\/span><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Close definition<\/span><\/button><\/div><\/template><template id=\"term_275_696\"><div class=\"glossary__definition\" role=\"dialog\" data-id=\"term_275_696\"><div tabindex=\"-1\"><p>Identifying and making plans to address goals that address milestone components in a project, usually over a relatively longer time horizon (e.g. monthly).<\/p>\n<\/div><button><span aria-hidden=\"true\">&times;<\/span><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Close definition<\/span><\/button><\/div><\/template><template id=\"term_275_698\"><div class=\"glossary__definition\" role=\"dialog\" data-id=\"term_275_698\"><div tabindex=\"-1\"><p>Identifying and making plans to address goals that address small tasks in a project, usually over a relatively shorter time horizon (e.g. weekly or daily).<\/p>\n<\/div><button><span aria-hidden=\"true\">&times;<\/span><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Close definition<\/span><\/button><\/div><\/template><\/div>","protected":false},"author":1076,"menu_order":2,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-275","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"part":220,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/undergradresearch\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/275","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/undergradresearch\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/undergradresearch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/undergradresearch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1076"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/undergradresearch\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/275\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1737,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/undergradresearch\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/275\/revisions\/1737"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/undergradresearch\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/220"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/undergradresearch\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/275\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/undergradresearch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=275"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/undergradresearch\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=275"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/undergradresearch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=275"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/undergradresearch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=275"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}