PhD development seminar: Time management and work-life balance

I am teaching a PhD development seminar for first year PhD students in industrial engineering and related disciplines. The purpose of this course is to prepare students for the dissertation research in industrial and systems engineering. The course helps set expectations, introduces campus resources to students, and creates a cohort of student to connect students with their peers.

Last week, a student panel composed of three senior PhD students discussed time management and work-life balance. The panelists were fantastic. Below are some highlights from the panel.

Today's #PhDdevelopmentF2020 seminar features a panel of @UWISyE #PhD students who are talking about time managemen… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

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𝕃 𝔸 𝕌 ℝ 𝔸 😷 𝔸 𝕃 𝔹 𝔼 ℝ 𝕋 (@lauraalbertphd) November 02, 2020

#PhD student protip: It's easier to work through challenging tasks after finishing a few easier tasks.

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𝕃 𝔸 𝕌 ℝ 𝔸 😷 𝔸 𝕃 𝔹 𝔼 ℝ 𝕋 (@lauraalbertphd) November 02, 2020

#PhD student protip: find ways to hold yourself accountable by setting up a daily meeting with a friend/labmate to… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

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𝕃 𝔸 𝕌 ℝ 𝔸 😷 𝔸 𝕃 𝔹 𝔼 ℝ 𝕋 (@lauraalbertphd) November 02, 2020

Make. Time. For Hobbies.

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𝕃 𝔸 𝕌 ℝ 𝔸 😷 𝔸 𝕃 𝔹 𝔼 ℝ 𝕋 (@lauraalbertphd) November 02, 2020

Sometimes you just need to go to bed. Problems are surmountable with enough sleep.

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𝕃 𝔸 𝕌 ℝ 𝔸 😷 𝔸 𝕃 𝔹 𝔼 ℝ 𝕋 (@lauraalbertphd) November 02, 2020

Phd student protip: don't feel guilty for not being productive every day. Having good time management does not mean… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

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𝕃 𝔸 𝕌 ℝ 𝔸 😷 𝔸 𝕃 𝔹 𝔼 ℝ 𝕋 (@lauraalbertphd) November 02, 2020

One senior #PhD student recommends asking more questions early on in a PhD. Do not try to figure so much out on your own.

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𝕃 𝔸 𝕌 ℝ 𝔸 😷 𝔸 𝕃 𝔹 𝔼 ℝ 𝕋 (@lauraalbertphd) November 02, 2020

Plan your free time before planning your work time. Setting limits for how long you will work and when you will tak… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

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𝕃 𝔸 𝕌 ℝ 𝔸 😷 𝔸 𝕃 𝔹 𝔼 ℝ 𝕋 (@lauraalbertphd) November 02, 2020

In grad school i had a rule that it was ok to quit work at 5 if i was stuck on something. Working late was good onl… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

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Vicki Bier (@BierVicki) November 02, 2020

I am creating a series of blog posts featuring some of the classes from the semester. Those, along with previous PhD related posts, are tagged with the “PhD support” tag.

Other posts in this series:

• First steps in research (from professors)
• First steps in writing
• Getting started in research (from a recent grad)