Priorities, Deadlines and Time Management
Time Management for New Faculty
Ailamaki, A., & Gehrke, J. (June, 2003). SIGMOD Record
Techniques for time management for new faculty members.
7 Simple Steps to Meeting Deadlines
Gregory, A., A full service virtual assistant, Sitepoint website
Concrete steps to meeting deadlines.
Coaching Template for Women Faculty
NSF ACES
Coaches women faculty to success in all three areas of faculty life.
The Mystery of Faculty Priorities
Jaschik, S.(Feburary, 2010), Inside Higher Education
Asserts that research expectations have risen at institutions where the missions have primarily been teaching.
Finding Time for Research
Establish dedicated time
According to veteran faculty members, the number one stumbling block to engaging in research is time. Those who are the most successful at keeping up a rigorous research agenda dedicate specific times for their research activities. The ways those times are scheduled vary greatly, but the common factor is a commitment to setting aside uninterrupted and non-negotiable time for inquiry.
Lay out a timeline
After a faculty member has committed themselves to carving out dedicated time to work on a research agenda, an effective means of making sure research is done during that time is setting up a regular schedule with time for reading, thinking, writing, connecting with colleagues, and working on research implementation. If new faculty members begin their career by allocating adequate time for research in accordance with expectations on their particular campus, they are less likely to run into difficulties with balancing all three aspects of faculty life later when decisions are being made about tenure.
Use strategic deadlines
Nothing facilitates completion of a project like a deadline, and non-negotiable ones provide added incentive. Accomplished faculty members use presentation or publication deadlines to push them to completion. Have concrete deadlines and time allotted to meet them to be certain to complete research projects.
Write everything up
New faculty members may plan to wait until they have a substantive body of work to submit it to publish, but the result can be unnecessary delay. The academy relies on new colleagues to keep the dialogue fresh, challenge assumptions, and push thinking. By thinking of writing as a regular part of day-to-day responsibilities, new faculty members can establish habits that will serve them well throughout their careers.
Possible questions to ask about Finding Time for Research:
- Creating dedicated time
Are there strategies that facilitate finding time to engage in scholarly research? - Using deadlines strategically
What are some strategic ways to use deadlines to move a research agenda forward? - Laying out a timeline
How might faculty members use timelines to move research projects to completion? - Writing everything up
When is it time to write, and what should be written up?
