Research is time consuming. We also need to have time for our students and colleagues. Do you sometimes think our time each day is very little? In what ways have you been optimizing your time?
I get up very early. I drink a lot of coffee. Go to bed too late. My head is never free. I have no time for myself, but I have time for everything else. I have 2 children, one grew up, but the second lead and back on events. While I wait, I read something or write something, often in cafes. My husband helps me a lot and keeps me everything.
And no time to put my makeup. And I hate trips because they fail the organization.
Thanks Patrick, for your answer. My head of department says that each day I'm racing with time, and against time. (I must go to the dentist now. I will be back, thanks.)
We should do our best to balance all requirements of our life bussiness and family members
I get up very early. I drink a lot of coffee. Go to bed too late. My head is never free. I have no time for myself, but I have time for everything else. I have 2 children, one grew up, but the second lead and back on events. While I wait, I read something or write something, often in cafes. My husband helps me a lot and keeps me everything.
And no time to put my makeup. And I hate trips because they fail the organization.
Miranda, just like me, my family have also their jobs. Fortunately, we have the same work sked. Outside of that is a little time for ourselves. Then the time for each other. When everyone else is busy for themselves, I spend time doing research, or posting in research gate, or facebook, it is leisure time for me. Doing household chores like cooking at our available time is part of our family time together. We also have a house assistant.
Oh, please don't remind me this. I hate my self when I think about it. After awhile you forget the ability of how to enjoy your life and being with your family. Sad but true.
Friends, we are all very honest.
Valentina, I don't really like make up at all.
Samad, you aren't the only one, we are all learning through our Mistakes. I think our RG activities is only during the little pockets of time, like when I'm exhausted thinking, reading and writing. This is life in Academia...
Dear Miranda,
Life is full of responsibilities. I think all we can do is for optimizng our time to fulfill all responsibilitie is to decide how to set priorities.
Thanks Mahfuz. I learn from the experience of all our RG friends. I'm always struggling and juggling time. But then, unlike Valentina, I don't drink coffee :))
Must have humor to keep alive :))
There is saying or aphorsim "Gain five things before five, youth before old age, health before sick, rich before poverty, free time before your busy, and your life before your death". All of these things need racing with time.
For me, as a full time job, I have little time for my family, therefore in weekend I did my best to compensate them with more time.
It is not necessary to optimize our time: We can do whatever satisfies us the current time period, keeping the minimum requirements for other 'projects'!
Yes friends, Aieman, Demetris. I see your views, thanks.
@Aieman, sometimes my weekends are more busy, with more driving around and visiting, than weekdays :)
Dear friends, at some time in the past, someone said, the work he is doing at the moment is what he will focus on. But now most of us are multi-tasking, whenever possible. I'm often like that, are you?
Dear Miranda
A good quality of life begins with the correct balance of daily activities and in my opinion, they should be in order of importance and priority: time for you, time for family / leisure and time for work.
I use horary.
In the morning I make research work, and reading, and intent this first, and look mail after. (Only if I am waiting anything else I lean out, but this normally is bad...) (Many time).
I write art in the afternoon, and better at night. This different register separated is good for me.
I can draw in every moment.
@ Miranda, the picture you have given, exactly depicts my position! My hands are so full everyday that I don't know when to squeeze in research. I get up very early in the morning and try to spend some time on it, writing research papers, answering questions, project work etc. Once the daily chores start, time flies. college, students then take hold of my max time of the day. Then house work, family, friends, relatives, are next. We entertain a lot in India. Ateethee Devo bhava, any guest is considered god and is worshipped. Dinner time, pending work for tomorrow, is squeezed in between, if time permits. I try to keep awake and find time of my own but am exhausted at the end of the day!
That is why I am surprised and feel nice about the large number of publications, people produce. I wonder how they find time?
Yet I can honestly say, I make use of my every moment.
I had to be slightly strict to the schedule and everything managed very well.
I always have time for studies.
I always have time for teaching.
I always have time for my research.
I always have time for friends.
I always have time for parents, my child and spouse (Thanks to joint family).
I always have time for RG.
@ Darasingh, in spite of keeping very strict to the time schedule, I am deprived of time. So happy for you!
I think there is a basic difference in the daily chores of men and women, that may be responsible :))
Dear friends, does it dawn upon you that there are more men on RG than women? Could it be because...?
Women do shopping and marketing;
Laundry and mopping, little time for blogging;
Women discipline the kids more regularly;
Nursing the sick in the family...
(So do some men, you are appreciated :))
Maybe :)) I literally snatch minutes for RG friends. There is no particular slot for that :)) taking care of my sick mom too, I can't afford to fall sick myself ! Some men, like my husband share so many chores with me but still.......
Dear friends, I believe that all the Men and Women on RG work very hard and work long hours; and the work keeps coming to those who work, to make us produce even more work.
But please take care of your health, once you are more than 30 years old. Amazing, I stopped drinking coffee. I give you a link to my herbal medic thread. Keep healthy, the way of Nature :)
https://www.researchgate.net/post/Why_do_some_patients_refuse_to_comply_with_prescribed_western_medication_while_they_are_willing_to_seek_treatments
“And how are you?" said Winnie-the-Pooh.
Eeyore shook his head from side to side.
"Not very how," he said. "I don't seem to have felt at all how for a long time."
"Dear, dear," said Pooh, "I'm sorry about that. Let's have a look at you.”
......
“A little Consideration, a little thought for others, makes all the difference.“
― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh
Dear Valentina,
Yes, Winnie is one of my favorite characters :))
James has a thread on Cartoons, I follow that and have some good fun :))
Time seems to be more and more a problem as we grow older, as age and time robbing life complexity seems to go hand in hand. I try to optimize time by stealing time late at night...which is probably not a good thing, but it does work in a way. Normal days are filled with admin, students, meetings, and things which I cannot call 'research', so 'research' is often done at strange times, at unlikely places, e.g. sitting on my bed late at night with a laptop, when the lights are out and the family is asleep. Time management is just a catch-phrase, life and work seems to be managing me to a large extent.
@ Aieman and Low, loved the pic and comments, yes we are time itself :))
Dear Ludwig, I´m following your explanations. I´m retired but still working, steeling time for private life exactly like you told in your last post. I think we have no real possibilty to totally separate private and professional life. Sometimes it´s helpful to establish some rituals like cooking, drinking a glass of wine and having interesting discussions with your family. In my life it´s working.
Dear Hanno, you are right in that we cannot separate private and professional life...I have given up trying to do that and now just blend the two and pretend that this is 'life'. So, yes, a nice ritual such as cooking and sipping on a glass of wine, or even listening to a wind-up phonograph playing something from way back such as Reich mir die Hand mein Leben with Erna Bergen and Heinrich Schlusnus, even if it is just for 10 minutes, can do wonders, especially if you close your eyes while listening.
@ Ludwig, you are absolutely right, personal and professional lives have merged to the maximum extent ! Whether we want it or not and like it or not! So the only solution is to enjoy it !
Hi friends, so we all have been optimizing our time. And we have managed to fulfill responsibilities, according to our priorities :)))
My dear colleagues, after 3-4 days of absence, here is my contribution. I do think we were speaking about balancing! Yes, it is about time management!
http://www.stanford.edu/group/bbeam/time.html
@Prof Ljubomir, I know that when you are away, you are probably busy at meetings. And you will come back with interesting questions :)
That is also a balance. Thanks for the link :)
Balancing work and family, the workplace and the home, is the daily struggle of a person who must satisfy the demands , often contradictory , both areas of your life.
The family is the first indispensable environment where people develop their full potential and exerts its own dimension : give yourself . However, it is generally considered that this issue concerns only women because it is associated exclusively with motherhood. But not, man must also devote their time and deliver me - Jores energies within the home, because you can not give up one of the main facets of his personality: being a husband , father, son or grandfather.
Meanwhile , work is another area of personal development in which the individual displays and other capabilities at the service of others. The work has to take a real personal development.
Based on the above, it is important to find a balance between work and family, can not become vicious neglect of work and our family. Some time ago , Pope Benedict XVI said:" Harmonizing the time of work and the demands of family , career and motherhood, work and celebration , it is important to build a society with a
human face " .
Thanks Gonzalo and Ana Maria. Yes, we must MAKE TIME to celebrate FATHERS. We may have many good teachers but NO one on earth can replace a dear father :)
[Sorry I have been very busy. ]
My guess is that, prior to modern technology reaching its current state of development, working from home on the odd day seemed a luxury to academics and researchers. One could get on with important writing, data analysis or reading at home, untroubled by emails and students and the demands of institutional bureaucracy. One might have even welcomed combining that with some domestic time with young family, or being there to help when one of you family is ill. Then working at home was a matter of choice, but home was not the workplace. Certainly, that was my experience when seconded from school teaching to academic research.
But gradually, the home has also become an extension of the workplace and as Ludwig and Jaya discuss, it has become impossible now to compartmentalise work and family life. As they say, learning to enjoy it might be the only option.
What interests me about most of the discussion so far, however, is this. People talk about how the organise their own priorities. There seems little so far about negotiating priorities within the family home. People in the family, because they work in different places, or because one works, some are at school or college, and others look after the home, will each have a set of priorities. What do people do about conflicting priorities between themselves and their family members?
Hi Colin, some of us on this thread, especially the women, did mention our roles/duties in the family. There will surely be conflicting priorities, but that's the fun of being a family. In my family, each one bears their own workload very capably; but when there is an excess (like severe illness), everyone chips in to help :)
But I do notice that life is different now as compared to 10 years ago. Here, we are facing many problems with traffic jams; and every working family member needs his/her own car. Years back, dads or mums can send each child to school or work, but now this seems impossible!
Thanks all of you for your helpful comments on this thread. Now I observe other good friends are asking questions related to time and time management :))
https://www.researchgate.net/post/How_fast_is_your_ResearchGate_feedback-hundreds_of_requests_messages_as_well_as_updates_come_to_you_every_day_can_you_afford_everyday_responses?cp=re65_x_p2&ch=reg&loginT=pPlXwXpKSHiQ4Iab7L7-e8crSDGPAGnfSanm00ipeXQ%2A&pli=1#view=5330db1bd685cc6b068b45b3
In women I look another problem with time for entertainment or social relationship. We look this more like a time loss to the real needs, that in a house have not end.
This is a reason for less women in science forum, but I look another reasons. The competitive language normally in men in a science forum, and the necessity of measuring our friendship to not arouse jealousy in the couple, that worries us more than them, usually. (Because are more men everywhere!! no less in cake forum...)
(Share knowledge much closer persons, and can be worrying-unconfortabe... the word in Spanish is "violento". Women normally avoids this).
Yes, Ana Maria. It's true that men are more active than ladies on many forums. But please feel comfortable on my threads, to say what you want. The men on RG are kind to us, but I don't think many of them can bake cakes :))
My father is beginning now (make cakes)... ?!¡¡!!??
(Where is my father?)...
(Y estaban buenas las magdalenas...)
Hi Miranda,
Maybe I scanned the thread too quickly - I have found making time for RG difficult recently and I am retired!! The impact of helping out with my grandson - including nappies when required.
Perhaps worse, I may have scanned the thread through a 'male lens'. Who knows?We males might not always be as enlightened as we think.
Dear Ana: I hope you enjoy the cupcakes. Other RG members who bake are Nelson Orringer and me...
Thanks Colin and friends for your comments :)
Thanks Prof Saleh. I think the men on RG may have more time, less of other obligations. Right now, I am safely back home, busy many hours with house work. And without a computer, just with a mobile. But thanks for reviving my sleeping thread :)
Sent from mobile.
Yes @Patrick, I agree with you that Prof Saleh is so efficient. I'm not so. I will put my thread on Prof Ljubomir's, we're all great friends who are struggling with time management, and probably losing much of the time and not winning.
Just drove back from home to college Thank God for safety on the road :)
This is an optimization problem with constraints. Each person has their parameters , constraints , priorities that need to coefficients of great weight.
To resolve this, you must use the concept of priorities weighted by its specific importance for each individual. At this point , perhaps the performance will also be optimal .
For example, if you start by filling a recipient by small stones, then by medium stones, then by large stones, afraid you stay a few large stones while the container is not yet completed !
Conversely, if you start by putting large stones , then the averages
Small stones can slide in small cavities and not much left . Even if some remains , it does not important. It is the same for priorities, we must find an harmony between the activity, pause and rest.
It is very difficult when the number of parameters is very large. That falls in this situation should seek the help of God !
@Noureddine, thanks for your views. Most of us will agree:
'It is the same for priorities, we must find an harmony between the activity, pause and rest.'
Dear friends, have a good weekend :)
Set up life priorities. Mine are: family - then work - then other - and, if some time is left, then myself.
Thank you friends, for your views. I'm busy writing up a paper these days. That is more important. RG gets the leftover bits of time.
@Linas, we have priorities, yes.
Friends, I found this info today, about managing energy, not just time. I have to learn something important in this, to get sustainable good performance.
'The number of hours in a day is fixed, but the quantity and quality of energy available to us is not. This fundamental insight has the power to revolutionize the way you live. '
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0743226755/thbosh-20/
As a researcher , we have our own identity in our field of work . I had worked in a teaching Institute , where I have to teach , take care of patients & do research . I have enjoyed doing all these three together , as my research facilities improved . Patients provided the data & my students helped me in collecting the data from patients & did literature search . I kept away from administrative work , as this interfered with my creative efforts . I told my family members that individual identity is important & they should pursue their goals & we should combine only for relevant family activities . After retirement , I enjoy spending time with RG to view how my work is viewed by looking at the statistic data of downloads & views , answer questions which interest me & review recent publications in my area of research & bookmark them . i have deliberately not taken any other assignments , as this may interfere with my areas of interests . I have the satisfaction of being a teacher , researcher , treating patients & also being a family man .
Thanks for your sharing @Singh Shivakumar. This is good, everyone must have their own goals besides family goals: 'I told my family members that individual identity is important & they should pursue their goals & we should combine only for relevant family activities'.
First, you must put in order your priorities and your urgent points. After that you can redistribute your time.
For someones the spiritual is more important than the material, others see the reverse case.
Normally, the Family is the first. The most of psychic imbalance or sentimental is the origin of childhood, which is closely related to the family, ...
Thanks @Noureddine, many times several matters are both important and urgent. So it's not always easy to cope. I do not promise more than I can handle, but I do my best each day, working many hours a day.
Under some similar thread, there was the discussion about multitasking and time management! There are very conflicting opinions regarding multitasking!
http://powerupliving.com/radio-show/power-up-living-show/is-multitasking-an-efficient-time-management-strategy/
Thanks for a great link, Prof Ljubomir. I can only multitask when there's a machine to do some part of the work: washing machine, oven. But when it comes to mental jobs, it's necessary to them one by one. At the end of the day, I recall how much is done, and I thank God.
Taken from your link, this is true: 'This simple yet powerful book shows clearly why multitasking is, in fact, a lie that wastes time and costs money. Far from being efficient, multitasking actually damages productivity and relationships at work and at home.'
Dear @Miranda, here is one peace of short but good reading Multitasking; (Wo)Man or Machine? Multitasking studies show that we actually lose efficiency and time at the rate of about 20% in the switching time between tasks.
http://www.buyingtimellc.com/2013/04/multitasking-woman-or-machine/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_multitasking
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2516990/Sorry-chaps-brains-arent-multi-tasking-But-women-hard-wired-juggle-jobs.html
Dear Prof Ljubomir, Thanks very much for great links. Very interesting,
'Friends, the report said: ‘The results showed fundamental sex differences in the architecture of the human brain. Male brains facilitate connectivity between perception and co-ordinated action, whereas female brains facilitate communication between analytical and intuitive processing modes.'
Not a problem, in a family, the men and women share talents, skills and abilities. On our RG platform, men and women complement and collaborate, as we learn together. (But I'm not very good at multitasking. Being so busy, I tried it yesterday, but couldn't see that it helped my work outcomes at all.)
I have the same issue with you Miranda, whatsmore I'm a young lecturer with 3 kids. It's exhausting to strive both in family matters and academia.
Dear @Farrah, congratulations for such fine family! Apply some time management strategies and avoid stress in private and at work!
http://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/stress-at-work.htm
Successful time management is the key!
A good friend, Prof. Krishnan, advised me to use a Planner..
Best wishes, Sundar
In order to optimize the time I deserve to my family, students and friends I try to find a balance between the different roles I play. I do my best trying to socialize with them at different times, in different environments, building a world of my own with each group as I was a child: always enjoying the different worlds I live in.
Thanks for your posts. You can know that I'm really busy and exhausted and I don't spend much time for QA. Dear @Farrah and all, I sympathise. I also have one more challenge of doing research without a grant. But the ones who appreciate my work are my students. They come to visit me very regularly, and they tell me that they think that lecturers in the university aren't so concerned if they pass or not.
[@Sundar, his name is Prof Umachandran. I think Krishnan is his father's name. @Farrah, I downloaded 2 of your papers that I find interesting. I take my research seriously. KAMAL has advised me to use RG for research, 'not for voting'. Kamal isn't on RG anymore, but to me the PRIORITY is his health and family.]
Dear friends - Any News regarding why Kamal said "Goodbye" to RG?
Prof. Krishnan or Prof. Umachandran? Hope he clarifies?!
Dear Sundar, it was through Prof Ljubomir that I got this news: 'Kamal has decided to abandon RG altogether! He has his reasons and concerns about several issues for which he has failed to get an answer!'
This is what I must say about him. He's wonderfully supportive of new researchers on RG. That's what we are. He has been an online friend to many. When someone needed a Chemistry book, none of us could help, but Kamal did. Recently someone needed English books (Chomsky). All of us wanted badly to help, but we didn't have the resources. But somehow Kamal did. When some wanted to download his papers, and could not manage, it was Kamal who was upset. When we were downvoted, Kamal was upset!
To me, KAMAL IS THE AMBASSADOR FOR JORDAN on RG. Because of him, I looked up links on what is going on in Jordan, it's politics, economy and education, besides the present challenges Jordan is facing because I'm concerned about him and his family (his wife, 3 daughters, 2 sons).
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/thousands-protest-in-jordans-capital-against-isis-burning-of-caged-pilot-10029408.html
In times one is to active, he can do everything without problem. In times that it is not to active, he cannot do even the essentials!
Yes friends, my name is Umachandran and Krishnan is my father's name.
I am hoping and waiting to @Kamal to join, forget those negative moments and join us back.
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To optimize our role and time in industries, the leaders (privileged) should see their roles much more than that is required to be delivered. Social responsibility in business is to
- Refrain (in case of consumable goods) from increasing the price of the product in order to contribute to the social objective preventing inflation impact the common people.
- Make expenditures on reducing pollution beyond the limits than required by law in order to contribute to the social objective of improving the environment.
- Hire "hardcore" unemployed instead of better qualified available workmen to contribute to the social objective of reducing poverty.
http://www.colorado.edu/studentgroups/libertarians/issues/friedman-soc-resp-business.html
Dear Umachandran ,
I beg your pardon for using the wrong order of names in my posts. There is no clearly defined positioning of names.
Dear Hanno - I have referred to our Professor as "Krishnan" so many times !
We shall call him now as "Umachandran"
Thanks for clarifying about your name, and for the link, @Umachandran. Dear friends, Hanno, Sundar, I only found out earlier because I asked earlier, that's all.
@Costas, you have got a good point, that our productivity can rise and wane. That's because we are humans and not machines. I find writing a new research paper more interesting than to improve a paper, and so my pace of working is different. But it still must be done. (I'm not sure if you have had experience working in a heatwave, that's now upon us. For the last 2 days it was extremely hot, 34 Celsius.)
Malaysia has very good weather.. 34 deg Celsius is warm weather only.. (In India, 40 deg Celsius is common).
Writing quality papers is always good. I like attending Conferences also..
Dear Miranda,
I think it is important when considering "optimizing time" we do not limit the discussion to length of time alone. To optimize the time spent on tasks I am a believer in taking some time to ones self in order to be refreshed and focused on the next task.
To make use of that time spent fully rested and in the present. This is why I think 5 to 10 minutes to shift gears after one task is done until the next is started.
Douglas
Dear friends:
I have enclosed a YouTube link of my recent talk.
This is not a plenary address but my plenary address will be very similar.
Though I was not comfortable talking in front of a video camera, it gives a good idea of what I am like in real life! Watching this many times has helped me in many ways how to give a better talk in future.. Your comments are also welcome!
Best wishes, Sundar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bg-H6p_EGhM
Dear Douglas, thanks for your comments. Right now I use most of my time to write my papers, and have bits left for Q and A. I have informed RG about this priority.
Dear Sundar, you have placed an identical post on this thread -
https://www.researchgate.net/post/Can_the_perception_of_generosity_be_increased_by_bragging_about_prosocial_behavior#view=54ec5ef7f079edc36a8b45fa
Each individual or person has their own priorities regarding their proper conditions.
You must put these priorities in a good order for you. and distribute time in light of this.
If not, you will suffer!!!
I recently published a report on an invited talk that I delivered in a Workshop in India.
I have given a link (with good photos) for those who might be interested.
Best wishes, Sundar
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/report-invited-talk-analysis-its-applications-vaidyanathan
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