I am Stephanie Zihms, and This is How I Work

Today, I am interviewing Dr. Stephanie Zihms in the "How I Work" series. Stephanie is currently working as a postdoc in Carbonate Geomechanics in the Institute of Petroleum Engineering at Heriot-Watt University. Her research tries to understand why rocks deform the way they do and what controls this deformation – crystal size, crystal shape, pore size or pore shape? Or is it the mineralogy or how the rocks formed in the first place? By deforming different rocks under different conditions in the lab she is trying to find some answers. This research and the findings are relevant for a range of subsurface processes like hydrocarbon extraction, geothermal energy production or Carbon Capture & Storage applications. Basically anytime a liquid or gas is put into the subsurface or extracted from the subsurface the conditions change and the rocks will response to this change – by understanding what controls this response within the rocks (crystals, grains or pores) we can better predict the behaviour in the subsurface. To read more about her life as a postdoc also check out her blog

Current Job: Postdoctoral Research Associate
Current Location: UFPE (Brazil) until August – then back to Heriot-Watt University (Scotland)
Current mobile device: iPhone 6s + iPad Air
Current computer: HP EliteBook (laptop) + Dell desktop at the (UFPE) office + HP desktop at Heriot-Watt University

Can you briefly explain your current situation and research to us?
I’m the last year of a 3 year postdoc and currently a visiting researcher at UFPE (Brazil) thanks to the Royal Academy of Engineering Newton Fund Research Collaboration Programme grant I won last year. My research focuses on the behaviour of rocks – I want to understand why they deform the way they do and what rock properties control this response. I work mostly in the lab but I’m currently in Brazil for some field work and to work with the modelling group at UFPE to see if/how my lab work relates to the field and to provide some data to validate the groups models. More info here.

What tools, apps and software are essential to your workflow?
I would be lost without my (adapted) bullet journal, EndNote, MS office and ImageJ – I’m also currently trying to teach myself Python. I also heavily rely on OneDrive, Dropbox and my external hard drive. I also use a Penguin mouse to help with some wrist issues and I can highly recommend it. To keep me right I need my synced calendar – if it’s not in there I will forget and for planning I use my bullet journal.

What does your workspace setup look like?
I’m quite lucky that I get to work in lots of different spaces – at Heriot-Watt University I work mostly at my desk. Since my MS diagnosis I arranged to be able to work one day a week from home. I also do lab work but this happens in stretches of experiments. While I’m visiting UFPE I have an office space there and I try not to work from home since I'm here for collaboration. But I get to go on field work and I love that I get to work outside. Since I travel a lot I got used to working anywhere – I mostly do this with my iPad and a Bluetooth keyboard.



What is your best advice for productive academic work?
Find a system that works for you & don’t shy away from stealing from others – I found some great advice through blogs, Twitter and talking to colleagues. I’m a morning person but I also want to reduce travelling during rush hour (this is due my health) so I work from home for 1 to 2 hours in the morning before heading to the office. I also recommend trying a writing group to help with regular writing and accountability.
Since I arrived in Brazil I started running again in the mornings followed by 10 minutes of stretching – this has helped me a lot with concentration and energy levels – I plan to keep this up when I’m back in Scotland.

How do you keep an overview of projects and tasks?
I use my bullet journal to plan my week – I don’t like to-do lists since they never seem to end. Planning a week at a time (with a monthly schedule in the background) I increased my productivity so much. Every Saturday or Sunday I plan the following week – first I add meetings, talks, appointments to my calendar and I then plan my tasks to make sure I use each day to its full potential – when I have a whole day free that’s a good time for some writing or data analysis – when I only have small gaps between meetings I use this for admin or to edit, reply to emails. I also downloaded the research pipeline template from Ellie Mackin’s blog and included it in my bullet journal – I also added a small project overview page. If you’re interested in the bullet journal I wrote a post about how I use here.

My set up for June – the week before it’s being populated with meetings etc (it’s in Portuguese because I’m trying to learn it while I’m here in Brazil)

Besides phone and computer, do you use other technological tools in work and daily life?
I use an iPad – the EndNote app is great to be able to read research papers on the go I also use a Bluetooth keyboard so I don’t have to carry my heavy laptop everywhere I go. I’m planning to buy to wireless hard drive so I can connect between Laptop and iPad more easily rather than relying on cloud systems.

I also have a TomTom sports watch to keep track of my steps and exercise – I try to walk 10000 steps a day. Depending how my MS progresses I might have to start thinking about assistive technologies like speech-to-text and I’m planning on getting a standing desk (not sure if that counts as tech though).

Which skill makes you stand out as an academic?
I think it’s my multi-disciplinary background – this helps when talking to researchers from different backgrounds and “translate” between different research fields. I’m also engaged when it comes to early career researchers – e.g. I started a postdoc forum at Heriot-Watt University and I’m on a related working group as well. – not sure how beneficial that is to my career since some people see this as distractions. I’m also open and active in regards to disability and chronic conditions – especially since my own MS diagnosis in Nov 2016.

What do you listen to when you work?
Depends what I’m doing – when I’m reading I like to listen to Hans Zimmer movie soundtracks, when I’m writing I like repetitive music like Adele: Set fire to the rain (Thomas Gold remix) or I recently discovered Systema Solar: Yo voy ganao – I pick a song and have it on repeat – when I don’t hear the song anymore I know I’m in my writing zone. In the lab I just listen to my standard playlists which are random mixes of songs I like.

What are you currently reading? How do you find time for reading?
I’m German and I like to read German books in my spare time – I absolutely love crime stories. I just finished the 7th book in a series from Eva Almstädt called Düsterbruch and I’m starting the 8th book tonight – this is called Ostseesühne. I really like the strong female lead. Sometimes I break this up with other books and I can highly recommend The Silo Effect (Gillian Tett) and MadGirl (Bryony Gordon). I also bought the first Harry Potter book in Portuguese to help with my language learning. I usually read before bed – since I turn off all electronic devices around 9pm.

Are you more of an introvert or extrovert? How does this influence your working habits?
I would probably say that I’m quite extrovert (but know when not to be) – so at conferences or field trips I love to talk to people and make new connections. I have built quite a good network this way. The downside can be that I don’t like it when things don’t happen or aren’t in place – which is how I started the postdoc forum and this can take time away from research. This also lead to me being asked to be part of working groups etc… I’m learning to say No and delegate more. As I mentioned above I’m also quite outspoken about having MS and being an academic with a chronic condition. Another area where I’m not sure how people see this – I’m currently looking for my next position so decided quite quickly to be open and upfront – if this a reason for someone not to hire me I don’t want to work with them anyway.

What's your sleep routine like?
Last year I started a new routine where I switch off all electronics by 9pm and then either go to bed to read or do some non-electronic things like colouring in, preparing breakfast. On a week night I tend to be asleep by 10pm and get up between 5 and 6am. A good 7 hours sleep make a huge difference to me. If I have a bad fatigue or overall bad MS day I can end up in bed all day or I need to have naps throughout the day.

What's your work routine like?
On a normal day I work from home from 6.30am until 8.00am I then have breakfast and head to the office to be there between 9.30/10.00am – I then have lunch at 12.00 or 12.30 (depending which lunch group I join) I usually leave the office by 4pm to avoid rush hour traffic – if I have things to attend after 4pm I wait until 6pm to leave the office. If I have deadlines then I sometimes work from home in the evenings but this depends on my energy levels and what my partner is doing.
On Wednesdays I work from home – the routine doesn’t change much except that I try and go for a walk at lunch or do a pre-work cycle in the summer.
Since I started running I hope to keep this up and go running before work 3 times a week – not sure how easy that is going to be during a Scottish winter…

What's the best advice you ever received?
Find your strengths and make your career fit those.

I am Jaime, and This is How I Work

Today, I am interviewing Jaime for the "How I Work" series. She is a third year PhD student at a US-based university studying biological engineering. Though most of her free time is consumed spending time with her three young children, she am passionate about running and lifting weights and actively participates in local science education and communication events. She blogs about life as a mom and PhD student at threeandathesis.com.

Current Job: PhD Candidate in Biological Engineering
Current Location: US

Can you briefly explain your current situation and research to us?
I am a third year PhD candidate in Biological Engineering in the US. My work is focused on computer simulations of bilayer remodeling. My work days are mostly consumed with research and I am currently enrolled in two classes. Luckily, my work is almost all computer-based and therefore portable, so I do 60% of my work from my university office and 40% from home.

What tools, apps and software are essential to your workflow?
My calendar is my most important tool. I try to keep dates on my calendar as much as possible so I can easily glimpse at what I have to do for the next week or next month. After that, my trusty notebook is my best friend. Every Monday I sit down and make a list of the tasks I would like to get completed during the week. These tasks sometimes get moved to the next week or look identical to last week, but I still sit down and write them down every Monday.
I use Mendeley to organize research papers effectively. I honestly don't know how I would keep my papers organized without it.

What does your workspace setup look like? Do you have a fixed workspace, or do you alternate between a home office, university office and lab?
My office desk is relatively clean. My advisor once got upset that my desk did not "look like a grad student desk". I'm still not sure what this meant but I need to keep things organized to be able to work efficiently. I have since put a pile of papers in the corner of my desk to make it more "grad-student-like" but the papers I am actively reading and working on stay neatly in my folder at all times.
Though I have a desk at home I typically use my kitchen table to do my work. I enjoy having so much room to put things during the course of my work day. It also forces me to clean up my work when I am done which feels like a clear end to my work day. I initially struggled at delineating my work day from my rest time when working from home and this is one small way I have moved towards a better work-life balance.



What is your best advice for productive academic work?
Keep a schedule and task list. When you write tasks down, it gets them out of your brain and on paper. You cannot fully focus on one task if you are thinking about everything else that needs to get done.
Set deadlines. I like to have a deadline for each portion of my project so that I feel some pressure to complete one task and not just bounce between projects.

How do you keep an overview of projects and tasks?
Paper and pencil. I have a notebook that never leaves my side and has everything I have thought or done written in it.

Which skill makes you stand out as an academic?
My organization and initiative. I am in control of my own experience at university and actively work to get what I need out of my time as a student. I have clear goals for during and after my PhD. I am also reliable, I do tasks quickly and efficiently. I have the motto that if it takes less than 5 minutes to complete, do it now. I also stay on top developments in my research topic and initiate new ideas with my PI without being asked.

What do you listen to when you work?
Nothing. I am not a big fan of listening to music while working, it is distracting to me.

What are you currently reading? How do you find time for reading?
I am reading The Stand my Stephen King. I read mostly at night in bed or during lunch if I don't feel like socializing.

Are you more of an introvert or extrovert? How does this influence your working habits?
I am an introvert though I do like having friends and acquaintances. This is a tricky question because sometimes people think that introverts don't like being around other people. I enjoy regular socializing but it can leave me feeling drained. I think this attribute is helpful to me as my PhD work is very independent so an extrovert could very well feel isolated. I try to socialize every day at lunch but also don't feel like I am missing out if I am not chatting constantly.

What's your sleep routine like?
10PM - 5:30 AM every day. Sleep is very important to me. I don't do well with less sleep and as a mother it is very hard to just "catch up" on sleep.

What's your work routine like?
I work 8-5 every week day. Sometimes I have to work on weekends but only if I have a presentation on Monday and it is usually my fault for not getting it done earlier. I will also sometimes work on weekends if I have to take time off for some reason during the week.

What's the best advice you ever received?
Show your worth with your productivity, not work hours. A lot of PhD students think they are in a competition for who can work the most. I never carried that idea because I don't want to work 80 hours a week and I know 80 hours of mediocre work will be less productive than 40 hours of good work for me. Being productive is not about working a lot; it is about working efficiently and effectively.

I am Coleen Clemens, and This is How I Work

Today, I am hosting Dr. Colleen Clemens in the "How I Work" series. Colleen, an associate professor of Non-Western Literatures and Director of Women’s and Gender Studies at Kutztown University in Pennsylvania, earned her Ph.D. in Post-Colonial Literature at Lehigh University. Previously, she earned her M.Ed. in English Education at DeSales University (where she still teaches courses on South Africa and English Composition) while teaching twelfth grade English in the public system. She earned her undergraduate degrees in English and French Education from Penn State University. She's the co-creator of the Inside 254 podcast. Colleen lives in Bucks County with her partner, two dogs, and daughter. She can be reached via her blog kupoco.wordpress.com. Her professional editing, writing, and tutoring site is clemensphd.weebly.com.

Current Job: Associate Professor of Non-Western Literatures, Director Women’s and Gender Studies
Current Location: Kutztown University
Current mobile device: iphone
Current computer: a slowly dying macbook air

Can you briefly explain your current situation and research to us?
At this point, my research brings together my twenty years of teaching and researching. I am working and writing primarily about how we can all move our students forward in regards to social justice and equality. I write mostly about teaching, pedagogy, and social justice in and out of the classroom.

What tools, apps and software are essential to your workflow?
I would die without word. I am still pretty old school in that regard, but to be fair, I grew up typing on wordperfect on a blue screen.

What does your workspace setup look like?
I have a five-year-old, so I work wherever and whenever I can find a pocket of time. I have a desk at home—a gorgeous office—but I don’t often get to work in there. I have a chair that I work in often at home—downstairs in the morning, away from my sleeping kiddo.

What is your best advice for productive academic work?
Know thyself. My brain doesn’t function for academic writing past noon. I need to save non-production types of work for that time of day. I know that I need to do my heavy lifting in the morning. Honor your brain.

How do you keep an overview of projects and tasks?
Lists and more lists. It helps to have a color-coded calendar on my computer. I immediately put dates on there. I have daily, short-term, and long-term lists (those are usually determined by projects that I have committed to).

Besides phone and computer, do you use other technological tools in work and daily life?
I have a digital recorder for podcasting. That’s about it!

Which skill makes you stand out as an academic?
My view of the long-game. I was advised early in my teaching career that this run is a marathon, not a sprint.

What do you listen to when you work?
Absolute silence. I get distracted easily. Plus, with having a kid, silence—when I can have it—is golden.

What are you currently reading? How do you find time for reading?
I decided in grad school that I would have a pleasure book always going, that I didn’t want higher ed to ruin my love of reading. These day I find that my pleasure books still have an element of work. I am digging Jessica Valenti’s Sex Object.

Are you more of an introvert or extrovert? How does this influence your working habits?
I am an introverted extrovert. I love being alone because I don’t get to be alone very often. When I am with students, I am give it my all and am extroverted.

What's your sleep routine like?
Sleep is non-negotiable. I don’t watch much tv because I choose sleep. I get at least eight hours a night. Full time working and parenting leaves me wiped.

What's your work routine like?
Get up early and write, read, grade—whatever is most pressing. I basically work every second—check email in between crafts with my daughter, write in the morning, sometimes read. When I have two full time jobs, I have to use every second.

What's the best advice you ever received?
The mantra I always use is “the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” I remember reading something that encouraged you to just write for five minutes and then stop if you have to. The idea is you won’t stop once you have started. Good advice!

I am Rebecca Gelding and This is How I work

Today, I am interviewing Rebecca Gelding for the "How I Work" series. Rebecca is a PhD student investigating music cognition, specifically what is going on in the brain as people imagine music. She began part time in Feb 2013, as she was also looking after her 2 small children. Said children are both now at school this year (hooray) and so she's changed to full time. Prior to starting a family, she worked in the finance industry, but realised when she had kids that life is short: spend it doing something you are passionate about. She told me: "I've has always loved maths, music and the brain and now I get paid to discover and write about it every day, whilst still enjoying being a mother. Best of both worlds."

Current Job: PhD Student in Cognitive Science. Aiming to submit mid-2018.
Current Location: Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia.
Current mobile device: Samsung Galaxy S7
Current computer: Acer Aspire V5-431

Can you briefly explain your current situation and research to us?
I’m just over half way through my PhD which investigates what is going on in the brain as people image music; specifically imagining pitch and rhythm. To do this I use a technology called magnetoencephalography (MEG) which measures changes in magnetic flux from the outside of people’s heads. From this we can get an understanding of what brain regions are doing while imagining music compared to listening to music. It’s compelling research because while the experience of imagining music is universal, there is still a lot we don’t yet understand in the dynamics of our brains as we imagine.

What tools, apps and software are essential to your workflow?
I use Word and Endnote for writing, and a variety of software packages for analysing and presenting data (BESA Research, MATLAB, R)

What does your workspace setup look like?
This year I’ve begun some new routines to try to develop writing as a habit, and I have three workspaces. Each morning when I arrive on campus around 9:20am after school drop-off, I will order a coffee from the brilliant coffee shop at the bottom of my building, and get out my laptop. While I savour that coffee, I’ll use my phone timer to do one pomodoro (25mins) session of nothing but writing.
Then I’ll head upstairs to my university desk and try to either do a few more pomodoros while I’m on a roll, or attend to whatever other work I need to do. I have a computer on campus which I will sometimes use, but for portability, most of my writing is done on my laptop.
I leave campus at 2:25pm to pick up the kids, and spend the next few hours with them, doing normal afternoon / dinner routines. Once they are off to sleep around 8pm, I’ll head to my home office (AKA desk in the corner of the lounge room) for a couple more hours of work. As it’s the end of the day I normally don’t do anything that is mentally taxing, but try to allocate tasks that are necessary but easy to these evening timeslots.
When need be I’ll use the analysis computers at university as well, but most of my work is on my laptop (and backed up on portable hard drives).

Rebecca's desk at home

Rebecca's desk at university

Rebecca's work setup at her favorite cafe

What is your best advice for productive academic work?
Work out how you work best. One of the biggest benefits of academia is flexibility. Use that to your advantage, to discover exactly when you are at your most alert, then organise your day around those times. Over Christmas last year I read “Rest” by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang and he discusses of a whole bunch of ways in which to increase productivity without working longer hours. Unsurprisingly prioritising rest was one of them.

How do you keep an overview of projects and tasks?
I love the idea of a bullet journal but I’m not disciplined enough to keep at it. I generally have an everything notebook that I keep in my compendium and take everywhere. For every major project on at a given time I’ll list the tasks that need to be done on each one. At the start of the year I did a term by term break down of the goals I wanted to achieve, and a weekly plan for this term. Each Sunday night I try to have a look at that to see how I’m tracking (eek…. I’m already behind due to unforeseen set-backs….) and to map out a rough guide for what I want to achieve in the coming week. I try to spend the bus ride on the way to university reviewing and planning for that day as well.

Besides phone and computer, do you use other technological tools in work and daily life?
Not really.

Which skill makes you stand out as an academic?
I’ve inherited an optimistic outlook on life, which will usually see me putting my hand up for opportunities thinking, “what have I got to lose?” While an attitude might not technically qualify as a skill, in academia where rejection and setbacks are part of the landscape, it takes skill to maintain a positive attitude! During the PhD candidature, there are plenty of chances to do things outside of the direct “thesis” work. I’ve tried to make the most of these chances (eg three minute thesis competition, science communication outreach, writing for various outlets, teaching, blogging, etc). Some of these things have a snowball effect and bring more opportunities, but I think it has all stemmed from my optimism.

What do you listen to when you work?
I love the environmental noises of the coffee shop, or a noisy storm outside, but I can’t stand any music on when I’m trying to work – I just get too distracted, probably because I’ll want to sing along. Can’t have the TV on either when I’m working at home. I prefer to work in silence.

What are you currently reading? How do you find time for reading?
I’ve just started Steven Pinker’s “A Sense of Style” and I love it. I’m making a conscious effort to improve my writing. After all, if I’m going to be an academic, then I need to get a handle how to write. An obvious way to get better at writing is to read good writing! Funnily enough, now that I am full time I find I have more time for reading, as I’ll allow myself time on the weekend or some nights before bed to read for pleasure.

Are you more of an introvert or extrovert? How does this influence your working habits?
I find being around other people energising, so I’d say extrovert. I love making it to the department morning tea each Wednesday, and would sit and socialise through a whole hour of lunch if I could. But with such short hours on campus each day, I have to restrict myself and get back to work. It also means that the days I spend working from home are super lonely for me – even if it’s just 6 hours.

What's your sleep routine like?
I’d love to be in bed by 10pm, but usually its more like 11pm. As part of my new year routine I set the alarm for 6am and get out first thing for a half hour run each week day morning. (Having said that I don’t think I’ve managed any week with 5/5 runs, but the intention is there!) I generally try to get at least 7 hours sleep. On the weekends I’ll get a bit more as my husband and I take it in turns for a sleep in (which is ~8am), while the other one gets up to make breakfast for the kids.

What's your work routine like?
In addition to the routine I mentioned with the workspaces, once a week I’ll work from home for the day. That usually involves planning a series of chores that need to be done and allocating them 15 min slots during a break time. (ie writing for 45 mins, mop kitchen for 15 mins, writing for 45 mins, hang out washing & put another load on). It's efficient, but quite tiring.
The main difference I’ve found from going part time to full time, is that now I have more time to work, I need to make sure I keep working smart so I don’t burn myself out. I allocate my hardest tasks (normally writing) for the first thing in the morning, and then between morning tea and lunch I’ll do something that requires attention to detail but not as hard. After lunch I’ll generally do administration tasks and other stuff that has to be done. Sometimes I find when I come to sit down in the evenings I’ve come up with a solution to a problem earlier in the day purely because I’ve had time to think (usually unconsciously) as I’ve been doing other things in the afternoon with my family. I am more tired as a full timer than a part timer though, so I’m making sure I spend quality time resting on the weekends, to be fresh for a new week.

What's the best advice you ever received?
The best academic advice I have ever read came from twitter: “We are all smart. Distinguish yourself by being kind”. Anne Galloway was quoting Prof Charles Gordon, then Head of Department, Sociology & Anthropology, Carleton University.

I am Annelies Van de Ven and This is How I Work

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Annelies Van de Ven in the "How I Work" series. Annelies started out her academic career studying classical archaeology at the University of St Andrews, but soon found her way into reception and museum studies. Though her MA is in Ancient History and Archaeology, and she is currently doing a degree within the archaeology department at the University of Melbourne, she considers herself a proud interdisciplinary researcher and is currently doing a video project that focuses on possible interdisciplinary futures within the Faculty of Arts at her institution.

Current Job: I am doing PhD full time as well as working as a university tutor, trench supervisor, research and curatorial assistant on a casual basis.
Current Location: Istanbul, trying to get permissions to go excavate our site.
Current mobile device: An iPhone 6 that was given to me as a combined birthday and graduation present.
Current computer: A slightly dented HP Laptop, the sticker on the keyboard tells me it is an intel CORE i5.

Can you briefly explain your current situation and research to us?
I am currently a full time international PhD student on a university funded scholarship at the University of Melbourne. I just passed the 3rd year review hurdle, so I am nearing the end. I am currently set to submit in mid-September, and at this moment in March, have about 90% of my thesis written. The main issue at the moment is cutting words, editing my spelling/grammar, and finessing my appendixes and bibliography, which is going rather slowly.

My research focuses on how museums can better present archaeological objects, for a more engaging visitor experience. I am looking specifically at the Cyrus Cylinder, analysing how people perceive it, and whether these perceptions have been addressed in its past and present display strategies.
I live with my partner who completed his PhD in bio-chemical engineering last year and is currently working as a researcher at the university while I finish my thesis.

What tools, apps and software are essential to your workflow?
Well, Dropbox, Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel and Powerpoint are pretty essential. I also have a fantastic app called Camera Scan, that means I can scan books in my office rather than having to spend hours hogging the printer.

When I am teaching LMS, and Turnitin are the main tools I use, I don’t print out student essays unless I have to, I think I use up enough paper already.

When I am in the field I use filemaker for databases, GIS or CartoDB for mapping, as well as Illustrator, Photoshop or Coreldraw for illustrations. There are a number of other individualised software packages for archaeologists that we use for our surveying, artefact processing and data analysis, but they are not in my field of expertise.

For communicating I mainly use g-mail, but lately as more and more academics create social media accounts on Facebook and Twitter, I find more of my communication is going through those channels.

What does your workspace setup look like?
I am lucky in that my department guarantees us international research students a space throughout our candidature. However, I have changed office five times over the past 3 and a half years. I started on a part-time desk in an open plan area called the ‘research corner’. This was a communal space where early degree history, philosophy, classics and archaeology postgraduates were placed. There were no computers provided, but most of us had laptops and the library was not far off. The next year I was moved to a corridor in the attic. There were only 8 of us in the office, all classicists or archaeologists, and we were all given computers. However, the space was possum infested, and though they couldn’t get into our office space, others on our corridor were not so lucky, and we all suffered from the smell. The year after that I was moved to a different office on the floor below, which seemed far too large and grand for 2 grad students, we even had our own bookshelves. I was only able to stay there for 1 semester before the entire department was moved to a new building, Arts West. Here I was given a desk in an open plan space on the top floor right across from the printer, as shown in the photograph below. The views were fantastic, and the height of the desk could be re-adjusted but the number of people coming in and out was not particularly conducive to work.



The latest move brought me to an office 2 floors below the open plan area, as shown in the photograph below. I now share this office with 2 other archaeologists, who are both wonderful to work with.



After moving so many times I have learned to keep less stuff in my office, however this means that my desk at home has become increasingly cluttered and I have started working at the dining table rather than sitting at my desk when at home, see below. I also regularly try to switch it up and go work at a colleague’s house, in a café, or in one of the communal reading rooms on campus.



What is your best advice for productive academic work?
Erm… don’t listen to other people’s advice? Find what works for you.
I have found over the years that the advice given by university staff and supervisors, doesn’t always match up with my personal experience. I don’t necessarily work better in silence, I do not write out full references while writing, I like working in a group setting, and I don’t work to a fixed schedule. These things work for me, but not for everyone. So try things out and see what works for you.

How do you keep an overview of projects and tasks?
I used to literally just have a piece of paper with a list of things I needed to do organised into rough themes. I loved crossing things off the list. However, I soon realised this was not the most efficient way of doing things, as I ended up having to re-write the list every few days, and ended up with about 5 different versions of it, so I now have a digital to do list that is organised based on deadline, priority and effort needed to complete them.

Besides phone and computer, do you use other technological tools in work and daily life?
I have a kindle, that I love. I moved around a lot as a kid, and the worst thing about moving was always that I had to throw out books. The kindle means I can take my books with me and it doesn’t take up all my luggage space. I still prefer physical copies, but the kindle gets a close second, especially as mine lets me annotate my books, making it useful for academic reading as well.

Which skill makes you stand out as an academic?
I tend to say yes, and I am good with deadlines. I have been told these are not necessarily common traits amongst academics. I have a lot on my plate, but I actually like it that way, it makes me feel like I am accomplishing things and contributing to a wider community of research, teaching and outreach. Sometimes this can be stressful, and I often get advised to only do projects that are directly related to my research or to some kind of monetary/position gain. However, I think that all these project enrich my research, they give me skills and contacts I would not have otherwise, and they give me more tangible outcomes than my long term thesis research, which helps motivate me to continue. They have also taught me the value of doing things to a strict deadline. If you are juggling a lot of projects, it is important to get the high priority ones out of the way fast, so you don’t end up eating into the time you are meant to spend on other things.

What do you listen to when you work?
It really depends on my mood and on what I am working on. While I am reading I tend to not listen to anything. While writing it can be anything from instrumental movie soundtracks, to rap or even country music. Lately I have been listening to a lot of Broadway musical soundtracks. Often I just need something to get me going and then to keep me motivated. I tend to get bored easily, so music actually makes me more likely to keep at it when I am not feeling particularly inspired.

What are you currently reading? How do you find time for reading?
I just finished an amazing book by Joseph Assaf called ‘In Someone Else’s Shoes’. It tells the story of a Lebanese Australian man who built a successful career around the advocating for the significance of cross-cultural empathy in the business world. It is a fantastic read.

The next book on my list is Ken Robinson’s ‘Creative Schools’. It has been described to me as a manifesto for engaged educational programs.

I find it very difficult to find time to read during a regular work week. It is not that I don’t have any spare time, but I tend to want to fill it with other things, after a full day of sitting in my office reading and typing. When I do make time for reading I often end up feeling guilty about reading non-thesis related things.

Are you more of an introvert or extrovert? How does this influence your working habits?
I am definitely more of an extrovert. I get very frustrated when alone with my own thoughts. I have less of an issue with having leisure time on my own, I can watch a movie, read, go for a run, but when I am doing work, I find being alone to be difficult. Research is already such an isolating experience, particularly at PhD level. In order to avoid daily meltdowns, I try to work with others, and allocate time to discussing my work in a group. The danger with this is that these discussion sessions can sometimes go on far longer than expected, but I’d prefer to lose a day of work to exchanging ideas with colleagues, than to lose one to a burn out.

What's your sleep routine like?
When I am alone at home, which happens for about 1 to 2 months a year nowadays, I tend to wake up around 10am and work until about 2 or 3am. I am definitely not a morning person and I find night times to be oddly productive, particularly for writing. Unfortunately, this schedule doesn’t really line up with normal university working hours, and my partner has a 9-5 university job, so when he is around I try to adapt to his schedule and sleep from about 11pm to 7am. It still feels slightly wrong to me, though I seem to be in the minority on this one.

What's your work routine like?
This varies so much depending on what projects I am working on and whether or not I am teaching. I tend to do administrative work in the morning, as I don’t feel I am at my full research capacity, and I always seem to have more than enough forms and emails to keep me busy for a few hours every day. Then around lunch (11 to about 3) is when most of my meetings, social or work related, happen, so there is a lot of flitting around across campus and the city. Once I get back to the office I then get into reading and writing, until around 5:30 when I take a short break to go for a run or walk followed by dinner. Then if I have nothing else planned for the evening I continue to do writing, reading, or if I am feeling really out of it referencing or editing until around 10. If I am working on an exhibition, or a class, I am much more focused, as there tends to be a tighter deadline involved, particularly when there is marking to do.

What's the best advice you ever received?
If you have something that you want to or need to do, don’t just leave it until tomorrow, tomorrow there will be new things to do, new opportunities and new hindrances.

I am Echo Rivera and This is How I Work

Today, I have the pleasure of hosting Dr. Echo Rivera in the "How I Work" series. Echo is the owner of Creative Research Communication (CRC) and a research associate at a nonprofit research/evaluation center in Denver, CO. Her passion is helping researchers, evaluators, academics, and nonprofits communicate their social equity work effectively and creatively. One way she does this is by helping people become more effective visual communicators, so we can end the text-heavy, ineffective presentation status quo. Plus, academics tend to lose steam at the end of a project and often settle with journal articles or academic conferences. Her dream is to add some creativity to the research communication/dissemination process through more science-based personal websites, zines, comics, and other creative outlets.

Current Job: (1) Owner, Creative Research Communication and (2) Research Associate at Center for Policy Research
Current Location: Denver, CO
Current mobile device: Samsung S6 Edge
Current computer: iMac, Acer Chromebook, and Windows Desktop

Can you briefly explain your current situation and research to us?
So far, at Creative Research Communication (CRC) I've created free resources to help academics, researchers, evaluators, and nonprofits create more effective and visual presentations. In fact, I just had a blast creating my first ever email course to teach people how to use visuals quickly, called Create Your Visual Database. And because I love comics, I also created a visual cheatsheet of my top 10 presentation tips.

I also work as an evaluator at a center in Denver. Here, I help programs and federal/state departments determine whether their social program, policy, or initiative was effective at achieving their goals. I work on a variety of topics, ranging from gender-based violence and domestic violence program services, home visiting programs, SNAP/Medicare enrollment, and prisoner re-entry programs.

What tools, apps and software are essential to your workflow?
Google Drive has been a lifesaver. I use so many devices and both Windows & Macs that it can sometimes be a nightmare to keep all the pieces together. As I use Google Drive more, this is becoming less stressful.

Adobe Illustrator is essential for my digital comics and drawings. I'm really not that great at drawing by hand, though I'm practicing every day to get better. My cheatsheet was, and all my digital comics are, created in Illustrator.

Microsoft Office is absolutely essential. I use it every (work) day to write reports, create presentations, calculate numbers, and check my (work) email.

Apple Keynote is my preferred application to make presentations. Powerpoint 2016 is significantly better than 2013, but Keynote is still my go-to.

ConvertKit - I know a lot of people think email is dead, but it's a great way for me to keep in touch with people about what's going on at Creative Research Communication, and it's how I was able to set up an email course.

Twitter! I consider engaging with people on Twitter to be a critical part of my work. If I'm not out there talking with others and learning from them about their questions, concerns, and ideas...then I am less effective at my job. Reach out @echoechoR!

What does your workspace setup look like?
In general, my workspace is pretty clean and is well-organized. I don't work well if things are cluttered around me.

I run Creative Research Communication entirely from my home office. I draw comics, create free resources, and run webinars using my iMac + external monitor for a second screen. It gets a little obnoxious because the desk isn't that big! I also use my Chromebook when I'm lounging in the basement but want to draft a new post.

Home office

What is your best advice for productive research work?
Sometimes the hardest part is getting started. When I have no motivation to do something (writing, data analysis, etc), I just convince myself to open up the program. "I'll at least just look at it," I tell myself. Then something magical happens once the program is open--I just start working!

How do you keep an overview of projects and tasks?
Paper planners & white boards! I never could get used to the digital planners on my phone or computer. I've tried Asana, Trello, Google Calendar, iCal, and so on but would never keep them up to date. There's something about writing something in my calendar by hand or having my tasks up on a whiteboard that helps me stay on track on my work.

My favorite is the at-a-glance weekly planner. I've used it for about 9 years now and haven't found anything better. I pair it with a whiteboard and large paper calendars on my wall.

Besides phone and computer, do you use other technological tools in work and daily life?
Nope.

Which skill makes you stand out?
My presentation skills, definitely! I've been working hard to tell more stories so that my presentation content is engaging. Plus, the actual design of my slides is something I care passionately about and have worked hard over the years to learn how to use information design principles on my slides.

Also, I really like to draw comics and that seems to get people excited (which is great, because comics make me excited, too!). Here's a recent one I made for my blog post:



What do you listen to when you work?
Heavy metal. Rammstein is the perfect band to help me concentrate while entering data or doing any type of repetitive task!

What are you currently reading? How do you find time for reading?
I just finished "Behind Her Eyes" by Sarah Pinborough (Thriller, Fiction). Loved it, highly recommend if you're a fan of thrillers! I have yet to start my next book. I usually read for 30-60 minutes right before bed, and/or Sunday mornings.

Are you more of an introvert or extrovert? How does this influence your working habits?
Introvert, definitely. I have to space out my meetings and interviews out more than others because I get really tired and need to "recharge" more than my extroverted colleagues do.

What's your sleep routine like?
I'm usually in bed between 10-11pm and up between 7-8am.

What's your work routine like?
I work pretty standard hours at my full-time job (9-5pm), though that's a bit off because my partner has night classes this semester and we share a car. Then I usually work on Creative Research Communications on Saturday. But now that the weather is warming up (it's February right now), I'm going to have to find some time for hiking and biking during the weekend here in Colorado!

What's the best advice you ever received?
I'm torn between two bits of advice: 1. It never hurts to ask for something you want, especially funding. and 2. Don't feel like you have to react or respond to every. single. thing.

I am Maryse Bourgault, and This is How I Work

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Maryse Bourgault. Maryse is an Assistant Professor at Montana State University Northern Agricultural Research Center in Cropping Systems and Agronomy. Her aim is to help improve the productivity, profitability and sustainability of agricultural systems in Montana and other dry areas through diversification of cropping systems, in particular using pulse crops (field peas, lentils, chickpeas) in rotation in cereal-based cropping systems. She is a crop physiologist by training and uses these methodologies to bridge the gap between field- and farm-level productivity and genetic improvement for drought and cold tolerance. She previously conducted research on the effects of elevated CO2 in Australia at the Australian Grains Free Air CO2 Enrichment (AGFACE) and at CSIRO with the Climate Adaptation Flagship program. Maryse graduated with a Ph.D. from McGill University (Montreal, Canada) in 2009.

Current job: Assistant Professor, Cropping Systems Agronomy
Current Location: Havre, MT
Current mobile device: iPhone (but I don’t know if the next one will be)
Current computer: DELL

Please explain your current situation and research to us.
I have just started as an Assistant Professor at Montana State University Northern Agricultural Research Station. My research direction is yet to be defined, but I am particularly interested in using crop physiology to support breeding by variety/advanced lines characterization. I am also interested in testing new crops for increased diversification for benefits in soil health, reduced disease pressure, etc.

What tools, apps, or software are essential to your work flow?
For better or for worst, the Microsoft Office suite. We use the outlook calendar as a group quite a bit, and it allows us to see what everyone is up to.

For statistics and data visualization and making graphs, I use R.

I also like the software FreeMind, a mind map software, although sometimes, my white board is just as good.

What does your workspace look like?
I used to like to alternate between offices (home, lab, library even), but I am increasingly appreciative of a fixed workplace. It allows me to compartmentalize work and leisure activities/rest. I find it helps me with my work-life balance. This said, I do not get interrupted much at work, so it does not break my flow when trying to write (or I put a sign on my door saying “Trying to write; enter at your own risk” – which knowing me people know it is a joke (I won’t bite their heads off), but they also know not to bother me for too long). I would like to have my desk clean and uncluttered, but I tend to have unread papers in various piles (something I’m working on…).



What is your best advice for productive academic work?
What has helped me a lot is to have a regular schedule. I know not everyone is like this, and of course during the field season, this does not apply, but at least when I am in the office, I do an 8 to 5 day. And I focus on work and only work during this time. If I know I’ll work on the weekend, then I start doing other things (paying bills, checking things out on the net, etc.) and I don’t feel guilty, because, hey, I’ll be pulling more hours this week. However, I find that I get more distracted, and I might do more hours, but I am not convinced I achieve more in the end.

How do you keep track of projects and tasks?
Every month, I take some time to reflect on my achievements of the last month, I plan the following month, I think about what might go wrong, and I identify priorities. And I write it all down. I have a special lab book for this. I have been doing this for the last nine years, since mid-way through my PhD, and it has worked great for me. I still underestimate how long it might take for tasks, but I’m getting better at it. I will sometimes have another look at it if something crops up that I didn’t expect. At other times, especially if I feel overwhelmed by everything that needs to be done, I use it just to remind myself of what really needs to be done, and what can wait a bit more.

Besides phone and computer, do you use other technological tools in work and daily life?
I do have a tablet, mostly for reading, but honestly, I still use a lot of paper and ink. My “agenda” (besides what I need to share with others which ends up on our shared calendar) consists of blank monthly calendar sheets I print off Outlook and I fill these by hand (usually in pencil, so I can erase). My lab books are all paper and ink – often I’ll print graphs off and paste them in. The paper calendar helps me count days better (for example when growing plants), and I find the paper lab books are better when trying to find something. It might take a bit longer, but I think it also allows me more time to think.

Which skills make you stand out as an academic?
I have checked with colleagues about this, and the first thing that I was told was that I was personable and friendly and that I could talk with just anyone. It’s important when dealing with farmers to be approachable, and I think it has helped me a lot to get this new job.

What do you listen to when you work?
I used to listen to Sarah McLachlan, Enya, Miss Higgins, Nora Jones… easy listening, soothing music or classical such as Chopin and Mozart when reading or writing. In the field, anything goes! In the last few years though, I found that when reading or writing, I prefer to work without music at all as I find it distracting.

What are you currently reading? How do you find time for reading?
I do read a lot both at work and at home. I have lived without a television at home for years, listening to the news on the radio and catching some programs on the internet only. So, I read a lot of fiction for entertainment, crime thrillers, sci-fi fantasy, romance, drama, etc. At work, I will sometimes book specific time slots for reading, especially as part of a literature review for a project proposal and when I start a manuscript. I also take time during lunch to read the Societies magazines and trade magazines.

Are you more of an introvert or extrovert? How does this influence your working habits?
This is a little hard to say because every test I have done is putting me either a little of one or the other, so I think I am mostly in the middle. I do tend to feel a little lonely if I am working from home for too long, but I also get a bit overwhelmed with everyone in conferences. For every day routine though, it is good. I’m happy to be around people without talking to them much during the day, but I’m also happy to have a good long (productive) chat with someone once in a while as well.

What is your sleep routine like?
I sleep a lot! I love sleeping! LOL. I like to get to bed at 10 pm and get up around 6 or 6:30 am, although I often get to bed a little later (and end up throwing myself out of bed at 7:30…). I often sleep until noon on Saturdays. It also happens on Sunday, but I try to get up earlier so I’m not turning in bed for hours on Sunday night trying to get to sleep.

What is your work routine like?
I like to follow the routine of everyone else around me. It sort of forces me to get to work in the morning – and to get home not too late at night. These days, I’m working 8 to 5 pm. During field work, we can pull long days and then it is a different story. This said, I’m not a workaholic. I really like to focus on work during office hours, and do other stuff during evenings and weekends.

What is the best advice you ever received?
It’s important to know what you want in life. Things will not always go your way, and no one ever only does what they want, but at least when the going gets tough, you don’t have to go adrift as well. There might be situations where the choice is to stay or leave, and if you know what you want, you can make that choice and not feel victimized.

I am Arun Verma and This is How I Work

Today I have the pleasure of interviewing Arun Verma for the "How I Work" series. Arun is a Social Psychologist/Health Professions Education researcher, with over 7 years experience specialising in Equality & Diversity, Professionalism and Qualitative Research Methods. As an expert in this field, he has presented his research at international conferences. Arun has been successfully recognised for his academic research and won a number of awards in to support impact in his teaching and research. He completed his Masters in Clinical Psychology in 2013. He currently provides academic tutoring, assessment and feedback for students on the Master's in Medical Education program and is nearing completion of his PhD titled; "Retention and succession health care education: Exploring the influence of gendered identities in male- and female- dominated environments".


Current Job: PhD Researcher and Part-time Staff Tutor
Current Location: United Kingdom
Current mobile device: Apple iPhone 6s
Current computer: Macbook Pro

Can you briefly explain your current situation and research to us?
I am currently a Higher Education Academy Mike Baker doctoral researcher, with my PhD titled “Retention and success in healthcare education: Exploring the influence of intersecting identities in male- and female-dominated environments” and in the last few months before I submit. I am also a Part-time Staff Tutor at the Centre for Medical Education (University of Dundee), teaching on multiple modules (i.e. Management & Leadership). I am on the Editorial board for the upcoming Psychreg Journal of Psychology, and an active reviewer for prestigious journals - Medical Education, International Perspectives in Equality & Diversity, and The Student Doctor Journal.

What tools, apps and software are essential to your workflow?
There are so many but, for project management the key ones are Slack (online collaborative software), Doodle (scheduling), Microsoft Outlook (for scheduling meetings) and Timely (for tracking my time management).

For analysis, I use ATLAS.ti (Computer Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Software: CAQDAS), SPSS, Microsoft Excel and Papers (reference manager).

For writing, I use a Moleskin notebook (pen and paper), Microsoft One Note (collating and organising ideas) and Microsoft Word.

For presenting, I use Microsoft PowerPoint.

What does your workspace setup look like?
I am doing my PhD by distance, so I try to vary my working environments. I currently switch from my home to coffee shops. I try to keep my PhD desk relatively minimal, with a couple of supportive faces (i.e. Mr Potato Head and Optimus Prime).

Home office setup

What is your best advice for productive academic work?
I currently have four PhD supervisors so I have had to learn and embrace four very different styles of feedback, whilst ensuring a smooth team working process. This has meant my resilience and thick skin has really grown from when I first started the PhD.
My advice is to invest in developing your resilience to help bounce back from feedback and adversity. I also think you shouldn't give yourself a hard time when getting feedback from the academic network. Academic work can be cognitively and physically consuming, so treat yourself kindly when you can.

How do you keep an overview of projects and tasks?
During my final year, I made 3 to 4 month project timelines to map out what tasks needed to be done and when. I found writing a week-by-week schedule was helpful to plan realistic goals. I also use the Tasks and Reminders settings on Microsoft Outlook and Calendar to ensure I don’t leave things until the last minute!

Besides phone and computer, do you use other technological tools in work and daily life?
My iPod classic, because I can’t receive emails or notifications on that device. It means I can listen to my music without interruption and I find music is my way of having a time out from academic work.

Which skill makes you stand out as an academic?
My tenacity, which is my strength but also a limitation. As a strength, my tenacity means that I do not give up on a task and can retain and apply knowledge in innovative ways, whilst being adaptive and getting out of my comfort zone. As a limitation, it also means I can jump head first into a task without spending time planning or preparing for it. I’ve been spending time learning and developing these planning skills to help continue my own professional development.

What do you listen to when you work?
I listen to different genres of music for different types of work:
When I’m writing, I typically listen to instrumental and classical music, like the London and Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Ennio Morricone or Vangelis.
When I’m analysing data, I listen to dance/electronic music, including DeadMau5, Shapeshifters and Daft Punk.
When I’m preparing presentations/reviewing my own work, I listen to rock/pop music, including The Pixies, David Bowe, Prince, Solange, Aretha Franklin.

What are you currently reading? How do you find time for reading?
I signed up to Audible, and am currently being read the book “Sapiens: A brief history of human kind”, which was recommended to me by an Australian colleague at a conference (OTTAWA/ANZHAPE) in 2016. I try to spend about an hour a week (usually in the morning or evening) doing this.

Are you more of an introvert or extrovert?
I would probably say I lend myself more to the extrovert side of the spectrum. I enjoy talking and meeting new people, which has been great for conferences as I have met some fantastic people and made some great connections. It also has meant I can get more involved in different workplace environments quite easily.

What's your sleep routine like?
I try to get to sleep between 21:00-22:00, and I aim for about 7-8 hours an evening to feel rested.

What's your work routine like?
I work 6 days a week quite comfortably. I’m currently looking for post-PhD research work, so I find some of my time is dedicated to extra-curricular activities to help with my employability. My typical hours range between 8-12 hours per day.

What's the best advice you ever received?
I wasn’t given advice per se, but there has always been one quote that has resonated with me, and that I use to draw on a lot. It’s something Ghandi said,
“In a gentle way, you can shake the world”.

I am Christian Olele and This is How I Work

Today, I have the pleasure of hosting Christian Olele from Nigeria in the How I Work series. Christian is a registered Professional Engineering Geologist with the Council of Nigerian Mining Engineers and Geoscientists (COMEG) and Project Manager experienced in the sector of Geotechnical Engineering in Nigeria, West Africa. He received his B.Sc. and PGdip. degrees in Geology from the University of Port Harcourt, Choba, Nigeria; and his M.Sc. degree in Project Management from the University of Liverpool, Liverpool, U.K. Christian supervised several Sub-Structure Projects that deal with Geotechnics on the Lekki Toll Road Infrastructure Project (Pedestrian Bridges, Falomo Ramp Bridge and Toll Booths & Plazas), Bored and Precast Concrete Piles & Metal Sheet Piles for Osborne Jetty Terminal, Ikoyi, Lagos. Currently, he is heading the construction management team of EdgeGold Concept Services Limited, Lagos.

Current Job: Project Manager
Current Location: Lagos, Nigeria (West Africa)
Current mobile device: Iphone 6
Current computer: HP ProBook 4330

What tools, apps and software are essential to your workflow?
MS Project, Primavera, Tsoft.

What does your workspace setup look like?

On the job site

What is your best advice for productive academic work?
My M.sc Thesis (The Challenges of Public Private Partnership (PPP) Projects in a Developing Country: The Case Study of the Lekki Toll Road Infrastructure Project in Lagos, Nigeria).

How do you keep an overview of projects and tasks?

• I create my list of Tasks in a Project
• I follow up on the resources needed for each tasks
• I check daily with Progress on each task to make sure the Project is within time and Budget
• I call for review meeting with the team to motivate them
• I meet with the Project Stakeholders to brief them about the progress on the Project.

Besides phone and computer, do you use other technological tools in work and daily life?
I use an iPad and camera.

Which skill makes you stand out as an academic?
My skills with regard to presentation, writing, and communication

What do you listen to when you work?

• I listen to learn something new in my profession
  
• I listen to the plight of people so as to solve their problems and give advice
  

What are you currently reading? Currently, I am reading "The New Rules: Emotional Intelligence" by Dr. Rob Yeung

Are you more of an introvert or extrovert? How does this influence your working habits?

• I am an Extrovert and have impressive powers of concentration and problem solving 
• I volunteer for everything that comes along. Work on several committees at a time, even if the committees have little in common. 
• I involve myself socially with everyone and instigate personal discussions. 
• I can become overly friendly with staff and clients and keep Proper boundaries to maintain the respect of others.  

What's your sleep routine like?
I sleep between midnight and 6 am  

What's your work routine like? 
 I work in the office 3 days a week and field 2 days (Sometimes 3 days a week).  

What's the best advice you ever received?
“If someone offers you an amazing opportunity and you are not sure you can do it, say yes. Then learn how to do it later.” — Richard Branson

I am Pranoti Kshirsagar and This is How I Work

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Pranoti Kshirsagar for the "How I Work" series. Pranoti was born and raised in Nagpur, India. After finishing her bachelors in technology in Metallurgical and Materials Science and Engineering, she moved to Germany. She holds a masters degree in Materials Science from the University of Stuttgart. Check out her website or follow her on Twitter.

Current job: Working on my PhD
Current location: Tuebingen, Germany
Current mobile device: Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 and Mi 4i
Current computer: Macbook Pro

Can you briefly explain your current situation and research to us?
I am developing a reliable and reproducible fabrication technique for integrating carbon-based materials into microelectrode arrays (MEAs) which are used in biomedical applications. MEAs are used to record signals from cells such as neurons. The focus of my work is on two wonderful forms of carbon: carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene. Both these materials are extensively researched in the past two decades, although their entry in biomedical field is relatively recent.

My work is fairly interdisciplinary. As a materials scientists I produce CNTs and graphene out of thin air (read: gases in a vacuumed chamber), integrate into the MEAs and voila, the device is ready for the cells to grow on. Our biologists then culture either cardiac or neuron cells on my devices. If they are in the mood, my devices host retina slices. Goal is to record cellular activity from different kinds of cells and maybe in the future excite the neurons with laser and witness the information transfer.

So in a nutshell, I collaborate with chemists, physicists, neurobiologists, biomedical technologists and several other field experts.

What tools, apps and software are essential to your workflow?
I use a lot of machines for the characterization of carbon. A few of the common ones are the atomic force microscope, the scanning electron microscope and the Raman spectrometer. I use a bunch of software packages like MATLAB, Origin, Coreldraw and TeXstudio to name a few.

What does your workspace setup look like?
I work in the labs at my institute and also at the university. So far I have a office at the institute, home and soon will be getting a desk at university.

home office

work desk

What is your best advice for productive academic work?
There are several pieces of advice I can offer. :D

Smart time management is the key. The quality of the work is more important than the quantity of the work. Always have a goal in mind when working on a project / report. Every once in a while take a step back and judge your work from a third person's point of view. It helps to have the big picture in mind.

Exercise of any kind is very helpful for both physical and mental health. I am more productive and positive on the days starting with workout. Type of exercise can be of your choice jogging, gym, swimming, biking, yoga..anything that keeps you focused and pumped up. Make a schedule and stick to it.

Set personal goals. Try to be as independent as possible. Always work towards a goal. I set goals for every day, every week. Remember, big picture!

Take time off. Try to stick to working hours. Your brain needs rest. To be more precise, your brain needs to think of other aspects of life than work. Take at least a day off every week. If you worked on the weekend take a day off during the week. Go to holidays twice a year. It is very important to cut off from the lab and make a fresh start.

Treat yourself. When you finish the task at hand on or before deadline, treat yourself. It can be as small as buying yourself a butter-brezel. If you like solo travel, do it. I treated myself with a 2 month long holiday before starting PhD.

How do you keep an overview of projects and tasks?
Each working day starts with making a plan and ends with updating the plan. Everyday I take a step back and look at the progress I have made. If the day is not as productive as expected, I invest more time in the project the next day till I am at par. It helps to prioritise the projects. Not every project needs attention on daily basis. Instead of writing email to colleagues I prefer to walk down the hall and speak about the work in person.

Besides phone and computer, do you use other technological tools in work and daily life?
All my machines are very dear to me. I need all of them at least once a week.

Which skill makes you stand out as an academic?
Perspective. Motivation. Drive. Science communication.

It is very important to have the right perspective. Many scientists are unaware of where their work stands in the real world. One of the main reasons for doing a PhD should be the passion for research. This is something I miss in the aspiring PhD students.

Motivation is often lost over the course of PhD. But one has to keep the spirits high. The experiments are bound to fail hence I always have a plan B. There is a plan B1 in case plan B fails. :D You should believe in the power of your results. This comes in handy when presenting at conferences.

Drive to make things work is essential. As a PhD student you are expected to step in and take control of the project. Don't rely on your supervisor / prof to solve your problems. Its YOUR PhD, not theirs. Try to solve issues yourself before approaching anyone.

Communicate your science. It is very important for future collaboration. Take advantage of the available resources to attend conferences, seminars, workshops. You should be able to explain your work in 1 min. It is very important to engage an audience of experts from varied fields in your work.

What do you listen to when you work?
This is an interesting one. I always have my headphones with me. I listen to Indian music and several other artists around the world depending on the mood and work at hand. While writing I prefer Indian music as it is comforting. In lab the music ranges from Alela Diane to Dire Straits to Artic Monkeys, the list goes on. There is so much good music out there!

What are you currently reading?
It is a tad bit difficult to keep up with reading literature other than science papers. But I try. Last book I read was pretty intense so I am giving myself some time off now. The next book on the list is 'Alone in Berlin'. I read while commuting and before going to bed.

Are you more of an introvert or extrovert? How does this influence your working habits?
I am a very selective extrovert. My work benefits from this. At conferences and workshops I am more of an extrovert. This helps a lot with networking and communicating science. I love presenting my work in front of a diverse audience.

What's your sleep routine like?
I go to bed between 10 pm - 11 pm and wake up between 5 am - 6 am.

What's your work routine like?
I start work between 7 am - 8 am depending on if I was swimming or at the gym before. I work till 5 pm - 6pm.

What's the best advice you ever received?
Research isn't only lab-work it is also how you package your work and present it to the public.
Be aware that you are woman in science. You will have to go an extra mile every once a while to prove your worth, it's the bitter truth.

I Am Jennifer Askey and This is How I Work

Today, I have the pleasure of hosting Dr. Jennifer Askey in the "How I Work" series, from EnergizedAcademic. Her goal as a coach is to help clients work through frustrations, blocks, and setbacks to optimize their productivity and happiness--whether inside the academy or outside. She also coaches people who are ready to see their currently successful academic careers grow and flourish. 

Her academic career has spanned a wide array of jobs, types of institutions, and research contexts. She has worked as an adjunct/sessional instructor, been on the tenure-track and achieved tenure (Kansas State University in 2010), and worked on temporary full-time contracts. She has been an academic office administrator, served on personnel committees and on university Faculty Senate. She spent two years developing new academic programs and working on cyclical program review and have shepherded new academic requirements through approval processes. She has seen the university from multiple vantage points and isfamiliar with both the problems and the potentials there for graduate students, faculty, administrators, and staff.

Her academic training is in Political Economy and German literature. She seeks to impower het clients to harness their own experiences to maximize their potential. She is working toward ICF (International Coach Federation) certification with the Coach Training Institute. 

General:
Current Job: sole proprietor and coach at Energized Academic
Current Location: Hamilton, Ontario
Current mobile device: LG4 android phone
Current computer: MacBook Pro 15" laptop, circa 2013, Acer Chromebook c 2016

Can you briefly explain your current situation and research to us?
I run a coaching business that offers productivity, coaching, and personal/leadership development services to academics (broadly defined). Instead of researching German literature of the 19th century, like I did in my professorial gig, I research paths in and outside of academia; research on positivity and habits, and small business stuff.

What tools, apps and software are essential to your workflow?
I use both digital and analog tools. I have modified the Bullet Journal set-up to work for me as sort of a long-range to-do list plus daily accountability tracker. I have a vast array of pens in many colours. My phone is 100% essential for meeting reminders, as well as mobility on skype or phone with clients. I use Dropbox and Google Drive to share docs with my clients; with the acquisition of the Chromebook, though, I find myself navigating more toward Drive and wish that everyone else did, too. I appreciate having all of our shared notes and records in one common space and the version tracking that both of these services provide.

Recently I've begun using Trello.com, a kanban-style workflow board online, to track issues and questions my clients and I want to cover, are currently covering, and have covered. It is also a way to keep our meeting notes in one spot.

What does your workspace setup look like?
I work from home, in a cozy corner of a refurbished attic.

What is your best advice for productive academic work?
Schedule your time well, give yourself hard deadlines, remember that the perfect is the enemy of the good, and don't let little things gobble up all your time. Hire a coach to optimize your productivity and focus on your values and goals.

How do you keep an overview of projects and tasks?
Trello boards and the Bullet Journal

Besides phone and computer, do you use other technological tools in work and daily life?
Not really

Which skill makes you stand out as an academic?
Well, I'm not a practicing academic at the moment but a lot of the skills I used in teaching and research apply to my current position as coach. I am an excellent public speaker and lecturer. I really listen to students and colleagues. I understand the big picture that comes into being at the intersection of a person's individual agenda and the university's mission.

What do you listen to when you work?
Instrumental/classical music, if anything.

What are you currently reading? How do you find time for reading?
I am currently reading Motorcycles and Sweetgrass by Drew Hayden Taylor and am listening to a murder mystery in the Danish Dept Q series on audiobook. Audiobooks are for dog walks; printed texts are for bedtime or family reading time (instead of TV!). I'm also reading Hey Ladies, Stop Apologizing to review for my professional blog; I fit that into my work day in fits and starts.

Are you more of an introvert or extrovert? How does this influence your working habits?
I am an extrovert. This definitely influenced my decision to become a coach, which requires marketing myself to people, reaching out to them, sharing my opinions and expertise, and--occasionally--pushing people outside of their comfort zones.

What's your sleep routine like?
In my fantasy life, I go to bed at 11 and get up at 6:30. The 6:30am time is proving to be a bit optimistic when I don't have transit to catch or a class to show up to.

What's your work routine like?
It is variable because my non-negotiable work times are when I have calls or meetings scheduled with clients. These vary from week to week, so does my routine then, as well. I try to fit in a bit of professional reading each day, and make time for physical exercise (walk the dog, yoga) and meditation almost every day. I answer a lot of email and keep up with book keeping and scheduling, which takes up a fair amount of time.

What's the best advice you ever received?
Know what a fulfilled and content life look like for you; know what your non-negotiable values are and use all that information to find the career, life partner, etc. for you.

I am Nyasha Junior and This is How I Work

Today, I have the pleasure of hosting Nyasha Junior in the "How I Work" series. Junior is an amateur and professional bookworm. She writes, teaches, and tweets on race, gender, and religion. Discover more at nyashajunior.com and follow her (flame emoji) tweets @NyashaJunior.

Current Job: Assistant Professor of Hebrew Bible, Department of Religion, Temple University
Current Location: Philadelphia
Current mobile device: iPhone 6
Current computer: MacBook Pro

Can you briefly explain your current situation and research to us?
I teach biblical studies at Temple University. This semester, I am teaching Death and Dying and Feminist and Womanist Biblical Interpretation. My current research project is on biblical Hagar and how she is reinterpreted as a Black woman.

What tools, apps and software are essential to your workflow?
I use RefWorks for citation, and I use Gcal and Workflowy for staying organized.

What does your workspace setup look like?
I work at home. I’m trying a new setup with a floor desk.

What is your best advice for productive academic work?
Take naps.

How do you keep an overview of projects and tasks?
I use Workflowy, Excel, and strategic avoidance.

Besides phone and computer, do you use other technological tools in work and daily life?
I wear wireless noise-cancelling headphones.

Which skill makes you stand out as an academic?
Brevity.

What do you listen to when you work?
I listen to Laura Mvula a lot these days.

What are you currently reading? How do you find time for reading?
Kindred by Octavia Butler. I turn off electronics an hour before going to bed and read fiction.

Are you more of an introvert or extrovert? How does this influence your working habits?
Introvert. I prefer to work alone.

What's your sleep routine like?
Early to bed. Early to rise to get to yoga class.

What's your work routine like?
Email. Work. Email. Highly Questionable. Email. Work. Netflix. All with ongoing Twitter.

What's the best advice you ever received?
Let your light shine.

I am Brett Say, and This is How I Work

Today, I have the pleasure of hosting Brett Say in the "How I Work" series. Brett is a Doctoral Student and Graduate Research Assistant in Michigan State University’s, Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education (HALE) program in Lansing, Michigan, USA. He has a bachelor’s degree in English from the Pennsylvania State University and a Master’s degree in Professional Writing and Rhetoric from George Mason University. His research interests include organizational process development and change in higher education as well as the human resource and talent management policies of colleges and universities.

Current Job: Doctoral Research Assistant (Doctoral Student)
Current Location: Michigan State University, Lansing, Michigan – United States
Current mobile device: Samsung Galaxy S4
Current computer: Microsoft Surface Pro 3

Can you briefly explain your current situation and research to us?
I am currently a 2nd-year PhD student at Michigan State University, in Lansing, Michigan (U.S.). I have a 20-hour a week graduate research assistantship for which I am paid and receive tuition benefits. In my assistantship, I am researching the role and operations of faculty and staff retirement organizations in higher education. My personal research interests include Organizational development, strategic planning, and talent management in higher education. A secondary interest is mentoring practices in graduate education programs. I am 33 years old and newly married.

What tools, apps and software are essential to your workflow?
My computer is my primary tool. Essential software includes most Microsoft Office tools (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, etc.). I also am learning SPSS for statistical analysis and use Qualtrics software for survey development.

For recording interviews I use a Tascam DR-05 audio recorder and to transcribe interviews I typically use some form of dictation software (dictation using Google Docs is common).

What does your workspace setup look like?
I typically work in a quiet space in my university’s library or at home in a home office.

Library Space: Cubicle within library stacks. Windows on either side.


Alternate Space in Library:



What is your best advice for productive academic work?
Keeping mentally healthy and developing some kind of routine. Long, unpredictable hours can be very detrimental to productive work. Breaking work into digestible pieces, and making a plan as to how you will complete that work over a period of time is very important. Backdating projects can be helpful. I also create a daily “to do” list that is prioritized.

How do you keep an overview of projects and tasks?
A daily “to do” list that is updated every morning. I also keep a calendar that has important assignments or project due dates on it. I look at work in the months to come once or twice a week, then update my daily activities accordingly.

Besides phone and computer, do you use other technological tools in work and daily life?
I have a Playstation 4 that I use to watch TV or play games.

Which skill makes you stand out as an academic?
I feel I am a unique combination of a theoretical thinker who is very detail oriented. I often like to identify “big” problems or projects, then drill down into the details to determine what can actually be done on a smaller scale to find a solution to the problem. Once I decide on an approach, I am very detail and process-oriented.

What do you listen to when you work?
Nothing. I prefer relative silence.

What are you currently reading? How do you find time for reading?
Academically, I am trying to read organizational management literature. “Contemporary Strategy Analysis” by Robert Grant is a recent book assigned for a class that I enjoyed. Personally, I recently finished the Cormac McCarthy novel “Blood Meridian.” I am now reading a series of graphic novels called “The Fade Out.” I find time for personal reading before bed. I get into bed about 30-60 minutes before I feel I need to go to sleep, and reading helps me relax.

Are you more of an introvert or extrovert? How does this influence your working habits?
Introvert, though not particularly antisocial. I enjoy one-on-one interactions or small groups. This makes working in larger, group projects more difficult as everyone typically has a different idea of how best to work within a team. Some like the work to be more social (e.g. while getting coffee, dinner, etc.) or some like informal brainstorming. I enjoy meeting, breaking the project into individual parts, and then having each individual report back to the group. This, however, is not always the best way to approach projects as informal discussion can be very helpful.

What's your sleep routine like?
I typically try to sleep by no later than 11:30pm and get a minimum of 7.5 to 8 hours of sleep. I find graduate school disrupts a regular sleep schedule though as you are not always required to get up at a certain time during certain days of the week, which may make you feel like you can stay up or get up later depending on the day.

What's your work routine like?
I try to treat graduate school as if it was a typical 9am-5pm job. That is easier said than done. Typically, I work during the day and try to avoid working at night or on weekends whenever possible.

What's the best advice you ever received?
Regarding academic writing: To make an outline and determine what story I am trying to tell. Place a post it next to the computer with that idea. Write your paper and then go back. Question everything you put into the paper. Does it tell the story or not? If it does not contribute to telling the story, it gets deleted no matter how interesting a point or how well written it was.

Regarding work-life balance: Make time for yourself. Determine how/when you are going to step away from your work. The coal-mining mentality of working hard, long hours to produce more does not translate well to academic work.