PhD Talk for AcademicTransfer: How to find your planning and project management tools

This post is part of the series PhD Talk for AcademicTransfer: posts written for the Dutch academic career network AcademicTransfer, your go-to resource for all research positions in the Netherlands.

These posts are sponsored by AcademicTransfer, and tailored to those of you interested in pursuing a research position in the Netherlands.

If these posts raise your interest in working as a researcher in the Netherlands, even better - and feel free to fire away any questions you might have on this topic!

January is all about sharpening our saw and getting ready for the action of the year ahead. And if we want to get in on the action, we need to make sure we have the right tools for the action.

Everybody is different in the tools that work best for them. Some people prefer to have everything digital or everything analog. Most people, however do best with a mix of tools for different purposes. I've gone from all digital back to parts analog (I prefer physically ticking off things and I prefer reflection based on longhand writing).

With so many software applications out there and planners in all forms and shapes possible, how do we select the right tools? Of course, there's no direct solution to this. My own project management and planning tools change as my needs change, or as I learn how to work better - and yours will change as well.

To get started with the basic parts, however, let's have a look at your needs in different categories and the possible solutions.

1. Day planning
What are the most important things you need to get done on a day? And what are all the small things you need to get done on a day? How much time will this take? How will you lay out your day?

Your tools here are: lists (digital or analog) and calendar (digital or analog).

What I use is: a planning in my Google Calendar for the day, a list of my most important tasks for the day in my notebook, and a list with all small things I need to do (which I process together during a timeslot at the end of the day) in a cloud-based service (I use ToDoist).

2. Week planning
How do you like laying out your week? Do you have a weekly template that you use and that may be easy to repeat? Do people put meetings last-minute on your calendar or do you have more freedom over your time?

Your tools here are: lists (digital or analog) and calendar (digital or analog).

What I use is: a planning in my Google Calendar based on my weekly template for the semester to fit in the major tasks in all categories, as well as a list with my priorities for the week in the categories Work (subdivided into Writing, Research, Teaching, Service, Admin), Self, and Relationships.

3. Monthly planning
What needs to get done this month? Which major events do you have? Which work from last month did you not finish? Do you have holidays coming up, or smaller things such as trips outside the city?

Your tools here are: lists (digital or analog) and calendar (digital or analog).

What I use is: my notebook and calendar: I have a look at the month ahead and note down on one page the days of the month and any major events associated with these dates, and on the other side, I write down what I should be working on in the categories Work, Self, and Relationships.

4. Semester planning
If you teach in a semester system, your schedule may change depending on your teaching load per semester. Therefore, I tend to plan per semester rather than per year. So what teaching responsibilities do you have? Which other major deadlines (milestones or deliverables) are coming up? Do you have other responsibilities that need to be taken care of?

Your tools here are: lists (digital or analog) and calendar (digital or analog).

What I use is: my notebook and calendar: I list down all projects that I have in a semester. I use the following categories of what I need to be working on in a given semester: projects, papers to write, service tasks, teaching, conferences. Then, I make a separate list of priorities in the categories Work, Self, and Relationships. After identifying things I want to do with my family (such as four trips outside the city), I put them on the calendar. I also make seasonal fun lists with activities to do with my daughter according to the season.

5. Year planning
What do you need to do this year, and what do you want to do? Do you have a list with dreams? If so, select a number of items from your list of dreams and list them as your goals for the year. Are there habits you want to improve? If so, make a list, and then plan the order in which you will work on these.

Your tools here are: lists (digital or analog) and calendar (digital or analog).

What I use is: my notebook and calendar: I take a number of things from my list of 100 dreams and see when I can put them on my calendar. I also identify themes for the months in terms of habits or things I want to focus on.

6. Time tracking
Do you find planning difficult? Do you have a hard time figuring out where your time goes? Then track your time. I have found time tracking one of the most helpful tools in being able to realistically plan: when you know how much time something takes you, you can plan for the next time accordingly and not take on tasks when you don't have the time for them.

Your tools here are: time tracking software or a notebook

What I use is: time tracking software. I track my work time. I've also done some time tracking experiments in the past where I track everything (168 hours), and I use such experiments every now and then to learn how my priorities shift in life, but I am not motivated to do this constantly.

7. Reminders
How do you remind yourself to follow up with somebody after you sent them an email? How do you remember deadlines? How do you remember to make a dentist appointment six months into the future? You need a system of automatic reminders.

Your tools here are: agenda or digital reminder system

What I use is: the same cloud-based ToDoist app as what I use for my daily lists. I put everything I need to remember in ToDoist and it will pop up on my daily list on the right day. Very nice is the feature of repeat tasks, so that you can tick of reminders every day, or -say- every Thursday.

8. Reflection
Do you make time to reflect on your progress? Do you make time to reflect on your tools? How do you identify what works for you and what not?

Your tools here are: notetaking sofware or a notebook

What I use is: a "month in review" page in my notebook. I review every month (and at the end of every year) what I've done, what I didn't do, what went well and what didn't go well. Based on my insights, I correct my course for the next month.

9. Storing information
How do you find information back quickly? Where do you store insights you came across on the internet? Where do you store the papers you read?

Your tools here are: software to store information or a system of binders

What I use is: I use Evernote for storing meeting notes, and random things from the internet. I use Endnote for my papers. I use a notebook per project that holds all my hand calculations and meeting notes.

What do you use? If you need some further information, you can read some of my planning and project management posts, or the How I Work series.

I am Anna Clemens, and This is How I Work

Today, I am interviewing Dr. Anna Clemens. Anna is a scientific writing coach and editor with a PhD in chemistry/materials science. She helps scientists to write better papers and grant proposals in less time and regularly blogs about scientific writing. She’s passionate about making academia a better place to work and helping scientists to succeed in their career. In her spare time, she writes her own articles for popular science magazines, such as »Spektrum der Wissenschaft« and »Scientific American«, and goes on hiking trips with her dog Zuza. You can connect with her on Twitter and LinkedIn or reach out by email: edit_at_annaclemens.com

Current Job: Scientific Writing Coach & Editor
Current Location: Prague, Czech Republic
Current mobile device: Samsung S6 (I tend to adopt my friends’ old devices they aren’t using anymore 😊)
Current computer: Dell XPS 13

Can you briefly explain your current situation and research to us?
I help scientists to write papers for high-impact journals and grant proposals that get funded, and my services are ideal for new principal investigators (e.g. Assistant and Junior Professors). I focus on using the concept of storytelling to help my clients to write scientific articles and funding applications that are clear, concise and accessible to broad audiences.

I’m also a science writer and I try to write a few articles per year for popular science magazines.

What tools, apps and software are essential to your workflow?
Oh, I have to admit I love productivity apps! BUT: I force myself to use as few as possible. I found that in order to be productive it’s a lot more essential to create systems that work for you instead of spending time learning new tools or feeding them with data.

As for the software and apps I currently use, I mainly rely on Microsoft Office products: To review and edit my clients’ papers and proposal, I use Word – the commenting and track-changes functions are crucial! I also use Outlook for email, calendar and task lists – it’s an incredibly powerful piece of software although admittedly it doesn’t look very good and isn’t very user-friendly. And I keep many of my lists and other spreadsheets I need in Excel.
To meet my clients in strategy sessions, I use a video conference software called Zoom, which I’m a big fan of. You can easily share screens and record the sessions and the video and audio quality is high.

When I have larger projects, e.g. when I’m writing an article, I like to use Trello – both as a project management tool and to keep track of information I read.

I also use the note-taking app on my phone quite a lot when I’m on the go. For example, I keep a list there with books I want to read, topic ideas I get for upcoming blog posts, and notes when I’m listening to an audio book while out walking with my dog.

What does your workspace setup look like?
I have a home office. And (despite what you usually hear people say) it works really well for me! Once or twice a week I go to a café for a few hours if I need a change of scenery. I like to meet friends to co-work too or go to a co-working space. That’s also a great opportunity for me to network.



What is your best advice for productive academic work?
Can I offer three? 😊
The first (and most important one) would be to reflect on what works for you and start tweaking your work habits from there. If writing daily doesn’t work for you, don’t force yourself to do it. If you aren’t a morning person, don’t set your alarm for 5am. Find out instead when and under which circumstances you work well and go from there. I know from my own experience that it can be incredibly hard to break free from the norms around e.g. working early in the day and in your office. But it’s worth it!

The second one would be to make sure that what you spend your time doing every day is aligned with your overall goals. It’s easy as an academic to get stuck in admin tasks and departmental meetings while what’s actually moving your career forward would be discussing data with your lab members, publishing papers and winning grants.

And my third piece of advice is: Theme your days! If you know that you’re doing all admin tasks on a Friday, you don’t need to stress (or even think) about them on a Monday or Wednesday. And conversely, if Monday and Tuesday are your writing days, protect them and don’t schedule any meetings then. This approach has made such a difference for my productivity!

How do you keep an overview of projects and tasks?
Here’s my system: Every week on a Friday, I look at my calendar for the upcoming week and my task list. Based on this, I create to-do lists for each day of the week. At the end of each day, I review and adjust the list for the next day.
I like using pen and paper for these daily lists – checking off items is more fun this way 😊 I also keep some space there for notes and thoughts that come up during the day. Once it’s Friday, I review all those notes, and either take action or file them in the appropriate place, e.g. as a task in my general task list.

If I need to keep track on the progress of bigger projects, I use Trello in parallel.

Besides phone and computer, do you use other technological tools in work and daily life?
I have an eBook reader but that’s it.

Which skill makes you stand out as an academic?
Writing (perhaps not so surprisingly) 😊

What do you listen to when you work?
The snoring of my dog 😃 All joking aside, I need it to be quiet when I’m editing or reviewing a client’s paper or proposal. When I’m doing tasks that don’t require such focus, I like to listen to music – for example to a German radio station called “byte.fm” to check out indie pop/rock music that has been released.

What are you currently reading? How do you find time for reading?
I’m currently reading “Why we sleep” by Matthew Walker (as an audio book) and “The people in the trees” by Hanya Yanagihara. I like both! I read the most when I travel but am now trying to read at least half an hour before going to bed. Listening to audio books is easier for me because I’m out walking with my dog a lot. Apart from audiobooks I also listen to a ton of podcasts.

Are you more of an introvert or extrovert? How does this influence your working habits?
I’m an introvert – in the meaning of that I recharge when I’m on my own. I still like to socialise and am generally not shy around people, but it takes energy from me. This is probably why it suits me so well to work from home on my own – I feel like this way I can be the most productive.

What's your sleep routine like?
Since starting to read “Why we sleep” (see my answer to question #9), I’ve realised how important sleep is and that’s why I’ve started to prioritise it. I go to bed somewhere around 10-12pm and don’t set an alarm for the next morning. I typically wake up at 7:30am on my own.

What's your work routine like?
I’m a big proponent of working fewer hours and using them as productively as possible. I typically work for six hours every day – from midday until 6PM. I have quite an extensive morning routine that includes journaling, learning a language (currently Czech), meditating and exercise. I also do any household chores in the mornings and walk, play with and train my dog.

What's the best advice you ever received?
Trust yourself!

I am Ayesha Scott, and This is How I Work

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Ayesha Scott. Dr Scott joined the AUT Business School, Finance Department in October 2016. She obtained her PhD in Financial Econometrics in July 2016 from Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Australia, and has undergraduate degrees in Mathematics and Finance. She is an interdisciplinary researcher, with an agenda that spans violence against women, empirical finance, personal finance and financial econometrics. Her work (particularly on KiwiSaver and personal finance) has generated media interest within Aotearoa New Zealand, and you will find her commentary in outlets such as the NZ Herald and stuff.co.nz. Passionate about healthy financial relationships, Ayesha has ongoing projects exploring the impact of financial and economic abuse in the context of intimate partnerships. This is a critical social issue that must be addressed in NZ and internationally, and her current work aims to give voice to women facing this evasive, invasive and poorly understood form of intimate partner violence.
Ayesha is also interested in the personal financial literacy and capability of New Zealanders, including vulnerable populations, and how we might improve the financial fitness of individuals. Poor financial literacy (knowledge of financial concepts) and capability (the ability to use that knowledge to make better decisions) has a significantly negative social and economic impact on a nation, both in terms of the macro economy and individual welfare.

Broadly, her doctoral research focused on the volatility and correlation dynamics of financial assets such as stocks. The near-continuous flow of price and trade data of financial assets presents researchers with opportunities, as well as unique challenges, to capture the return dynamics of these assets individually and as a group. Such models may lead to insights regarding optimal portfolio allocation decisions, information that will directly benefit investors.”

General:
Current Job: Senior Lecturer – Finance (equivalent of Associate Professor in the US system) at Auckland University of Technology
Current Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Current mobile device: Samsung J-series – don’t ask me what model. Not the most recent one!
Current computer: Work provided HP Elitebook

Can you briefly explain your current situation and research to us?
I am a permanent academic faculty member (equivalent of a tenured Associate Prof in the US system), mother of two children (7 and 5 years old – yes, I had them during my PhD) and my husband is the primary carer. My secret weapon is without doubt the support of my husband, who works part-time at the kids’ school, and is otherwise a stay-at-home dad.

My research is eclectic. I have projects spanning intimate partner violence, personal finance, empirical finance, corporate finance…the project closest to my heart is financial violence, which is the use of money as a weapon against a romantic partner. Predominantly gender-based violence, financial and economic abuse (financial violence) has devastating consequences on families, and my work is focussed on theorising solutions, raising awareness and telling the stories of survivors.

What tools, apps and software are essential to your workflow?
For planning (aka keeping ALL the balls in the air): My bullet journal and Microsoft Outlook calendar
For writing: Word or Scrivener, depending on the project and team
For storage: OneDrive/Dropbox, depending on the collaborator
For data analysis: Matlab, Stata or NVivo, depending on the project
For music: Spotify

What does your workspace setup look like?
Ha! Messy! I am in a perpetual state of flux for this one. I do the work primarily from my office on campus (photo below), because I adore having a double monitor with the option of a third if I open my laptop screen (in the photo this is being used as additional desk space). What you can’t see is the bed, couch and home office I work from at home, the yoga mat in my campus office when I want to lie down and read, or the pile of random paper on a chair behind my desk chair that is my quick version of ‘tidying’ my desk. This ‘tidying’ helps my desk stay relatively operational, and I can’t see the mess 😉
The wall behind my computer monitor is covered in art from my kids, photos of those kids, thank you cards and inspirational quotes.



What is your best advice for productive academic work?
Do what you love. I have been extremely fortunate to land in a department at a university in a country that supports research that matters, and I have been able to transition from a solely quantitative researcher (my PhD is in Financial Econometrics) to a qualitative researcher focusing on personal finance and financial violence in romantic relationships. In an environment where everything we do is judged (students grade our teaching, peers review our research) and we face a ton of critique and rejection, it makes productivity much easier when you believe in the work you are doing.

How do you keep an overview of projects and tasks?
Lists, both handwritten and digital – I keep a bullet journal and schedule EVERYTHING in my calendar. As I go through my day, I update my calendar to reflect how long tasks actually take so I can adjust my expectations in the future. In terms of longer-term goals, I set weekly goals that build toward my semester/quarterly goals.

Besides phone and computer, do you use other technological tools in work and daily life?
I use a dictaphone if the words/ideas aren’t flowing and firmly believe when typing and talking don’t work, a pen and paper will help. An external hard drive automatically backs up my work while I’m sitting at my office desk.

Which skill makes you stand out as an academic?
I would love to put “professional dot connector” on my CV! Seriously, I enjoy building quality relationships with people and believe this is a skill that allows me to work efficiently and effectively across teaching, research and service.

8. What do you listen to when you work?
Spotify’s Morning Motivation playlist gets me through admin tasks, email and teaching prep, if I’m writing then something instrumental. I do try to branch out occasionally, but quickly realise I am a creature of habit! If I’m working on something in particular, I have been known to play one song on repeat.

What are you currently reading? How do you find time for reading?
I have been on a personal development binge this year, and just finished Atomic Habits by James Clear and The Bullet Journal Method by Ryder Carroll. I rarely read one book at a time, I have at least two on the go at any one time. In terms of finding time, I have prioritised my mental health this year and part of that is making myself read non-academic work. I listen to audio books on my walk to work (30 minutes) and read before I go to sleep.
In terms of fiction, I adore romance novels – these tend to be quick reads for me and are pure escapism.

Are you more of an introvert or extrovert? How does this influence your working habits?
I’m an omnivert, for sure, meaning I am 50/50 and it depends on the situation, but as I get older I am becoming more introverted. I teach on large courses, meaning in a given week 650 undergrad students have access to me, not including my teaching team and postgraduate students. To protect my energy, I either wake up early and leave the house before my kids are up and about, or sleep in and cuddle them until we all have to get moving. Whichever happens, the first two hours of my day has to have quiet!

What's your sleep routine like?
I aim for 8 hours and probably get 7.5 on average. I really like getting to sleep before 10 pm and try to wake early (before 6 am), but this is a continual work in progress…I don’t make myself get out of bed before 7 if I’ve had a rubbish sleep, unless I have an appointment early.

What's your work routine like?
Coffee (yes, this is work!), check in with my bullet journal, research if a non-teaching day, teaching prep or meetings if a teaching day – I would love to be one of these people who doesn’t check email until 12noon, but it is unrealistic for me as I have things crop up organically that can take a day in a different direction (research students are great for needing help at random times – and I have an open door policy). I also don’t try to force myself to work on a project if I simply am not feeling it, my energy is sometimes best directed at something different.
I do try to lump my meetings onto teaching days, to try and retain big chunks of time for research days that are flexible. Not always possible, but I try!

What's the best advice you ever received?
That academia is the best job in the world – use the flexibility to your advantage. I’m not sure I do this as well as I could, but it is something I am striving for.

I am Jack Whitter-Jones, and This is How I Work

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Jack Whitter-Jones. Jack is a PhD Student and part time lecturer at the University of South Wales, where he researches Security Operations which encompasses Cyber Security, Machine Learning and Automation. During term time you can find Jack teaching secure web programming and application security, all of which revolve around the wonderful programming language PHP. While a PhD takes up a substantial amount of time, Jack is currently one of three organisers of BSides Cymru which is the first security conference in Wales. With any remaining down time he may have, he also carries out independent security research focusing on programming, machine learning, reverse engineering and general security topics, all of which can be found at his blog.

General
Current Job: PhD Student/Part-Time lecturer
Current Location: University of South Wales
Current mobile device: Android
Current computer: Macbook Pro

Can you briefly explain your current situation and research to us?
I am a PhD Student in the brilliant University of South Wales, where my field of research focuses on Security Operations within Cyber Security. The overall aim of my PhD is to use automation and machine learning to improve log analysis as to help reduce stress of cyber operators in their daily operations.

What tools, apps and software are essential to your workflow?
My Macbook Pro, Mendeley, Visio, Word, Emacs, a Desktop and four screens

What does your workspace setup look like?
I am provided a wonderful desk which holds all the screens that can fit under the sun. Along with two plants and a great desk lamp, that has different modes to reduce the constant white light.

What is your best advice for productive academic work?
The best advice that I have been given is by my supervisor - take breaks regularly. A week long break is better than trying to force yourself out of a slump or writers block, which is going to demotivate or set you back by four weeks.
The best advice that I have learnt is, talk to your co-workers and reach out to people within your field. Everyone wants to talk about research and all the cool things that go along with it.

How do you keep an overview of projects and tasks?
Regular meetings with my supervision team and also employ a project management style to your workload (they were made for this reason).

Besides phone and computer, do you use other technological tools in work and daily life?
Looking at your phone or computer can be tiresome when reading long pdfs and can tether you to your desk. A kindle is the perfect device to go outside and do research.

Which skill makes you stand out as an academic?
It isn’t much of a skill, more so a willingness to speak to anyone, as a PhD can be a lonely experience at times. Speaking to people in your daily life will help with motivation, happiness, building a support network and you meet lots of interesting people along the way.

What do you listen to when you work?
Metal, trance and songs from the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s.

What are you currently reading? How do you find time for reading?
Currently, I am reading: A Guide to Effective Studying and Learning: Practical Strategies from the Science of Learning.

What's your sleep routine like?
I try and get as much as I can, knowing that the end of my PhD is going to be long. But I would recommend anyone that is interested in sleep to check out Matthew Walker.

What's the best advice you ever received?
Don’t be afraid to ask for help or say you don’t know something.

I am Zaira Arvelo, and This is How I Work

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Zaira R. Arvelo Alicea. Zaira told me the following about herself: "Life was also thrilling before becoming a small business owner. I had served as teaching assistant, online curriculum developer, and research assistant at Purdue University and the University of Puerto Rico in Mayaguez for around 8 years. In addition, I had worked as assistant professor at the English Department’s Teacher Preparation program at the University of Puerto Rico in Aguadilla for 4 years. All in all, I had accumulated more than a decade of academic publishing, presenting, and grant writing/managing. You could say I had mastered the academic genres coveted by scientific journals and major organizations related to Literacy and Language, my specialty area. But I had SO much more to learn about how the real world communicates, how to reach wider audiences, communicate in lay terms, and connect with non academics. That’s what I’m here to do: help others with their oral and written communication bringing insight from academia and the business world. The mission of Professional Writing and Development is to use language and training to connect people to their goals. I provide writing, style and grammar editing, as well as English-Spanish translation services for academics, professionals, and small to medium sized businesses. Plus, I facilitate online and face-to-face English and professional communication training for busy people. Simply put, I can be your alley and personal editor in dissertation work, manuscripts, professional site, among others."

General:
Current Job: Proprietor
Current Location: Puerto Rico
Current mobile device: Android
Current computer: Chromebook and Windows Desktop

Can you briefly explain your current situation and research to us?
I am a former full time adjunct assistant professor of English at the University of Puerto Rico’s Teacher Preparation Program who now owns a small business specializing in language services and training. My research has centered on the intersection of literacy and social skills. My research background is in mixed methods research in education.

What tools, apps and software are essential to your workflow?
As an academic and researcher the Microsoft Office Suite, Zotero Plugin, and research software like Nvivo in a powerful computer were a must. As a business owner, my mobile and Chromebook are my weapons of choice. I need access to my business data 24/7 and the long lasting battery provided by this light laptop. Because I can work from anywhere, I prefer using the Google Suite as it syncs across devices. Since I host a YouTube channel where I teach English pronunciation, I still need a powerful desktop from which to run open access software like OpenShot and Audacity. I also rely on a GoPro, and a desk microphone with amplifier. I have an automated electronic store operated with WooCommerce, a blog in WordPress, and a newsletter with MailChimp.

What does your workspace setup look like?
I used to have a neat setup at my former home office until the wall of 6 feet of water brought by hurricane María drowned it all. Now, I alternate between different spaces in a 1 bedroom apartment. I have a tall bar area where I work from my laptop standing up, a yoga ball and folding table in front of a large glass window where I sit, and a dorm like wooden desk where I keep my PC and recording equipment.

What is your best advice for productive academic work?
Scheduling and setting boundaries. Take time to separate spots (or blocks) to work towards writing goals, teaching prep, grading, etc. Establish healthy boundaries like no more committee work, no more than x amount of credits, no work or emails during the weekends. Reward yourself for each small victory. No one is going to do it for you.

How do you keep an overview of projects and tasks?
I used color coded Google Calendar entries, spreadsheets with road maps and red, yellow, green for task status, digital protocols and marketing plans where again I color code the progress of campaigns or products. I also love having interactive checklists like those provided by Google Keep.

Besides phone and computer, do you use other technological tools in work and daily life?
Yes, GoPro, desk microphone, and lapel mic for on the road recording.

Which skill makes you stand out as an academic?
Versatility to think like an academic but speak and write like a real-world person.

What do you listen to when you work?
Ha! Anything from new age to cumbia and rock del patio in English and Spanish.

What are you currently reading? How do you find time for reading?
Mostly online mainstream news outlets being that I am in Puerto Rico witnessing an unprecedented social and political movement.

Are you more of an introvert or extrovert? How does this influence your working habits?
Extrovert. I can work from anywhere and accept these new challenges of owning a business. Unexpected yet crucial tasks pop up every other day and must be solved nearly immediately. Sometimes they include reaching out to lawyers and accountants, other times they entail doing a pitch with a very tight notice.

What's your sleep routine like?
I NEVER pulled all nighters as an academic. My six to eight hours of sleep are sacred. If broken, is certainly not for academic work but for my business or nonprofit contributions.

What's your work routine like?
Depends on the month and the week. I cater to varied audiences and each one has high and low seasons. For example, March is dissertation season with graduate students and there’s lots of editing to be done. November is admission season and undergrads need mentoring in their documentation package. December is seasonal job palooza and mainstream clients need help with their professional documentation.

What's the best advice you ever received?
Always ask “Why me?” when prompted to do voluntary work. And follow up with “Who else have you approached?”. As a Latina scholar, you need to make sure it is your expertise and not your ethnic background they want.

I am Hanan Hindy, and This is How I Work

Today, I have the pleasure of inviting Hanan Hindy in the "How I Work" series. Hanan is a second-year PhD student in the Division of Cyber-Security at Abertay University, Scotland, UK. Her research focuses on Deep Learning usage for Cyber-Security, specifically Intrusion Detection Systems. Hanan holds a bachelor with honours (2012) and a masters (2016) degree in Computer Science from the Faculty of Computer and Information Sciences at Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt. In addition to her research, Hanan has five year teaching experience at various levels and prides herself in helping students explore new subjects in computer science. Check her website here.

General:
Current Job: PhD Student, Division of Cyber-Security, Abertay University
Current Location: Dundee, Scotland
Current mobile device: iPhone 8
Current computer: Dell XPS

Can you briefly explain your current situation and research to us?
I am currently a second year full-time PhD student at Abertay University. I am working on how Machine Learning (ML) can be utilised for building Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS). I am interested in applying new ML techniques to special-purpose networks IDS (i.e. IoT, SCADA, etc.) and how they are different from general-purpose ones.

What tools, apps and software are essential to your workflow?
Python, LaTeX/Overleaf, Email and Calendar app (currently Outlook), GoogleDrive and a Web browser, of course!

What does your workspace setup look like?
I usually have my laptop side-by-side with my notebook(s) and different colour pens and highlighters. Sometimes I use colour-codes but just using different pens help me concentrate. My headphone is a plus.
I tend to work from the University Graduate School office.



What is your best advice for productive academic work?
Keeping a work routine, not in a bad way but fixing working hours, breaks, etc. I strongly believe in this quote "Long-term consistency trumps short term intensity"

How do you keep an overview of projects and tasks?
To-do list, sometimes pen and paper (it feels good to strike off things that are finished)

Which skill makes you stand out as an academic?
Generally, perseverance that is led by the motivation of having an impact.
In terms of teaching, having the ability to communicate the same piece of information to different learning styles.

What do you listen to when you work?
It depends, sometimes silence is the key to concentration but my playlist has a variety of classical and instrumental music. When I miss home, I either listen to an Egyptian radio stream or Arabic hymns.

Are you more of an introvert or extrovert?
A mix of both, I think; which is helpful to keep going. My introvert side helps me stay focused and get the work done with minimal distractions, while my extrovert side recharges my energy and keeps my sanity.

What's your sleep routine like?
I don't have a fixed routine, but I don’t sleep before midnight and usually wake-up by 8.

What's your work routine like?
I work 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. I tend not to work over weekends, however, when I’m too excited to finish something I do work late evenings and/or weekends.

What's the best advice you ever received?
Appreciate your smallest achievements

I am Clayton Mansel, and This is How I Work

Today, I am interviewing Clayton Mansel, an undergraduate student in molecular biology, in the "How I Work" series. Next summer, he plans to apply to MD/PhD programs and pursue a career as a pediatric neurologist. He's also a writer at student-scientist.com where he writes about the tools he uses, his experience as a budding scientist, and science in general. In his free time, Clayton enjoys reading, photography, and playing the french horn.

Current Job: Student
Current Location: Kansas City, MO
Current mobile device: iPhone 7
Current computer: MacBook Pro 13 inch

Can you briefly explain your current situation and research to us?
I go to school at a small liberal arts college where I have the opportunity to lead research projects on my own. In the lab, I study the molecular mechanisms of tributyltin-mediated neurodegeneration in mouse enteric neurons.

What tools, apps and software are essential to your workflow?
There are so many! On my Mac, I use DEVONthink as an ‘everything bucket’ where I store all types of files and organize them using folders and tags. My favorite feature is that it automatically makes every PDF (e.g., research articles) fully searchable and uses AI to categorize and contextualize them. For writing papers, MindNode 6 is my must-have app where I take notes, organize my thoughts, and build a mind map for my paper. For collaboration, Notion has proven to be crucial to my lab’s workflow as we organize our tasks and lab calendar.

What is your best advice for productive academic work?
Find long chunks of time for focus without distractions. For me, it usually takes 30 min without distractions before I even begin to be productive and do meaningful work. Cal Newport wrote about this in his book ‘Deep Work’.

How do you keep an overview of projects and tasks?
I use Things 3 to organize my tasks and projects. But often I will also just write a little ‘hit list’ at the end of the day on sticky note and stick it to my computer monitor to remind me of my next steps the next day. For long term goals and my mission/values, I use Notion which gives me a blank slate to think carefully about what I am doing and where I am going.

Besides phone and computer, do you use other technological tools in work and daily life?
I use an iPad Pro that my school gives every student. I really enjoy it for taking digital notes and reading/marking up PDFs. I also use apps like Concepts which provides an infinite canvas—great for brainstorming. I think the iPad is a great companion device for students, but still not as important as a phone and computer.

Which skill makes you stand out as an academic?
My ability to use technology to make myself more efficient and effective. I have learned over the years how to make technology work for me, not against me, and that is something that has differentiated myself as an academic. As one example, I took the time to learn every feature in Apple’s excellent Keynote (like powerpoint) application, and now when I do presentations, people are always impressed and engaged and ask me how I made certain elements. When it comes to technology, I am usually one step ahead of everyone. (Unfortunately, I can’t say the same about math and statistics!)

What are you currently reading? How do you find time for reading?
I am currently reading ‘Economics for the Common Good’ by Nobel Prize winner Jean Tirole. To find the time, I use a Kindle and the Kindle app because I believe it greatly reduces the friction to reading. With the Kindle, I can highlight and take notes and purchase and download new books in seconds. I put the Kindle app on the home screen of my iPhone, and whenever I have a few minutes, I’ll just pull out whichever book I’m reading and my progress is automatically synced across devices. One of my favorite facts is that reading just 30 minutes a day equates to over 1,000 books read in an average person’s lifetime—I want to die having read 1,000 books!

What's the best advice you ever received?
I don’t know about best ever received, but advice that has really helped me this summer was ‘you can’t do anything wrong’. This advice has really given me the confidence to try new things at the bench and take risks in my research. Mistakes are completely fine and pave the way to success.

I am Steve Tippins, and This is How I Work

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Steve Tippins. Steve has worked for insurance companies and banks and done consulting for numerous firms, both for profit and not-for-profit. He has been a professor in various forms for 30 years. His true passion lies in helping people achieve their goals.
In graduate school, at Florida State University, he was the only student in a new degree program. All of his classes were one-on-one. He is well aware of the lonely journey of a PhD student. After graduate school he worked at Indiana State University for one year then 10 years at Howard University followed by 9 years at Roosevelt University and 6 years at the University of Wisconsin – LaCrosse. He also worked for Walden University for the last 15 years and spent 4 years on the graduate faculty at NorthCentral University. He has broad experience at both traditional and online schools. He has been granted tenure twice and promoted several times. Holds a Professor Emeritus position at Howard University. Been a Department Chair and served on many search committees and promotion and tenure committees. Steve has published over 50 times in academic journals and presented at many conferences. He has written one book that was translated into Japanese. He has Chaired over 80 dissertation committees. With these accomplishments his biggest joy is in working one-on-one with individuals at beyondphdcoaching.com. He enjoys helping people define their goals both related to school and after school and setting up programs and plans to help them get there.

General:
Current Job: Owner/Coach at www.beyondphdcoaching.com and Contributing Faculty at Walden University
Current Location: Eugene, OR
Current mobile device: Iphone 6
Current computer: Macbook - I don't like it as I prefer to be hardwired to the internet yet there is only one port for connecting. There are after market devices that accept the internet connection and the power adapter but they tend to break easily

Can you briefly explain your current situation and research to us?
I currently teach online and coach doctoral students and recent PhD graduates about their careers. Five years ago we had the chance to move to Costa Rica so I resigned from my job at the University of Wisconsin - LaCrosse. After 3 years of Costa Rican life (we really enjoyed it) my wife decided to get a graduate degree in Marriage and Family Therapy so we moved to Eugene. I miss the classroom but I love working with my coaching clients and helping them reach their goals.

What tools, apps and software are essential to your workflow?
The Microsoft suite of programs, my website, and coaching management software (I am just installing this and hope that it really works out). The internet provides everything else that I need at this point.

What does your workspace setup look like?
My workspace is anywhere that I open my laptop. Most days I sit on the couch at home but have been known to work from a tent at a campground, in a coffee shop, or even in my car.

What is your best advice for productive academic work?
Keep at it! Knowledge grows in incremental steps and our work gets done in small pieces. If you get discouraged take a moment to see how far you have come instead of looking at how far you have to go.

How do you keep an overview of projects and tasks?
I am a big list maker and and calendar user. Everyday I look at what needs to be accomplished today, this week, and this month. I am a plodder, I like to get a little bit done every day instead of waiting until the last minute. I also like to be finished a few days before a deadline and let whatever it is sit for a day before I submit anything. That gives my mind a day to let it sit there and see if anything else arises.

Besides phone and computer, do you use other technological tools in work and daily life?
I am pretty much a Luddite, I find that my computer and phone are enough.

Which skill makes you stand out as an academic?
I have been successful taking complicated topics and making them easy for students to understand. As a researcher I figured out a long time ago the review is an outlet for just about anything and not to take the comments of reviewers personally. This has helped me move forward if an article gets rejected.

What do you listen to when you work?
I like Folk music and sometimes Classical or Rock. If I need to be creatively inspired the tight harmonies of the Indigo Girls always seem to help me.

What are you currently reading? How do you find time for reading?
I make sure that I read every night before I go to sleep. My wife and I have been reading to each other before we go to sleep for over 20 years. I find it helps us connect and sleep. On my own I am currently reading Decolonizing Wealth by Edgar Villanueva and a biography of Winston Churchill.

Are you more of an introvert or extrovert? How does this influence your working habits?
I am basically an introvert but in some situations have extrovert tendencies (usually not work related). I like to let ideas come to me so I need time alone to let this happen. I have come up with many ideas while running, biking, or wandering around. I find that I need to give myself space and then ideas/solutions come.

What's your sleep routine like?
I like to be in bed by 10:00 pm every night (many nights earlier) and am up by 5:30 am.

What's your work routine like?
I like to start work by 7:00 am and finish up by 2:00 pm if possible. I do set aside time for phone calls throughout the day.

What's the best advice you ever received?
"Take a moment to listen to your inner voice - you really know what you want"

I am Robert Lepenies, and This is How I Work

Today, I am interviewing Dr. Robert Lepenies in the "How I Work" series. Dr. Robert Lepenies is a research scientist at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research and a member of the Global Young Academy. He holds a Ph.D from the Hertie School of Governance, a MSc in International Political Economy from the London School of Economics, and a BA in PPE from the University of Oxford (The Queen's College). He works on the politics of nudging & on themes in the philosophy of the social sciences (economics), international political economy, and public policy. Currently, he is developing new projects related to the application of behavioral insights to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and on themes in water governance in the interdisciplinary environmental politics team of the UFZ.
He has held post-doctoral positions at the European University Institute (Max Weber Fellowship) and at the Berlin Social Science Center (WZB; Center for Global Constitutionalism). He held visiting fellowships at Yale University (Fulbright-Schuman Grant) and the FU Berlin. He taught politics at the ESCP Europe Business School Berlin and history of economic thought at the Hertie School of Governance Berlin in the MPP program, as well as a seminar in moral philosophy at the FU Berlin (Centre for Advanced Studies Justitia Amplificata and KFG The Transformative Power of Europe). Robert received the inaugural WIWA Young Scholars Award for Pluralism in Economics (2015), as well as the Mulert German Fulbright Association Award for Mutual Understanding (2016) and the A.SK Social Sciences Post-Doctoral Award (2016). He was the project manager of Global Colleagues (now concluded). He has three young kids.

General:
Current Job: Research Scientist (Post-Doctoral Level)
Current Location: Leipzig & Berlin, Germany
Current mobile device: Whatever is not broken
Current computer: MacBookProo

Can you briefly explain your current situation and research to us?
Employed as a fixed-term research scientist at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research in Leipzig where I work on the politics of evidence-based environmental policy & themes in the philosophy of the social sciences.

What tools, apps and software are essential to your workflow?
Mac, Mendeley, Word

What does your workspace setup look like?
All I need is my trusted MacBook Pro. And PDFs, lots and lots of pdfs.

What is your best advice for productive academic work?
Have kids. Seriously: after bringing them to school and before picking them up, I need to make my hours count. And for the long term I guess the standard response: write about something that you enjoy & that is meaningful (to you and others). Or write with someone you really like.

How do you keep an overview of projects and tasks?
Shared Google Calendars, Moleskin for more thorough notes. I use the snooze function of Gmail a lot.

Besides phone and computer, do you use other technological tools in work and daily life?
No, most are gimmicks that I try once and that do not last. Long term planning is key (I'm not great at it).

Which skill makes you stand out as an academic?
Interdisciplinarity and the attempt to have both: family life (which means exactly shared responsibility for chores and kids) and academic work/service

What do you listen to when you work?
Depending on how much sleep I've had: instrumental indie to Death Metal

What are you currently reading? How do you find time for reading?
I read mostly stories for my kids these days. Recently I've been reading some authors from the former GDR to try and understand East Germany better. I was bad in finding time for reading but now have reading plans (complete 1 non-work book bi-weekly or monthly)

Are you more of an introvert or extrovert? How does this influence your working habits?
Situational, as for most people. It's fine to be both: to be excited by seeing people, and to be getting tired from it.

What's your sleep routine like?
Too little (because of three kids under 6). But generally: Wake around 6.20, sleep around 12 pm if all goes well. I wish we had a work culture that was more permissive of naps during the day.

What's your work routine like?
Extremely hectic (because my wife and I both have careers). But fulfilling. I am grateful that my institution allows me to be flexible with when and how I work, but that also means that I feel the duty to put in extra hours...

What's the best advice you ever received?
Only take on projects with people you like.

Tips for working at night

Since I have less time during the day to work, I've been experimenting with a so-called split-shift (working a few hours at night when the baby sleeps). I haven't been very successful at it though. My struggles are the following:

• sometimes baby doesn't want to fall asleep until 9pm
• I have to pack lunch and eat and unfreeze milk and all that in the kitchen
• I want to exercise after baby sleeps
• I snack too much while trying to work
• I sit on the sofa with my laptop on my lap and am not productive
• my husband comes home and I want to talk to him
• I am just tired

So I asked for some advice on Twitter, and I collected this advice in a wake. I'll keep you posted on how I've implemented this advice, and what I've learned from this:

PhD Talk for AcademicTransfer: The Challenges of Parenting and Academia

This post is part of the series PhD Talk for AcademicTransfer: posts written for the Dutch academic career network AcademicTransfer, your go-to resource for all research positions in the Netherlands.

These posts are sponsored by AcademicTransfer, and tailored to those of you interested in pursuing a research position in the Netherlands.

If these posts raise your interest in working as a researcher in the Netherlands, even better - and feel free to fire away any questions you might have on this topic!

"As a serious academic, you should spend all your waking hours working on your research and you should not have a life or family," some seem to argue, or that seems to be the undercurrent of some of the "I've had 4 hours of sleep over the last 6 days to finish the proposal" kind of stories you may hear some academics tell each other at conferences. Such a work rhythm is not sustainable - not for single academics, and not for academics with families.

With that said, being an academic parent can pose some challenges. As I'm learning more each day about what it means to be mom and an academic, and I'm interviewing fellow academic parents (which children in all age categories) about how they work as academic parents. While my conclusions about parenting is that every person does what works best for his/her family, I wanted to list a few challenges that are typical for academic parents and some ideas on how to overcome them.

1. Geographical isolation

If you moved away from "home" for an academic position, you may be geographically isolated from your family and friends - and not have anybody to rely on when you need an extra hand. Not being able to drop off your child for a few hours with the grandparents can be quite an inconvenience.

But wherever you are, you need a support network - it takes a village to raise a child, so you will need to build your village. If you don't have any family nor friends around, try to pair up with other parents who may be in the same situation (find them at your kid's or kids' activities). You can help each other out, and find moral support along the way. If you are having a hard time making friends with other parents, see if you can bring a grandparent to help you out for a few months (for example, when you return to work after parental leave). If none of these options are available for you, see if you can hire more help.

2. Low income

If you are/become a parent during your PhD years, you may be on a low budget. If your spouse traveled with your for your PhD and is not allowed to work because of visa restrictions, you may suddenly need to feed and house an entire family on a student stipend. While this is not impossible, and many students do so every year, you may find it challenging.

If you are on a low budget, see what your childcare options are for your budget, and if you possibly can get financial support for childcare from the government or your institution. If your spouse is not allowed to work, at least you save on childcare. To make ends meet, you may need to have a good look at your current expenses, and drastically cut down on certain categories. I've written about controlling your budget and ways to save money in the past - I personally think it's better to learn to live frugally for a few years, rather than to return home after graduate school with the burden of depth. Remember, this too shall pass.

3. Travel demands

If you need to travel to conferences or to a field site for research, parenting can become challenging. Travel is demanding for parents at many levels. When you are the mom of a nursing baby, traveling will mean that you need to accommodate pumping and perhaps send milk home. When you are a single parent, traveling overnight will require your child to stay with a trusted person overnight - which you may not have when you are geographically isolated. When your children are older, you will need someone to take care of all logistics at home when you travel.

There's no single solution to this challenge. Options include traveling with your child(ren) and a family member to see your him/her/them during the day, hiring more help for short periods of time, as well as cutting down on travel. I've significantly reduced travel over the last two years, and nothing bad has happened to me.

4. Irregular lab hours

If you need to run experiment on a certain time schedule, which may involve irregular hours, you will find that childcare can be difficult to arrange. Your partner may be able to jump in, but that's not always the case.

The key here is planning. If you know that a period of intense experimentation in the lab is coming up, start to look for your options in advance. Can you get extra hours in daycare? Do you have friends or family that can chip in? Can your partner trade hours at his/her job? Should you hire extra help? Should you delegate part of the experimental work to a student?

5. Inflexible tenure clock

Depending on the conditions of your tenure track, you may find that the tenure clock does not stop when you become a parent. If you work with chemical substances in the lab, it may be impossible to continue experiments during pregnancy. You may fall behind the tenure clock during maternity leave, and then you may decide to work part-time instead of full-time, but the tenure clock won-t adjust to your new schedule.

If you are faced with an inflexible tenure clock, speak up about it. It's not a fair system, and it should be changed so that parents don't get cast to the side because of the tenure clock. Ask for your options. Insist where you can - this battle is worth a fight, as it will improve the conditions for the generations that come after us.

6. Working environment

If you are constantly hearing other people brag about all the hours they put in to their academic work, you may feel out of place. If you are the only parent in a research group, you may feel that your colleagues don't understand your struggles.

To make academia more sustainable, we need the working environment to change and to be able to accommodate people with different backgrounds and with different situations at home. To solve the world's pressing problems, it's all hands on deck - we can't afford to lose good researchers simply because the working environment is hostile towards parents. If you feel that your colleagues don't understand your struggles, build your own network of academic parents to help each other out and to share your best advice.

I am Miguel Abambres, and This is How I Work.

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Miguel Abambres. Miguel is a passionate Portuguese scientist, born in Lisbon in 1984 (Leo), and also a cat guy who loves traveling and teaching. He received his degree in Civil/Structural engineering in 2007 from IST (University of Lisbon) after spending the final semester of his undergrad at TU Delft. He received his PhD in 2014 from IST (University of Lisbon) on the topic of computational mechanics (novel FE formulation) applied to thin-walled carbon/stainless steel structural members. He did a post-doc at FCT (University of Coimbra, Portugal) in 2017-2018 on the development of an AI-based software for nonlinear regression problems in any field of knowledge. He also has 1,5 years of experience as a structural engineer in national and international firms, has spend 1,5 years as a under/postgrad professor (in Spanish) in Lima, Peru, and has worked 9,5 years as a scientist in several countries. His research interests include: Applied Computational Intelligence, Artificial Neural Networks, Civil Engineering, Structural Engineering, and Steel Structures. Besides Portugal, he has lived in Holland, Australia, Norway, Perú, Colombia and Brazil. This interview was conducted in August 2018.

Current Job: Pro bono scientist
Current Location: Lisbon, Portugal
Current mobile device: black Samsung Galaxy A3
Current computer: hp pavilion x360 convertible (laptop)

Can you briefly explain your current situation and research to us?
I'm in a sabbatical year since I finished my postdoc (Feb 20th, 2018), but actively looking for a faculty position since then (Europe, Canada or Latin America preferred). After finishing postdoc, in which I developed/validated an Artificial Neural Network software for functional approximation and classification problems in any field of knowledge, I’ve started looking for collaborations worldwide aiming to apply my software to real problems and propose novel analytical models to the scientific and technical communities (interested researchers are very welcome to get in touch @AbambresM and/or ResearchGate).

What tools, apps and software are essential to your workflow?
Windows-based laptop and desktop computer (running MATLAB simulations 24/7), Android-based cell phone, fast internet, MS office, MATLAB software, AnyDesk software/app.

What does your workspace setup look like?
I LOVE to work, so I might work anywhere as long as I have my laptop and a quiet/cozy place. My favorite office is in my place in Lisbon, where I work most of the time when i´m in town. At the moment I don´t have any institutional office (also, that´s not a requirement in my job seeking 😊 )

What is your best advice for productive academic work?
Work exclusively on what you love and with the people you like. Rest enough and have some workout every week.

How do you keep an overview of projects and tasks?
Checking email and the daily task list written on my phone’s calendar.

Besides phone and computer, do you use other technological tools in work and daily life?
A smart plug to schedule the time my home office fan is working when i´m abroad, in order to avoid computer overheating in hot days (air conditioning is much better, but mine cannot be accessed remotely)

Which skill makes you stand out as an academic?
Analytical, hard-worker, ambitious and passionate (all in one 😊)

What do you listen to when you work?
None, some American hiphop (50 cent, Ryan Leslie), TV news in the background, classical music

What are you currently reading? How do you find time for reading?
I don’t like reading….never did…only news in social media and job-related reading!

Are you more of an introvert or extrovert? How does this influence your working habits?
Introvert. I am more productive when alone, but sometimes it feels good working at relatively quiet public places (libraries, coffee shops)

What's your sleep routine like?
When i´m employed, I like starting the day quite early. I try to sleep at least 7 h every night (if I cant some night, I compensate in other night). I´m a night owl when i´m not employed (2-6 am).

What's your work routine like?
I don´t have a fixed routine. I work whenever i´m not doing basic tasks or hanging out. Every single day is a working day for me (as long as I work on what i´m passionate about).

What's the best advice you ever received?
Be happy, follow your dreams, follow your inner voice.

I am Steven Shaw, and This is How I Work

Today, I am interviewing Dr. Steven R. Shaw in the "How I Work" series. Steven is associate professor in the Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology at McGill University in Montreal. Before entering academia, he had 17 years of experience as a practicing school psychologist. From 1997 to 2004, he served as lead psychologist and associate professor of pediatrics at The Children's Hospital in Greenville, South Carolina and Medical University of South Carolina. In 2000, the South Carolina Association of School Psychologists recognized him for "Outstanding Contributions to Education" for his work on addressing overrepresentation of minority groups in special education and development of teaching techniques for children with borderline intelligence. In 2010, he received the Distinguished Teaching Award from the Faculty of Education at McGill University. In 2012, he received the President’s Award from NASP for his innovative research-to-practice efforts. He has published a few papers, chapters, and such; talked to many groups of folks; and has also published four books. His fifth book, Applying recent advances in the science of intellectual disabilities to classroom and clinical practice will be published by Springer in early 2019. He is on the editorial board of six international scholarly journals, former editor of School Psychology Forum, and current editor of the Canadian Journal of School Psychology.

Current Job: Associate professor in the Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology
Current Location: McGill University, Montreal, QC Canada
Current mobile device: iPhone 6 (in the market for an upgrade because a friend just made fun of me for my old phone)
Current computer: SurfacePro III

Can you briefly explain your current situation and research to us?
I tend to work on a specific area of research for a while, feel a pull to move on to something else, and then make a change. In some cases, I write a book to create closure on the topic. My new research concepts involve exploring the intersection among implementation science, open science, and evidence-based practices for the profession of school psychology. I am in the process of converting all my student-conducted research to entirely open science techniques that include registered reports, data sharing, and transparent analyses.
I have also completed 6 years of significant administrative responsibilities and am very excited to return to some decent levels of research productivity.

What tools, apps and software are essential to your workflow?
I use Slack for communication with students and project organization, a Pomodoro timer, and Dragon naturally speaking because I dictate all manuscripts and emails to improve speed and flow of thought.
I use RescueTime to troubleshoot my work habits if I find that I am falling behind. I use sheets on Google Docs to keep track of my major tasks in the day, writing productivity, and status of projects.

What does your workspace setup look like?
I prefer working from home whenever possible because it is about a 90-minute commute to the office. So working from home saves me about three hours in the day. I do all my creative work standing and have a standing desk situation in my office and at home. I find that the standing desk increases energy and mental alertness. I do sit to read. I have a yoga mat in both workplaces to do a quick stretch during the five-minute Pomodoro breaks.



What is your best advice for productive academic work?
Always have a big picture and purpose in mind. What am I trying to accomplish? Where do I want these ideas to be in five years? When I have these questions answered, then the only work I do supports those big picture ideas. At that point, the work is satisfying, fun, and has a purpose.

How do you keep an overview of projects and tasks?
I have several files and tabs on Google sheets. My students have access to all these so that they can see what project I am giving attention to at any given moment.
I also have a notebook in which I write meeting notes and tasks for the day. I do this during my train commute to and from work. When I get to the office or return home, then I transcribe action items into a calendar or to do list.

Besides phone and computer, do you use other technological tools in work and daily life?
I have a nice pen (it is old technology). I have had the same Waterman rollerball pen for 11 years. Usually it is used only to sign my name. Yet, I still use it to make notes at meetings.

Which skill makes you stand out as an academic?
Consistency. I am a bit of a grinder. I do some work every single day.
Also, I try my best to ensure that no matter how many tasks have deadlines or how far behind I am on my work that I always have time for people who are important to me or otherwise need my time and energy. I am always busy, but I always have time for you.
Finally, I have a mantra that I try to meet every day: read 100 pages, write 1000 words, laugh often, and support others.

What do you listen to when you work?
Classic jazz, hard rock/metal, or silence.

What are you currently reading? How do you find time for reading?
I read three or four journal articles every morning before I get started. Some are part of my duties as a journal editor, some are from links supplied by Twitter people, and some are papers discovered by my students.
I usually read nonacademic books in the late afternoon or evening. I tend to read about one book per week. Currently, I am rereading: Kodokan Judo: Throwing Techniques by Sensei Daigo. My favourite book that I read this summer is I Fight for a Living by Louis Moore.
Time is not something that you find it is something you prioritize. So I never really understand that question. It is like asking if I can find the time to breathe or eat.

Are you more of an introvert or extrovert? How does this influence your working habits?
Extremely introverted. Although I am social and have friends and family, I enjoy being alone. I have no difficulty working for days or weeks on end without seeing anyone but family.

What's your sleep routine like?
I go to bed between 10 and 11 PM and wake up at 5:50 AM. Morning routine consists of five-minute meditation, 15-minute brief stretching, walking the dog, shower, coffee, and on my way.

What's your work routine like?
I tend to read the news and be silly on Twitter for an hour every morning. Then I read journal articles and answer emails. After that, it is time to take on the first scheduled task of the day. I just do as much as I can as fast as I can and try not to suck (a paraphrase from @chuckwendig).

What's the best advice you ever received?
Just do what you do. If that is not appreciated in your current work environment, then go find a place that is a better fit. I know that will not work for everyone, but I have already had a career before I became an academic. So I do not take the world of academia too seriously. I prefer to think that I am still school psychologist who works in knowledge generation and translation, and is preparing the next group of professionals. That works better in my head than thinking of myself as a professor or academic.

I am Matthew Reid Krell, and This is How I Work

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Matthew Reid Krell. Matthew is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Political Science at the University of Alabama. His dissertation research focuses on federal trial courts and the relationships among litigants and judges. He's currently on the market - feel free to look him up at mrkrell.people.ua.edu! He temporarily lives in Jerusalem, where he's clerking for the Hon. Hanan Melcer of the Supreme Court of Israel. When he's home, he's bossed around by the three cats Titus, Vinnie, and Albie. Follow him on Twitter @ReidKrell.

General:
Current Job: I currently have three jobs. I'm writing my dissertation in political science at the University of Alabama; I practice law in Mississippi, Tennessee, and Arkansas; and I am currently a volunteer foreign law clerk for the Hon. Hanan Melcer of the Supreme Court of Israel.
Current Location: Jerusalem, Israel
Current mobile device: Google Nexus 6X
Current computer: Lenovo X1 Carbon Thinkpad

Can you briefly explain your current situation and research to us?
I'm a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Political Science at the University of Alabama. I've also continued my law practice since starting the Ph.D., and currently have about 8 open files that I share with co-counsel. I was fortunate enough this academic year to be awarded a dissertation completion fellowship, so I was able to spend three months clerking for a justice of the Supreme Court of Israel. My dissertation research focuses on information exchange in trial litigation - basically, how do litigants evaluate their case as they learn more about what the other side and the court thinks? My research for the Court is confidential, I'm afraid.

What tools, apps and software are essential to your workflow?
So I am a pretty "default" kind of guy. I write in Word, use Google Chrome for online research, and Stata for my statistics package. I have been working on trying to make more use of a citation manager (I use Zotero), and I've experimented with Scrivener. I liked Scrivener, but found it not great when I was putting the final package together. For research development, I use a lot of the techniques that Raul Pacheco-Vega uses, most especially the Conceptual Synthesis Excel Dump.

What does your workspace setup look like?
Unfortunately, being in Jerusalem, I don't really have a set workspace at the moment. I'm actually writing this from a coffee shop on Emek Refaim near my apartment because my heat isn't working. At the Court, the foreign law clerks have a dedicated space in the back of the law library. At home, I have a home office that is currently being used strictly for storage because I discovered one of my cats had been using a corner of it as an unauthorized litter box, and I haven't had a chance to shampoo the carpet.

What is your best advice for productive academic work?
Don't let days go by where you do nothing. You don't have to do much; reading one article, jotting down a paragraph's worth of notes, or even just a few bullet points of "here's something I want to do with this." Sitting and vegetating is part of how our brains develop new ideas, but doing nothing but vegetating breaks good habits.

How do you keep an overview of projects and tasks?
Oh man, I should probably start doing that? I used to have a whiteboard, but when I switched from a teaching assistantship to a fellowship, I lost my office on campus. Google Calendar keeps me from screwing up my appointments, and I deadline everything. Marking conferences and submission deadlines on the calendar helps as well. But if something isn't ready to be calendared, I'm not sure that I have a way to keep track of it other than in my head.

Besides phone and computer, do you use other technological tools in work and daily life?
I used to use a tablet, but I couldn't get myself in the habit of carrying it or using it, and I didn't have any markup tools that would make it a paper-equivalent. So no, right now I don't use other technology.

Which skill makes you stand out as an academic?
Not really convinced that I do stand out? To the extent that I do, I think it's the way I straddle the humanities and social sciences. Even if lawyers, judges, and legal academics don't like to admit it, law is a humanities discipline, and our epistemologies have more in common with literary studies than physics. And there's nothing wrong with that! But I think it might mean that using the scientific method to try and analyze legal systems leaves us with a lot of things that we think we know that we actually don't.

That said, there's definitely things we can do to employ scientific epistemologies in the study of law and legal systems, and I think that my great strength is that I don't pick a particular approach. I use the right tools for the problem, whether that's a doctrinal approach that uses more literary methods or a stats-heavy quantitative approach. While I would never claim that I'm as brilliant as Gary King and Lee Epstein, my approach to research is heavily informed by their 2000 Chicago Law Review piece, "On the Rules of Inference," where they basically say, "look, legal academics, you don't have to do statistics to do empirical research!" I've taken that same approach.

What do you listen to when you work?
I have been a Pandora subscriber since 2005, and I have about 35 stations. Some of them I cycle through fairly quickly. The ones that I tend to linger on are based on Myla Smith (a local Memphis artist I got to know in law school and then saw again when I was living in Memphis, as she's based there), Great Big Sea (a now-defunct Canadian sea shanty/rock band), half a dozen stations that tend toward EDM and trance. I find that genre really helpful for writing as it has a strong beat that lets my heart follow along and I can fall into a flow state.

What are you currently reading? How do you find time for reading?
Jerusalem's been a godsend for reading, frankly. I have a half-hour commute each way to and from work, and sometimes I have to wait an hour or more for my bus to arrive. Reading on the Kindle app on my phone kills that time (and my phone battery, but whatever). I went to Eilat for a weekend recently, which was a four-hour bus ride each way. I read about half of Carlos Ruiz Zafon's The Labyrinth of Spirits on that trip. It's a Gothic romance set in Barcelona during the Francoist dictatorship, and it's utterly fascinating. It's the last in a series.

Are you more of an introvert or extrovert? How does this influence your working habits?
I think I'm probably a misanthropic extrovert? Which means that I'm probably best off in terms of working habits with people around me, but not having to interact with them. It's why I like cafes. If I try and work without people around, I just sit around and watch Youtube videos, but if the people are people I need to interact with, I find myself not buckling down and working.

What's your sleep routine like?
"Routine" is a bit laughable as a descriptor of my sleep. Still trying to figure out why I sometimes sleep 16 hours and why I sometimes stay up for 30 hours, sleep 2, then work a full day.

What's your work routine like?
Identify today's goal, work toward it, Twitter, work, Twitter, get a phone call, Twitter, Twitter, Twitter, um....

What's the best advice you ever received?
"Life is too short to be cautious." Not going to say I follow it, but it's definitely good advice.

I am Andrew Watson, and This is How I Work

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Andrew Watson for the "How I Work" series. Andrew is a second year Doctorial Researcher at the University of Glasgow. By day Andrew is a Data Analyst for an Insurance Provider and by night is researching peoples bodily and sensorial engagement with Neolithic funerary monuments.

Current Job: I work full time as a Data Analyst and study part time for my PhD in Archaeology
Current Location: Somerset, UK
Current mobile device: LG K8
Current computer: Dell Inspiron

Can you briefly explain your current situation and research to us?
I’m a part time PhD student in archaeology using a phenomenological approach to understand peoples bodily and sensorial engagement with Neolithic long barrows. I’m interested in how much of our experiences today could be similar to that of people in the Neolithic.

What tools, apps and software are essential to your workflow?
I don’t use any fancy tools, apps or software. I have a word document that I update whenever I study and start a new one weekly. It has numerous headers including things to be done this week, things to be done in the future, what I plan to do, what I actually did, upcoming deadlines and things to work on when I have spare time(!).

What does your workspace setup look like?
I’m a distance learning student so I study at home primarily and sometimes visit a local university library. With the arrival of my son my workspace has diminished somewhat from a big desk in my spare room, to a smaller desk in the living room, to one in the bedroom, to now using my laptop with a second monitor on the dining room table and tidying it away each time.



What is your best advice for productive academic work?
Break tasks down into smaller chunks and work towards these first. Ultimately for me if what I’m working on will not help me finish my thesis then is it a priority? Do I have time to be working on a side project? Sometimes the answer is yes, and this is fine, but other times you need to say no to things or put them to one side until the key deadline is met.
Managing time well is key for a part time and distance learning student.

How do you keep an overview of projects and tasks?
My trusty notebook and weekly to-do list!

Besides phone and computer, do you use other technological tools in work and daily life?
Not that I can think of.

Which skill makes you stand out as an academic?
While I wouldn’t class myself as an academic yet, as I don’t have my PhD, I believe I am self-motivated, determined and have good time management. As I’ve studied from my Undergraduate degree via distance learning I’ve had to find ways of keeping myself motivated and focused over the almost 10 years!

What do you listen to when you work?
While not my usual cup of tea, dubstep is quite good when I need to focus. I think this is because it’s quite repetitive. Rock music too like Iron Maiden or AC/DC is good too!

What are you currently reading? How do you find time for reading?
You can’t write before you’ve read… well at least for your literature review. Reading is important, not just books or papers written previously but it’s also important to keep on top of new papers being published. There are many journal notification emails that I’ve signed up to but it’s important to set some time aside each week to read and keep on top of things.
What am I reading now? Numerous things on qualitative and phenomenological research as my fieldwork is due to take place in a few months!

Are you more of an introvert or extrovert? How does this influence your working habits?
While I potentially come across as an extrovert, I believe I have become an introvert over the years. I’m confident in my research but sometimes wonder if my ideas are quite abstract and fear negative peer-feedback and how that may knock my confidence.

What's your sleep routine like?
Sleep is important. As a dad, full time employee and part time student it is important to get enough rest! I tend to aim for around six hours a night. Any more and I feel less productive the following day, any less and it usually catches up with me a day or so later.

What's your work routine like?
Since the birth of my son I’ve struggled to motivate myself at the end of a busy day either being a dad or working in my (sometimes) mentally draining job. The thought of sitting down to a few hours of work was not appealing. Equally, if my son had a bad evening, didn’t settle or woke up late into the evening I couldn’t get things done. Instead I’ve found getting up around 4:30am allows me two hours to work while everyone else is asleep and then I can get ready at 6:30am to get into the office to start my day. This then allows me the luxury of sitting down some evenings and having time to myself!

What's the best advice you ever received?
Pace yourself and set realistic goals. I’ve previously agreed to take on too much or set very ambitious targets and not reached them. This can be most disheartening. Setting realistic goals, which only you know what you can achieve, will help you have a more positive experience!
Oh… and share your ideas at an early stage! I’ve mulled over and stressed about ideas wondering if they are worth sharing and when I finally do they are usually well received and supported by colleagues.

I am Joni Gilissen, and This is How I Work

Today, I am interviewing Joni Gilissen in the "How I Work" series. Joni (°1990) holds a degree in Social Work, a master’s degree in Social Policy and a postgraduate degree in Social Profit and Public Management. She is working for 4 years within the inter-university and interdisciplinary End-of-life Care Research Group (Belgium) on a project in which she will develop and evaluate an Advance Care Planning intervention in the nursing home setting. Furthermore, she co-coordinates the Twitter page of the research group and is responsible for the monthly newsletter.

Current Job: Joint PhD Candidate in Social Health Sciences and Biomedical Sciences
Current Location: Brussels, Belgium
Current mobile device: iPhone 6S
Current computer: Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch (Azerty)

Can you briefly explain your current situation and research to us?
I am a fourth year PhD candidate in a joint PhD program in Social Health Sciences at the Vrije University Brussels and Biomedical Sciences at the Catholic University Leuven. I currently carry out a large study within the End-of-Life Care Research Group of which the focus is on advance care planning for people in nursing homes, including residents living with dementia. Advance care planning focuses on one central question: “What type of health care would you want if you became too sick to tell the doctor or the involved healthcare professionals yourself?”. Advance care planning provides the opportunity to define goals and preferences for future medical treatment and care, to discuss these goals and preferences with family and healthcare providers, and to record and review these preferences in documents such as a ‘living will’ (or advance directive).

To this respect I am evaluating the effects of such a process of advance care planning in a cluster randomized controlled trial in a large number of nursing home settings in Flanders, the Dutch-speaking region of Belgium. My current situation involves running this trial (eg. making sure advance care planning is implemented according to protocol, planning meetings, observing practice, doing interviews), preparing for final follow-up measurement of the primary outcome to evaluate effectiveness, applying for follow up funding and hoping to publish my work before the term of my PhD trajectory ends.

What tools, apps and software are essential to your workflow?
To schedule my day and meetings I use Google Agenda. Evernote keeps track of my to do lists and ideas, which are synced on my phone and computers, so I’m always able to follow-up wherever I am. Same with my Dropbox files and Zotero. Running the trial, I spend a lot of time in my car and such apps make it possible to follow up work, even if I don’t have my computer with me. For my writing I started using Outliner and InDesign to graphically outline my PhD thesis. To draw diagrams for my papers, I use Lucidchart, an online program which I really love. When I work from home I Skype or Zoom a lot with colleagues or supervisors. And then you have the regulars in research, such as SPSS, Nvivo and LimeSurvey. I also use Google Forms a lot to help me schedule workshops and send out short training surveys or attendance lists.

What does your workspace setup look like?
I tell everyone I am really into the clean desk policy but after four years I still don’t manage to keep my desk spotless. However, besides my daily fruit, some photographs from parties with colleagues or from travels and the papers I am actively reading or working on, I manage quite well. We just got new offices in Brussels, where I am sharing an office with five other PhD candidates. When I don’t need my two screens and I have to write, I love working from home. At home, I am trying to only use my laptop and I usually sit at the dinner table. The year that passed was a bit chaotic and inferior for my work place environment but it also has its perks. Because I spend a lot of my time on the road, traveling between nursing home facilities, I have these short blocks of time between meetings, providing me with just enough time to write a short paragraph or check up with my e-mails in a coffee shop nearby. A bit of coffee bar hopping didn’t hurt anyone! And I have the benefit I like working in crowded places. When I was a grad student I always studied in the overcrowded student library. There are even studies that have proven that a moderate level of ambient noise is conductive and stimulates creativity, and I even found an app that recreates coffee shop background noise. I haven’t used it yet though.

Workplace 1 (End-of-Life Care Research Group offices in Brussels):

Workplace 2 (Our house, currently being renovated):


What is your best advice for productive academic work?
After four years of working as a researcher, I found out that it depends on the kind of task you need to do. It helps me a lot to block out shucks of my agenda (eg. one afternoon) for a specific task and reorganize my working environment and schedule depending on the task. It took some time before I figured this out and my advice is to try several things to find out what suits you best. For my writing I usually block the whole day, if possible two, to come into the workflow. However, I have to force myself to stop writing which can be tempting at some point. I’ve learned I always have new insights after a day or two of writing-rest. The same with data analysis and protocol writing. The tasks that I don’t like, such as folding envelopes, arranging meetings, doing the necessary telephone calls I usually do in the mornings so that after lunch I can move on to the things I like, ending the day with a good temper.
Two more advices: don’t schedule important work meetings after 3pm, people will be tired, and keep the Friday afternoons for long-term “important but not urgent tasks” (such as arranging your folders, organizing your agenda, follow-up on e-mails, etc.).

How do you keep an overview of projects and tasks?
On Friday afternoon I check my Google Agenda to get an overview of the week that is ahead, so I have a clear idea of what the upcoming week will look like and how I can optimize it. If it is really busy, even my sport activities and social life will be scheduled around my PhD work. In three main Excel files I keep track of 1) the trial I am running, 2) my publication record (the papers I am working on, for which I haven’t received feedback, for which data analysis will start, etc.) and 3) my PhD trajectory (which provides me with an overview of when funding ends, important calls and deadlines for grant applications for future research, etc). For each work package within the trial (such as ‘recruitment’, ‘baseline measurement’, ‘first training of healthcare professionals’) I use Evernote. One note tab, for each work package. Both in my Google Agenda and Microsoft Outlook, all work packages have different colors or folders.

Besides phone and computer, do you use other technological tools in work and daily life?
My coffee machine or hot water boiler for lots of tea or coffee? No, seriously, I use an extra monitor (BenQ) for when I am writing papers or performing data analysis. I use Bluetooth to listen to music on the wireless speakers at home. I am saving up money to buy a Garmin watch so I can follow-up my sport activities like swimming, biking and running. I’m almost there.

Which skill makes you stand out as an academic?
I can manage a lot of pressure and a busy life. Because I am really dedicated to the research I am performing, I have never seen my PhD as ‘working’ but as an opportunity to learn and I have clear goals for this and future research. In addition, I am quite sociable and I like to believe I am a team player that strives to a cohesive working environment. Every first Thursday of the month I try to organize an ‘out-of-office’ lunch at a restaurant nearby, with the other PhD students (we are 20 PhD’s btw) or a ‘potluck’ at which every PhD student brings one dish we eventually share.

What do you listen to when you work?
I only listen to music when I am writing the discussion section of a paper. I don’t know why but that is the only time I feel it can be helpful. When I’m driving to the nursing home facilities that are involved in my research, I use Spotify to listen to music in my car. Currently I listen to Luluc, an Australian band I recently discovered on Spotify, and all kinds of Jazz. Always Jazz.

What are you currently reading? How do you find time for reading?
I am reading Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami, which I borrowed from one of my colleagues. So good! I don’t have that much time to read though. I read mostly while I am travelling, on rare quite Sundays or on the scarce moments I take the train.

Are you more of an introvert or extrovert? How does this influence your working habits?
I am definitely an extrovert. Ask my colleagues or my friends. I do believe it has its advantages in presenting my work to others, recruitment participants or involving partners for my research and in networking on conferences.

What's your sleep routine like?
I have a normal sleep routine. I sleep from 10 or 11 pm to 6 or 7 am. Unless I have a deadline or at times I struggle with work, I tend to get slightly nervous and this always affects my sleep quality. I love to wake up early for a morning swim or end the day with some ‘Yoga with Adriene’ on Youtube. Try it! It’s really nice!

What's your work routine like?
Your work routine should not focus on the number of hours you spend working but on the productive ones. That is why my work routine really changes depending on the week and the task I scheduled. This week for example, I am working until 7 pm because I am following up on my publications, at the same time I am applying for a grant and during the day I have to run the trial and prepare the online database for data-entry. Other weeks I work from 8am to 5pm because my work is well scheduled and I make sure I have time to spend with my friends or doing sports. There are even weeks I work from 10am to 3pm, stop early to take a swim or work on the house and start working again at 7pm. I also work in the weekend sometimes if I have a free Saturday and I feel inspired or if I want to start fresh on Mondays and I feel I haven’t finished all the tasks from the week before. My advice? If you feel like nothing relevant is coming out of you sitting behind your computer, take a walk or go running and start over. Don’t feel bad against your colleagues. It is not a competition about who can work the most.

What's the best advice you ever received?
“Search for a job that combines something you love to do, something you are good at and something that adds value to society” (Toon, my boyfriend)