Dear friends,
Happy July! How’s your summer going? I’m very happy to have a full, if chaotic, house, and less happy to have a looming grant deadline. My June was bittersweet, with my youngest’s high school graduation and Father’s Day making me miss my late father even more acutely. I get my penchant for giving (often unsolicited) career advice directly from him. He was a scientist who was both highly creative and deeply disciplined, a combination of traits that still inspires me. Today I am sharing some of his best work advice.
Complete every task at the first opportunity. We have all had the experience of watching our planned work time disappear in the face of an unexpected obstacle, be it illness, a competing project, or family obligation. These situations never fazed my dad, because he worked ahead. While I cannot claim to always follow this rule, it has saved me on many occasions. If this seems impossible for you to implement, consider putting a task that is due some time in the future into the next work block on your calendar. If you experience this feeling of being done early once, I guarantee you will want it again!
Handle your correspondence as soon as you read it. This advice comes from the pre-email age and is doubly relevant now. If you read anything, a letter or an email or even a text, act on it immediately. My dad said you should either respond, transfer or delegate to the appropriate person, or intentionally decide not to respond. My only exception to this rule is that sometime answering emails requires substantive thinking time. For example, if I get an email that includes a manuscript to review, as soon as I open that email, I block a time on my calendar to get that work done. If you don’t have time to deal with it, don’t even look! Following this advice will stop you from ruining your vacation or your night out with friends by reading a stressful work email on your phone.
Spend 80% of your time at work doing your job, 10% of your time facilitating your boss’s job, and 10% gaining skills. My dad always said that by being efficient you should be able to do your job in 80% of the time allotted. I know, it’s a high bar! Even if you can’t devote as much time as he recommended, there are shifts that you can make in these directions.
In academia your “boss” could be a mentor, a project lead, or an administrative leader you report to. Small changes to the way you work could make a big difference to that person. It can be as simple as providing some draft text when you need them to send an email or anticipating potential roadblocks to a project plan. The mental act of putting yourself in their shoes can be very helpful. Skill-building can sound like a significant commitment of time and effort, but it doesn’t have to be. Actions like taking time to read a relevant methodological paper or attending a seminar count!
These habits of mind take time to master, but the great news is that even if you only implement them some of the time, they will still improve your work stress. May a bit of my dad’s love of science and tireless work ethic find you wherever you are!
Please share widely, as usual, and let others know they can sign up here.
Warmly,
Urmimala