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Given the multifaceted role of a new PI,
it's essential to learn how to organize your
daily schedule by balancing time dedicated
to research with other responsibilities. You should
also be ready to adapt to situations that may arise out of
nowhere and learn how to quickly re-prioritize. Here are some
tips on how to make the most out of your time.
Manage your time
effectively
8
Write down your tasks
and prioritize them
Write down your tasks and divide them into long-term,
intermediate-term and short-term. This will allow you
to evaluate priorities and start determining the best
use of your time. A grid like the one to the right allows
you to rank activities based on your priorities.
Having your goals written down can help you with
time management. Before getting sucked into text,
email or social media, start working on the most
important tasks.
Urgent Not Urgent
Important
Finish project for
tomorrow's grant
deadline
Prepare for tomorrow's
presentation
Meet with possible
collaborator
Prepare next week's
lecture
Design new experiments
Not
Important
Schedule interviews to
recruit lab members
Book flight for next
month's conference
Organize lab trip
Update lab website
Adapted from Stephen R. Covey's time management matrix in The Seven Habits of Highly
Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change.
