Time management!



I'm trying to keep calm and carry on, but ...

These last three weeks have been pure madness. And the next month and a half will be just as bad. I really need to learn better time management skills. Or I need to implement what I already now! I used to be so good at planning and organising my time and sticking to it. When I was doing my undergraduate studies in early childhood, I was studying 75%, working 120%, taking piano lessons and working towards a piano exam, which was no easy task, I was also playing the tuba in a local brass band and singing in a choir or two. Plus, I was going to the gym and doing a little socialising. Not too much, but enough. And I did very well in my studies. Granted, I was on the verge of exhaustion and doing the zombie thing at work, but I managed my time very well. I remember planning the week ahead, writing down every task I needed to do, organising everything to the smallest detail. Because that is what I needed to do to make it through. And it worked.

Things are different now! Obviously, I am not comparing a bachelor study to a PhD. It is not comparable. But in theory, I have all the time in the world but still I keep getting into trouble with not having enough time before deadlines. Maybe it is because I have all the time in the world. It seems I am very good at wasting time. Well, as I have been tutoring and doing some research assistant work, I don’t actually have all the time in the world, but almost. Maybe I'm just tired now and in need of a rant. Because I'm not complaining. Believe me, I'm not complaining at all. This may be the most difficult and stressful thing I have ever done in my life, moving to another hemisphere and doing a PhD, but it is fantastic. I have not been as happy as I am now, ever! Or at least not often before. This is such a dream come true for me. But, it is difficult. And I need to get a grip on this time management thing so that I'm not stressed out all the time.

There are several websites and information out there on how to manage your time better. I know most of this already. My problem is not lack of knowledge, it is lack of implementation. But I guess the fact that I’m ranting about this here means that I’m ready to implement some good, old habits. I’ll let you know how I go on with that next week.

Now, what is it that is keeping me so busy these weeks? Obviously, it is my research proposal. I was also working on my ethics approval which I submitted a couple of weeks ago. I can happily report that my research has almost been approved, I just need to do a couple of changes to my application, send it to the contact person at the ethics committee and that’s it. Hopefully! My methodology section of my proposal is almost done. It needs some tweaking and stuff like that, but the basics are there. Now I need to put everything together and produce the whole proposal. I have a deadline next Wednesday to send that off to my supervisors. And time is getting sparse. My confirmation hearing, or whatever it is called, is on the 2^nd of June. So I basically have a month to finish everything. And I feel I have at least three months of work to do! Yebb, good times ahead.

Well, best get back to work then.

Cheers,

Bryndis

I'm still alive ;)

It has been two weeks since my last running post, I just had the most insane couple of weeks with my PhD as well as trying to relax and enjoy Easter a little bit so writing blogs was not on my agenda. I will put up a PhD post on Friday. This is my running/health post for the week. Nothing has really changed. I am eating well and same as before, this low carb, no sugar thing is really working for me. I can happily report that I've officially lost 5 kilos, today actually almost 6. And I'm feeling very good in general. Have been having some headache spells, but those are tension headaches because I'm sitting all day and basically all evening in front of my computer and my shoulders are starting to suffer.

I am trying to find my way back into a gym/running routine, but for some reason that has been difficult. So I joined a 'fat-loss' challenge online from Iceland, we have a Facebook group and an Instagram hashtag so that is great support. My goals are just to start going to the gym regularly and do strength training, and then getting my running into a more structured plan. I don't think I will be able to join the Wellington half marathon, so the plan now is just to excel at the Reykjavik half marathon. That is fine, you just have to play with what you're dealt, right? I think one of the reasons I'm not going to the gym, is because I have this off-peak membership, which means that on weekdays I cannot use the gym between 3-7pm, which are the peak hours. I am negotiating with my gym and hope to change my membership, but they are being difficult. Which I don't understand, as if I get to change my membership status, I will be paying a higher fee. I am just not going to the gym in the mornings. In spite of my best intentions, it is just not happening. And when I go home around 4-5pm, I just can't make myself go back outside to go to the gym at 7pm. I know, these are stupid reasons. But when you are stressed out about so many things in your life, you need other things to be simple and easy. So I need to be able to go to the gym at 5pm when I'm heading home. Then I can jump in the shower when I come home, have dinner and relax. If they won't let me change my membership, I will have to think of something else to do.

Anyway, this was just me rambling. I just arrived at a doctoral writing retreat and need to get back to my methodology. Have a great week :)

Cheers, Bryndis.