time management

kunekune

An absolutely wonderful source of help with your thesis is www.phinished.org. Although it is an American site, and PhDs work a bit differently there (usually the student has to do some coursework as well, and they have a defence of the proposal as well as the final product), the techniques used to stay on track are the same. Lots of people on there are juggling jobs, families and PhDs, and it is wonderful when someone you've worked alongside gets the degree. I can't recommend it enough.

(And yes, I go there, although I finished my LLM a long time ago, cos I like chatting with the other academics, sometimes about our jobs and sometimes about completely irrelevant stuff. If you see me, I'm kiwihasflown.)

newlywed

Do you meal plan at all? I find this saves me loads of time as when I get home from work, I don't even sit down just start cooking immediately with no thinking about what to cook. Plus on busy nights - eg the nights you have the kids - you can plan quicker meals or one-pot meals that make washing up easier?

I would echo the slow cooker comments. Just persuaded OH we needed one and i love it!! I chop all the veg etc the night before and leave in the fridge, then in the morning bung everything in the slow cooker with sauce/stock whatever switch on low and when we come home from work dinner is ready - just dish up and eat!

Casseroles, curry, chilli, pork chops with cream of mushroom soup, veg soups, gammon joints - already been doing all of that over the last 3 weeks. I thought I'd probably use it a couple of days a week but now I want recipes to cook in it EVERY DAY - working or not!

The other thing is if you do cook things - can you cook double and freeze some instead of being tempted for a ready meal? It really doesn't take double time to cook two shepherds pie at the same time or two lasagnas, double the amount of chilli etc. Makes life much easier in the longer term.

pavlovs_dog

no real advice, just to say i feel the pain of juggling academia with working life, family life and some semblence of a social life. im quickly learning that routine and discipline are two of the most important things. as is often the way with life, putting them into practice is something else!!!

findingmyownway

Thanks for all the tips. I think i just needed someone to tell me where im going wrong!

I do try to meal plan but its something i need to put more time into. I think i'll do a list of store cupboard things tonight and a Tesco online order for the rest of what we need. I'm also going to tidy the house so that tommoro there's nothing distracting me from work.

The idea of getting up at 6am everyday fills me with dread, but i can see its a good one. I'm coming to the conclusion it might be the only way to get some work done! OH has started it to get a couple of hours work in before taking kids to school.

OH does his own ironing for work. He usually says he will do the kids stuff too but then it gets to 11pm on a sunday night and its not done so i end up doing it anyway. I do all washing, cooking and shopping (unless he calls at tesco expres with a small, specific list). He is supposed to do dishwasher but again, he works long hours and usually i've got fed up of looking at it before he does. The kids aren't too bad - capable of setting/clearing table, putting their own things away etc. It just seems to require a lot of nagging from me and sometimes i give in and decide its quicker to do it myself :rolleyes:


On top of the rest, i am supposed to be running at least twice a week with a friend as i sadi i'd half marathon train with her :eek: . I think that one might have to wait til next year.

findingmyownway

thriftmonster wrote: »

I agree with Ceridwen - ATM you need a plan for the next 6 months to get that thesis written and cope. Great news about the job - is it in another area or is it based on the idea that you will get your doctorate in the next year (dh has had students get jobs on this basis with firms - more pressure)? If your job is semi dependent on your writing up then you have to be ruthless.

Meals in the freezer are great for emergencies, as are a list of quick pasta meals that everyone eats - my standard one is olive oil, garlic and grated cheese on spaghetti - takes 5 mins and everyone eats it.

Good luck

The job is not explicitly dependent upon completing PhD. But there would be massive dissaproval if i didn't!! Plus, i've spent 3 years full time on it so there's no way i want to abandon it now.

dorry_2

hi findingmyownway :wave:

After spending seven years at uni, I have two degrees, I know how dificult it is.

This is how I got through: food shop online weekly and menu plan. This saves you time and also means that you always know what you are going to feed the family. It helps clear your mind, of nagging things like,what are we gonna eat for tea?

during the week try to keep with washing, so that you can iron it all sunday morning for the week ahead.

set a time aside, like Saturday morning and go into your office and work on it. aim to be finished by lunchtime and always reward yourself for staying there and doing it. I used to reward myself a glass of wine, if I studied after tea.

Can you ask your employer to give you time off on a friday afternoon, so that you can work on it then?? I think some employers are very good like this, after all, you will benefit them in the long run, to have you stay and be totally qualified:D

I know everyone works differently, but unless everything was orgainsed in the home, I could not give my essays my full attention. I find that now I have started work, its the same:p I also have found my dream job and all that work has really paid off for me. The team I work for are fab and the money is brill It was well worth all my effort and massive amounts of procrasintation

Just keep your goal in mind, visualise the moment when you are Dr. findingmyway:T

good luck and get stuck in

findingmyownway

dorry wrote: »

hi findingmyownway :wave:

After spending seven years at uni, I have two degrees, I know how dificult it is.

This is how I got through: food shop online weekly and menu plan. This saves you time and also means that you always know what you are going to feed the family. It helps clear your mind, of nagging things like,what are we gonna eat for tea?

during the week try to keep with washing, so that you can iron it all sunday morning for the week ahead.

set a time aside, like Saturday morning and go into your office and work on it. aim to be finished by lunchtime and always reward yourself for staying there and doing it. I used to reward myself a glass of wine, if I studied after tea.

Can you ask your employer to give you time off on a friday afternoon, so that you can work on it then?? I think some employers are very good like this, after all, you will benefit them in the long run, to have you stay and be totally qualified:D

I know everyone works differently, but unless everything was orgainsed in the home, I could not give my essays my full attention. I find that now I have started work, its the same:p I also have found my dream job and all that work has really paid off for me. The team I work for are fab and the money is brill It was well worth all my effort and massive amounts of procrasintation

Just keep your goal in mind, visualise the moment when you are Dr. findingmyway:T

good luck and get stuck in

aw thanks Dorry, that made me smile!

i've had a good think at work today and am going to chat to OH about him helping me keep up the housework more & taking over the morning routine with the kids to allow me to leave the house at 6am, get to the office by half past and get 2 hours thesis work done before anyone else gets in (my employers will be fine about this). I return i could do the evening shift with the kids and that would allow him to work a bit later.

I also thought that i could do our weekly food shop (and xmas shopping for that matter) online at lunch time to avoid it taking up an evening. Just need to get the basic list sorted out.

I am home now but to emphasise my point i have not done all the usual chores i do when i walk in. Consequently there is clutter everywhere, dirty dishes piled up, nothing for tea etc. But i am going to get some work done while i'm on my own and get him to pitch in with the chores later :beer:

ceridwen

findingmyownway wrote: »

i've had a good think at work today and am going to chat to OH about him helping me keep up the housework more & taking over the morning routine

I am home now but to emphasise my point i have not done all the usual chores i do when i walk in. Consequently there is clutter everywhere, dirty dishes piled up, nothing for tea etc. But i am going to get some work done while i'm on my own and get him to pitch in with the chores later :beer:

Thats the ticket - you go girl!:T

Ladygrim

Not doing a PhD, but just wanted to wish you well. (I also fell off the OS/Flylady wagon this year - will start again 2008).

Time spent on the PhD now will reap major rewards later - and it is time OH and kids pitched in more too!! (If the girls can clear the table, why cant they load/unload the dishwasher?)

If you can, put a schedule up on the fridge and set them all daily tasks/chores. Remind them that one day they will be running homes of their own, and ask them how would they feel if everything was left for them to do when there are others in the house that can help out?

Anyway, wishing you all the best.

LG

ceridwen

Further thought on my earlier posting re not actually doing "proper meals" - but a combination of protein food/Vitamin C containing food/filler food:

I am reading a healthy eating book at present (on probiotics actually) and the author says he and his family are often too busy for making "proper meals" - so they have a healthy 30-second meal that they all assemble and make up their own platefuls of food from as they want. This is as follows:

Live yogurt
Aged cheese *
Peanut butter
Hummus
Muesli and other high-fibre cereals (pref. low in sugar and fat)
Whole grain bread
Whole grain crackers (pref low in salt)
Ready to eat vegetables - baby carrots/celery/pepper strips
Berries/grapes/cherries
Whole fruit - such as orange/apple/banana
Dried fruit (pref. unsweetened)
Trail mix
Nuts

*by aged cheese he means ones like Cheddar/Swiss/parmesan/gouda.
(ie ones that have been fermented - so one gets probiotic benefits. Not those where milk or whey is coagulated with an acid or enzyme). Ones he says may not be fermented are:
- some mozzarella
- some cottage cheese
- any ricotta
- any processed cheese


(NB: I would personally add to the above: decent honey and homegrown bean sprouts). Maybe one could also throw in chunks of potato that had been baked after being coated in oil and cajun-type seasoning - takes 20 mins on 200C and can be eaten cold - perhaps after baking them whilst having breakfast).