Effective Work Strategies for Researchers – Using your Time Wisely – Workshop Recap
On January 29, 2025, the Workshop “Effective Work Strategies for Researchers” by Dr. Yasmin Dolak-Struss provided researchers with strategies and tools to enhance productivity, manage time effectively, and handle stress. Including project management techniques, systemic coaching, and self-reflective exercises, the workshop aimed to help participants optimize their work processes while maintaining a balanced and mindful approach to challenges.
Goal Setting and Refinement
Setting effective goals is key to productivity. A techniques for defining and refining goals is the SMART framework, which emphasizes specificity and feasibility. It encourages to reflect on personal goals and assess if these are clear and within ones sphere of influence.
SMART Objectives:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Attractive
- Realistic
- Time-bound
Additionally, systemic coaching questions such as “How will you know you succeeded?” or “How exactly will you feel once you have reached the goal?” help to visualize ones outcomes and plan celebrations for milestones achieved.
Prioritization Techniques
Prioritization as a critical skill to avoid feeling overwhelmed by numerous tasks. Key models include:
- Pareto Principle: 80% of outcomes stem from 20% of tasks. It is important to identify and focus on high-impact tasks.
- Eisenhower Matrix: Tasks are categorized into four quadrants: important/urgent, important/not urgent, not important/urgent, and not important/not urgent. This matrix helps to prioritize tasks effectively:
- important & urgent: DO
- important & not urgent: PLAN
- not important & urgent: DELEGATE/QUESTION
- not important & not urgent: DELETE
- Rock, Pebbles, and Sand Analogy: Imagine a glass and you want to fill it with rocks, pepples and sand. Tackle the large, significant tasks (“big rocks”) first to ensure time for what matters most. If you put sand into the jar first, there will be no room for rocks or pebbles (large, important tasks).
Planning and Execution
There various planning methods and tools:
- Classic To-Do Lists: Keep lists finite to avoid feeling overwhelmed, and make progress visible.
- Deep Work: Reserve blocks of time where there is no distraction for focused, intensive work.
- Weekly Reviews: Reserve time weekly to evaluate goals, progress, and any adjustments needed.
- Eat the Frog First: Tackle the most important or daunting task first to build momentum.
- Pomodoro Technique: Work in intervals of 25 minutes, followed by 5-minute breaks, to maintain productivity.
- Rubicon Method: Commit to an irreversible first step, which helps overcome hesitation.
Overcoming Procrastination
Procrastination is not laziness! Usually, there are underlying causes, such as unclear or too big tasks, or fear of failure. Reflective questions can help:
- “Is my goal truly motivating?”
- “What are the smallest possible steps to move forward?”
- “Which costs are associated with reaching your goal?”
Visual Project Management Tools
Several visual planning tools help to structure projects and workflows:
- Mindmapping: Brainstorming and organizing ideas visually.
- Work Breakdown Structure: Breaking tasks into manageable sub-tasks, ideal for large projects.
- Gantt Charts: Planning tasks with timelines and dependencies in mind.
- Kanban Boards: Managing task progress through a simple yet dynamic board system.
Balancing Time and Energy
Balancing productivity with personal well-being is crucial. It is helpful to identified “time and energy thieves” such as distractions or stressful triggers, and explore techniques for stress management:
- Worry Audit: journaling practice that helps to externalize worries, identfiy patterns and stressors, and clarify what you can incluence and what you cannot.
- Square Breathing: A simple breathing technique designed to calm the mind and body.
- Self-Compassion Break: Encouraging kind self-reflection during difficult moments.
The workshop closed with an important reminder that productivity isn’t about doing more but about doing what truly matters!