Tips and tricks for staying organised and on-track

Today is officially my first day of work for 2021 (but we all know that the PhD never truly stops during the holidays) and I thought, what better way to get back into the swing of things than by making a blog post about how I like to keep myself organised and on-track. There’s no better way to start off the year than by making sure you’re set to be using your time and energy efficiently. The following tips and tricks are a combination of things I have learnt from: seminars, peers and supervisors. A few I started doing on my own but I’m sure I’m not the first person to do so.

*A quick disclaimer: These tips are just things that I find work for me, they may not work for everyone. Also, anyone can benefit from these tips, they’re not limited to just PhD students.*

1. Set reasonable goals (and stick to them!)

This one may seem obvious as everyone knows their main overarching goals when it comes to their work (mine is “Get that PhD!”), but without breaking it down into smaller, more achievable little steps, a large goal can seem quite daunting. Something that I learnt when I first joined my lab was how important goal setting is to not only set your mind on your tasks ahead, but to reflect on how far you have come.

Twice a year my lab comes together for our “6-month planning meeting”. We sit down together and have a potluck lunch (pre-covid) and then discuss what we have achieved on our list of goals from the previous 6 months and then state our new goals for the 6 months ahead (via zoom during covid).

Everyone’s 6-month plan looks different, but they follow a similar structure:
1. State your task (e.g. analyse leaf chemistry data).
2. Give it a reasonable time frame (e.g. 3 days).
3. Determine the task’s priority (e.g. low, medium, high).
4. Add an extra column so you can tick off when the task has been completed.
5. Make it look pretty since you’ll be staring at it every day (OPTIONAL).

I find my plan to work best for me when I have it printed off and placed on the wall in front of my desk, to serve as a constant reminder of where my energy should be focused. It also gives me a little serotonin boost each time I see all the check marks in the “completion column”.

Your plan doesn’t just have to include things specific to your projects. I like to include things like outreach, conferences and holidays too. Below is an example of my 6 month plan for August 2020 – February 2021. Feel free to use it as a guide to make your own!

2. Use a calendar

When it comes to smaller tasks and random things that pop up that you didn’t consider in your 6-month plan it’s wise to write them down to make sure you don’t forget (unless you have a really good memory…I, unfortunately, do not). Having a calendar is a great way to ensure you don’t overload yourself each day and avoids clashes in commitments. It also helps remind you of deadlines, days off, and my personal favourite, payday!

There are so many different types of calendars out there (e.g. connected to your email account, a dedicated app on your phone or a simple paper calendar) and different ones are prefered by different people. I like having my calendar constantly visible and physically tangible, so I use paper calendars. You don’t have to spend much money either, I just image search calendars by month, print them out and stick them to my wall, but you can buy a yearly one with pretty pictures if that’s more your style. Much like my 6-month plan, I also get some satisfaction from crossing off a square at the end of each day.

3. De-clutter your desktop

Organising your computer’s files and documents isn’t just for aesthetic purposes, it helps you find them in the future. This is something I personally struggled with all throughout my undergrad degree. I would save everything in random places (Desktop, GoogleDrive, OneDrive, Documents etc.) and then get super stressed out when I couldn’t find the file I needed. My tip is to stick with one secure place to store everything and have different folders within that place.

I would also store everything on my harddrive but learnt that was quite risky if you’re not backing your data up regularly. I now use a OneDrive account that is associated with my university. It is secure and automatically backs up all my documents so I don’t have to worry about forgetting to save things. It can also be accessed remotely so if I forget my laptop one day (or god-forbid it breaks) I can still carry on with my work with no issues.

4. Have a clean workspace

For me, there is nothing more distracting than working in an untidy environment. I like assigning a space for everything on my desk to make it both more functional and aesthetic. Papers go in draws, pens go in the container, calendars go on walls and cords are kept tangle-free. It sounds pretty straight forward but it’s really easy to lose control of your own desk when you don’t stay mindful of keeping it tidy (I have first hand experience).

5. Consistency is key

Now more than ever it’s been especially easy to stray from routine, and coming back from an extended break can be quite tricky when the days seemed blurred. Structuring your day is a good way to adjust back to work, and maintaining it can help speed up this process.

On work days I try to:
– wake up at the same time each morning
– be at my desk and online by 9am
– take a break for lunch
– finish working at 5pm (sometimes I break this rule and work longer or on weekends but only when absolutely necessary or if I’m on a roll with thesis writing)

I understand it’s hard to stay consistent during the most unpredictable time of our lives (i.e. the pandemic), and I hardly took my own advice when things kicked off in March last year. I also acknowledge that I live in a fairly quiet household where I am able to maintain my routine without distractions (mostly), and that my work day routine may not look the same as everyone else’s. That’s totally okay! We all need to do what works best for us.

6. Avoid distraction

I’m yet to perfect this one myself, but it is the most obvious in terms of getting tasks done. Put your phone away, stop scrolling on Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, whatever, and allocate times when you are allowed to use those apps (e.g. during breaks). I find it easier to put my phone in a separate room, otherwise, I’m tempted to check it every other minute for new notifications. Also, checking emails may seem like “work” but I find I use it as an excuse to get out of doing bigger, more important tasks. Allocating times throughout the day to check and respond to emails can also help you avoid using them as a distraction.

Thanks for reading, here’s to a productive 2021!