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Super Mario Brothers or Super Departmental Research Administrator? Avoiding pitfalls and accomplishing tasks to win the game
NCURA REGION V SPRING MEETING
HOUSTON, TEXAS
APRIL 19-22, 2015
Presenters● Kay Gilstrap, CRA
Business Manager II – ResearchDept. of Educational Psychology, Special Education, & Communication DisordersGeorgia State University
● Jennifer Lyon, Ph.D., ELS, CRA Director of Strategic Research Initiatives Office of the Dean, College of Natural Sciences University of Texas, Austin
Today we will:● Share tips on prioritizing tasks● Discuss workday structure and how to make progress on tasks and projects
● Share tools to organize tasks, including, the big time pit, email
● Have open discussion
Prioritizing Tasks Pre-Award:
●What can you do?● PI responsibilities● Central Office● Proactive Tasks● Communication with PIs
Prioritizing Tasks – cont.
Pre-Award:
●What should you do?● Boundaries● Commitments● Beware of traps!
Prioritizing Tasks – cont.
Post-Award:
●Deadlines: How to manage?● Chairs● Deans● Central Office● Sponsors● Others
Prioritizing Tasks – cont.
Post-Award:
● Relationships● Learning your faculty● Others on campus
Prioritizing Tasks – cont.
Post-Award:
● Recurring Tasks● When● Why● Examples: subaward processing, payments,
reports, effort reporting, _________________● Daily activities? Think about it
Prioritizing Tasks – cont.
Emergencies
● Is it really an emergency?● Who is asking? ● When is action required?● If we’re already late, then what?
● Allow flexibility in your schedule● Set realistic expectations
Making Progress
Tasks vs. Projects
● Tasks:● Often quick(er) to accomplish, but recurring● Examples: certify effort; collect biosketches● Progress is made by completing tasks and
checking them off your list
Making Progress – cont.
Tasks vs. Projects● Projects:
● Take longer (days, weeks, months) to accomplish
● Examples: Draft annual expenditure report for chair; create resource webpage for new faculty
● Progress is made by first breaking projects down into tasks, then completing tasks
Making Progress – cont.
Tasks vs. ProjectsManaging multiple projects requires balancing your time spent each day on related tasks
Daily Workday Structure
“Eat a live frog first thing in the morning, and nothing worse will happen to you throughout the day.”
- Mark Twain
Workday Structure – cont.
Daily:
● Jot down two projects to focus on ● Pick one to focus on before lunch, and one after
● Put the “live frog” first● Don’t cheat!
● Aim to spend 1 to 2 hours on each project
Workday Structure – cont.
Daily:
● “Eat your live frog” first ● Then focus on your second project● The remaining 4 to 6 hours is flex time for:
● Shorter-term and routine tasks● Email correspondence● Interruptions, distractions, emergencies
Workweek Structure
Weekly:
● Make a list of as many as 5 live frogs● One for each day of the week● Determine priority order● Some weeks it might be a giant, 5-headed frog
● Remain flexible
Tools to Help You Organize
What works for you?
● Are you a note-taker?● Prefer digital or analog?● Need visual reminders?
Tools to Help You Organize
High-Tech (and free!):
● Todoist (www.todoist.com)● Create to-do lists● View by project or by due date● Change due dates quickly and easily● Share lists with colleagues● Also available as an app
Tools to Help You Organize
High-Tech (and free!):
● Evernote (www.evernote.com)● type notes and organize into “notebooks”● save URLs, images● search your notes by keyword● share notes with colleagues● Also available as an app
Tools to Help You Organize
Low-Tech (and cheap!):
● Daily Planners● Composition notebook(s)● Colors!
Tools to Help You Organize
The one tool we all have: Email
● Can function as a note-taker● BCC yourself on messages and archive or file them
● Can function as a “reminder system”● Set follow-up reminders on messages
● Can function as a filing system● Create archived email folders with the same names as
those on your hard drive
Tools to Help You Organize
Organize your email:
● “Cleaning an inbox is like cleaning your house”● Employ the 5-minute rule● Filter listserv items to dedicated folders● Respond quickly, but act on your schedule
● Make sure you’ve eaten your frog first
Tools to Help You Organize
Beware of Email Pits:
● Inbox as your only organizational tool● Acting on every email the moment it arrives● Failing to respond until you know everything● Starting with a negative statement● Lengthy responses – is a phone call faster?● Poor archiving today is time wasted tomorrow
Summary● Only do what you can do and should do● Develop relationships – it’s worth the time!● Allow for emergencies● Allow for flexibility● Organize – use what works for you!
Questions?
Thank You!
