Time and Stress

Management

CS7001 Workshop

Idris Hsi

November 15, 1999

Time Management

• Step 1 - List Your Tasks.

• Step 2 - Fill In Schedule

• Step 3 - Stop When Day/Week Is Full

• Step 4 - If Tasks Remain, Remove Time From Nonessential Tasks (i.e., Sleeping, Eating), Go To Step 2.

Stress Management

• Happy Hour - Friday at 6!

In Conclusion

• You All Know How To Manage Your Time and Stress.

• But wait……– Are there less masochistic ways to use time?– And what is this stress thing anyhow?

Goals of this Workshop

• Examine Different Ways of Viewing Time

• Review Some Heuristics For Using Time

• Dealing with Stress (And Dangers of Long Term Stress)

• Grad School Survival Guidelines

Task not Time Management

• Time - Constant or Variable?

• Managing Time a Problem of Estimation– Difficult to Estimate Variable Tasks– Difficult to Account For Sources of Noise

• Better to Manage Around Tasks

Covey’s Time (Task) Management Matrix©

Urgent Not UrgentImportant I

CrisesPressing ProblemsDeadline-DrivenProjects

IIPreventionPlanningRelationship BuildingResearch

NotImportant

IIIInterruptionsEmailPhone CallsMeetings

IVTrivia, Busy WorkTime WastersPleasant Activities

Heuristics for Organizing Tasks

• Priority Order

• Task Duration

• Category Order

• Traveling Salesman

Using Small Bits

• Optimize for Large Chunks– Small Bits are Unavoidable (5, 10, 15 min)

• Making Them Useful– Planning (At least 10 minutes a day)– Cleaning / Organization Chores– Communication - Email, Phone Call– Creativity / Brainstorming– Small Tasks

The Art of Procrastination

• Art of Delaying the Inevitable

• Where can you lose time?– Worrying about finishing on time.– Worrying about the final outcome.– Distractions.– Doing “unimportant” things first.

The Zen of Time Usage

“When You Wash The Dishes,

Wash the Dishes.”

The Principle Of Immersion

• “All Tasks Require A Period of Immersion in Direct Proportion to Their Difficulty.”

• DeMarco and Lister Peopleware, (1987)– Context Shifts in Work– Interruptions require 15 minutes of

reorientation.

• Important to Consolidate by Context

Some Days Are Impossible

• In spite of best efforts - It’s still impossible to get everything done.

• Partly the Environment or too many commitments.

• This can lead to stress.

What is Stress?

• In the Good Old Days on the Serengeti….

• Flight or Fight Mechanisms (Adrenaline)

• Problems with Modern Life

• Survival Still Threatened

Manifestations of Stress

• Sources– Personal Pressure to Succeed– Financial Problems– Relationship Problems– Holidays

• Manifestations– Increased Heart Rate, Sleeplessness, Anxiety,

Variable Appetite

Long Term Stress

• Being in Panic Mode all the time

• Learned Helplessness

• Can lead to numerous health problems

• Can lead to Burnout

Managing Stress

• Redirect it into your work.

• Exercise.

• Keep a Regular Schedule (Eating, Sleeping, etc.)

• Eliminate or Reduce the Sources of Stress– Most things aren’t THAT important.– Seek help / advice from others.

Active Inactivity

• “Music is the Space Between Notes” - Claude Debussy

• Creating Empty Spaces in Life is Essential.

Artifacts for Staying on Track

• 10 Minutes a day for planning.

• Flexible Scheduling

• Automated Schedulers - Netscape Calendar, Microsoft Schedule, Outlook, Palm Pilot

• Pad of Paper - Running to-do list, place for unloading.

• A Watch

Developing The Habit

• Takes Discipline and Practice to Have Good Time Management Skills

• Develop Skills Incrementally– Start by developing a realistic schedule– Build in reward system for finishing things

• Over time, it’ll become second nature.

The Big Picture

• Important to know when you’ve done all that you can.

• Don’t schedule more than is humanly possible.

• Don’t stress about things that you can’t control.

• Keep the long term goals in mind. (The PhD)