Making Good Use of Summer - time
From: Mary McKinney, Ph.D. of Successful Academic Coaching and it appeared in the June 27, 2005 issue of The Successful Academic News. Copyright © 2000-07 Mary McKinney, Ph.D. - All Rights Reserved
Don't Waste Your Summer
. . . Based on extensive reading, and years of trying to become more productive, here are a few of my suggestions for making the best use of your summer. Ask yourself the following questions:
1) What is your number one priority for the summer?
The first key to using your time wisely is setting goals. Therefore, stop scattering your efforts without a clear focus and make sure that you accomplish the most important tasks to further your career.
If you are having trouble choosing your number one priority, there are two helpful questions to ask:
-What will make you feel the best when you complete it?
-What are you most anxious about?
Follow your instincts as well as your intellect. Focusing on your wishes and anxieties to determine your goals will keep you from spending hours preparing the syllabus for your fall class when you should be writing an article for publication.
2) How are you going to carve out time?
To accomplish your top priority, you need to free up hours that may not be available during the rest of the year. Except for those of us who are teaching summer classes, and trying to cram six months worth of material into six weeks, most of us have more flexibility in our schedules during the summer.
To make sure that you avoid over-commitments and unfocused business, ask these questions:
-What are you going to let go to make more time for your number one project?
-Are there less pressing projects and tasks that you can put on hold to gain hours, and mental space, for your top priority?
3) How can you increase your motivation?
When your summer deadline is only in your own mind, it is easy to shift your schedule and end up with a personal "incomplete" in August. Therefore, I tell the faculty and students I work with to "go public" to increase their sense of accountability. When you announce your goals and timeline to other people, you increase the likelihood that you'll follow through (if only to avoid embarrassment.)
Who are you going to promise that you'll meet your goals?
Tell your partner, your friends, your colleagues, your advisor that you'll have a draft of your project complete before the fall semester begins.
