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

Coveys Time (Task)

Management Matrix

Urgent
Important

Not
Important

Not Urgent

II

Crises
Pressing Problems
Deadline-Driven
Projects

Prevention
Planning
Relationship Building
Research

Interruptions
Email
Phone Calls
Meetings

Trivia, Busy Work

Time Wasters
Pleasant Activities

III

IV

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 - Its 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 arent 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, itll become second nature.

The Big Picture

Important to know when youve done all that
you can.
Dont schedule more than is humanly
possible.
Dont stress about things that you cant
control.
Keep the long term goals in mind. (The PhD)