bears; number one threat to time management in America

I have a sneaky suspicion that the week is not going to be productive. Right now it is just a shadow of a thought, sneaking around the fringes of possibility. On the other hand it's Monday evening and already I am defeated by my to do list. Meetings are the problem. In addition to two lectures I have to teach for two hours, I must attend two lab meetings, a TA meeting and an exam coaching session. All of this equals zero time to do actual work. Naturally the solution is clear:

1. Deal with as much stuff as possible via e-mail.

2. Read e-mail twice a day. The delay will coach everyone around you to ask themselves "is it worth the wait, can I do this by myself".

3. Have a clear outline of what you want to accomplish during each meeting.

4. Most importantly, have a time limit. Stick to your time limit.

Also food for thought: meeting is about to take a turn for the worse if –

1. Someone starts with "this one time ...."

2. "The central limit theorem is like shoelace" - or similar clumsy metaphor.

3. "I did not include this on the agenda but", or " you know this already but".

4. "I am going to read every word on a slide .... "

Make no mistake, in order to accomplish real work you have to make time for it. In reality, making-time is one of the most important skills you will learn during you grad-school years. I cannot say that I mastered the art, or even came close, as evident by the intro to this post. If you value your time, show it, it is the best way to make others value it too. Time is your most precious resource. Also bears.