phd thesis in time management

The Impact of Time Management on the Students' Academic Achievements

• January 2015

• The Islamia University of Bahawalpur

• Gomal University

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Time Management Resources for Graduate Students and Postdocs

Dissertation plan

Completing your dissertation can be overwhelming and stressful. It is a critical period of time to manage time effectively and execute your well-thought-out plans. In this section, we aim to provide some checkpoints or milestones that help you to complete your dissertation in a timely manner:

• Find out the requirements and deadlines set by the department and graduate school. Having the end goal in mind will help you plan your way to get there.
• Have the initial meeting with your advisor to discuss the goals of your dissertation and set up an overall timeline. For example, determine when to have the defense, when to send the dissertation to committee, when to send out the schedule poll to committee, etc.
• Create an outline of the dissertation with sections and subsections for each chapter according to the initial discussion, and map out deadlines for each section.
• Meet with your advisor to discuss and finalize the outline and roadmap, including what kind of format (by chapters or the whole dissertation) your advisor expects, and how to maintain the line of communication (face-to-face or email) and how often you should communicate, so that you can get support and feedback along the way.
• Reach out to your committee members to let them know your dissertation plan and schedule the defense date. Ask if they are willing to provide feedback on your drafts.
• Incorporate the feedback comments and edit your dissertation for submission to your committee for defense.

*You can create a timeline table to help you visualize your plan.

Execution plan:.

• On your daily schedule, block off a couple of hours when you are most effective for your dissertation writing. Having this specific time block will help you prioritize and fit other tasks around your writing. Stick to the schedule and treat it as your appointment with your advisor or doctor.
• Limit the distraction during your blocked writing time in order to fully concentrate.
• Set a daily goal. For example, writing 2 pages each day on chapter 1 or finishing the method session on chapter 2, etc.
• Find a place that you find yourself most productive and efficient, and write there.
• Monitor your progress by calendars and project management apps.
• You are not alone. Find someone who is also writing their dissertation to be your writing buddy to help encourage one another and keep each other on track.
• Work/life balance (refer to the work/life balance )

https://www.stcloudstate.edu/elhe/_files/documents/dissertation/time-management-tips.pdf

https://sph.umd.edu/sites/default/files/files/StrategiesDissertationCompletion3_8_07.pdf

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Does time management work? A meta-analysis

1 Concordia University, Sir George Williams Campus, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Aïda Faber

2 FSA Ulaval, Laval University, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada

Alexandra Panaccio

Associated data.

All relevant data are within the manuscript and its Supporting Information files.

Does time management work? We conducted a meta-analysis to assess the impact of time management on performance and well-being. Results show that time management is moderately related to job performance, academic achievement, and wellbeing. Time management also shows a moderate, negative relationship with distress. Interestingly, individual differences and contextual factors have a much weaker association with time management, with the notable exception of conscientiousness. The extremely weak correlation with gender was unexpected: women seem to manage time better than men, but the difference is very slight. Further, we found that the link between time management and job performance seems to increase over the years: time management is more likely to get people a positive performance review at work today than in the early 1990s. The link between time management and gender, too, seems to intensify: women’s time management scores have been on the rise for the past few decades. We also note that time management seems to enhance wellbeing—in particular, life satisfaction—to a greater extent than it does performance. This challenges the common perception that time management first and foremost enhances work performance, and that wellbeing is simply a byproduct.

Introduction

Stand-up comedian George Carlin once quipped that in the future a “time machine will be built, but no one will have time to use it” [ 1 ]. Portentously, booksellers now carry one-minute bedtime stories for time-starved parents [ 2 ] and people increasingly speed-watch videos and speed-listen to audio books [ 3 – 5 ]. These behaviors are symptomatic of an increasingly harried society suffering from chronic time poverty [ 6 ]. Work is intensifying—in 1965 about 50% of workers took breaks; in 2003, less than 2% [ 7 ]. Leisure, too, is intensifying: people strive to consume music, social media, vacations, and other leisure activities ever more efficiently [ 8 – 11 ].

In this frantic context, time management is often touted as a panacea for time pressure. Media outlets routinely extol the virtues of time management. Employers, educators, parents, and politicians exhort employees, students, children, and citizens to embrace more efficient ways to use time [ 12 – 16 ]. In light of this, it is not surprising that from 1960 to 2008 the frequency of books mentioning time management shot up by more than 2,700% [ 17 ].

Time management is defined as “a form of decision making used by individuals to structure, protect, and adapt their time to changing conditions” [ 18 ]. This means time management, as it is generally portrayed in the literature, comprises three components: structuring, protecting, and adapting time. Well-established time management measures reflect these concepts. Structuring time, for instance, is captured in such items as “Do you have a daily routine which you follow?” and “Do your main activities during the day fit together in a structured way?” [ 19 ]. Protecting time is reflected in items such as “Do you often find yourself doing things which interfere with your schoolwork simply because you hate to say ‘No’ to people?” [ 20 ]. And adapting time to changing conditions is seen in such items as “Uses waiting time” and “Evaluates daily schedule” [ 21 ].

Research has, furthermore, addressed several important aspects of time management, such as its relationship with work-life balance [ 22 ], whether gender differences in time management ability develop in early childhood [ 23 ], and whether organizations that encourage employees to manage their time experience less stress and turnover [ 24 ]. Despite the phenomenal popularity of this topic, however, academic research has yet to address some fundamental questions [ 25 – 27 ].

A critical gap in time management research is the question of whether time management works [ 28 , 29 ]. For instance, studies on the relationship between time management and job performance reveal mixed findings [ 30 , 31 ]. Furthermore, scholars’ attempts to synthesize the literature have so far been qualitative, precluding a quantitative overall assessment [ 18 , 32 , 33 ]. To tackle this gap in our understanding of time management, we conducted a meta-analysis. In addressing the question of whether time management works, we first clarify the criteria for effectiveness. In line with previous reviews, we find that virtually all studies focus on two broad outcomes: performance and wellbeing [ 32 ].

Overall, results suggest that time management enhances job performance, academic achievement, and wellbeing. Interestingly, individual differences (e.g., gender, age) and contextual factors (e.g., job autonomy, workload) were much less related to time management ability, with the notable exception of personality and, in particular, conscientiousness. Furthermore, the link between time management and job performance seems to grow stronger over the years, perhaps reflecting the growing need to manage time in increasingly autonomous and flexible jobs [ 34 – 37 ].

Overall, our findings provide academics, policymakers, and the general audience with better information to assess the value of time management. This information is all the more useful amid the growing doubts about the effectiveness of time management [ 38 ]. We elaborate on the contributions and implications of our findings in the discussion section.

What does it mean to say that time management works?

In the din of current debates over productivity, reduced workweeks, and flexible hours, time management comes to the fore as a major talking point. Given its popularity, it would seem rather pointless to question its effectiveness. Indeed, time management’s effectiveness is often taken for granted, presumably because time management offers a seemingly logical solution to a lifestyle that increasingly requires coordination and prioritization skills [ 39 , 40 ].

Yet, popular media outlets increasingly voice concern and frustration over time management, reflecting at least part of the population’s growing disenchantment [ 38 ]. This questioning of time management practices is becoming more common among academics as well [ 41 ]. As some have noted, the issue is not just whether time management works. Rather, the question is whether the techniques championed by time management gurus can be actually counterproductive or even harmful [ 26 , 42 ]. Other scholars have raised concerns that time management may foster an individualistic, quantitative, profit-oriented view of time that perpetuates social inequalities [ 43 , 44 ]. For instance, time management manuals beguile readers with promises of boundless productivity that may not be accessible to women, whose disproportionate share in care work, such as tending to young children, may not fit with typically male-oriented time management advice [ 45 ]. Similarly, bestselling time management books at times offer advice that reinforce global inequities. Some manuals, for instance, recommend delegating trivial tasks to private virtual assistants, who often work out of developing countries for measly wages [ 46 ]. Furthermore, time management manuals often ascribe a financial value to time—the most famous time management adage is that time is money. But recent studies show that thinking of time as money leads to a slew of negative outcomes, including time pressure, stress, impatience, inability to enjoy the moment, unwillingness to help others, and less concern with the environment [ 47 – 51 ]. What’s more, the pressure induced by thinking of time as money may ultimately undermine psychological and physical health [ 52 ].

Concerns over ethics and safety notwithstanding, a more prosaic question researchers have grappled with is whether time management works. Countless general-audience books and training programs have claimed that time management improves people’s lives in many ways, such as boosting performance at work [ 53 – 55 ]. Initial academic forays into addressing this question challenged those claims: time management didn’t seem to improve job performance [ 29 , 30 ]. Studies used a variety of research approaches, running the gamut from lab experiments, field experiments, longitudinal studies, and cross-sectional surveys to experience sampling [ 28 , 56 – 58 ]. Such studies occasionally did find an association between time management and performance, but only in highly motivated workers [ 59 ]; instances establishing a more straightforward link with performance were comparatively rare [ 31 ]. Summarizing these insights, reviews of the literature concluded that the link between time management and job performance is unclear; the link with wellbeing, however, seemed more compelling although not conclusive [ 18 , 32 ].

It is interesting to note that scholars often assess the effectiveness time management by its ability to influence some aspect of performance, wellbeing, or both. In other words, the question of whether time management works comes down to asking whether time management influences performance and wellbeing. The link between time management and performance at work can be traced historically to scientific management [ 60 ]. Nevertheless, even though modern time management can be traced to scientific management in male-dominated work settings, a feminist reading of time management history reveals that our modern idea of time management also descends from female time management thinkers of the same era, such as Lillian Gilbreth, who wrote treatises on efficient household management [ 43 , 61 , 62 ]. As the link between work output and time efficiency became clearer, industrialists went to great lengths to encourage workers to use their time more rationally [ 63 – 65 ]. Over time, people have internalized a duty to be productive and now see time management as a personal responsibility at work [ 43 , 66 , 67 ]. The link between time management and academic performance can be traced to schools’ historical emphasis on punctuality and timeliness. In more recent decades, however, homework expectations have soared [ 68 ] and parents, especially well-educated ones, have been spending more time preparing children for increasingly competitive college admissions [ 69 , 70 ]. In this context, time management is seen as a necessary skill for students to thrive in an increasingly cut-throat academic world. Finally, the link between time management and wellbeing harks back to ancient scholars, who emphasized that organizing one’s time was necessary to a life well-lived [ 71 , 72 ]. More recently, empirical studies in the 1980s examined the effect of time management on depressive symptoms that often plague unemployed people [ 19 , 73 ]. Subsequent studies surmised that the effective use of time might prevent a host of ills, such as work-life conflict and job stress [ 22 , 74 ].

Overall, then, various studies have looked into the effectiveness of time management. Yet, individual studies remain narrow in scope and reviews of the literature offer only a qualitative—and often inconclusive—assessment. To provide a more quantifiable answer to the question of whether time management works, we performed a meta-analysis, the methods of which we outline in what follows.

Literature search and inclusion criteria

We performed a comprehensive search using the keywords “time management” across the EBSCO databases Academic Search Complete , Business Source Complete , Computers & Applied Sciences Complete , Gender Studies Database , MEDLINE , Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection , PsycINFO , SocINDEX , and Education Source . The search had no restrictions regarding country and year of publication and included peer-reviewed articles up to 2019. To enhance comprehensiveness, we also ran a forward search on the three main time management measures: the Time Management Behavior Scale [ 21 ], the Time Structure Questionnaire [ 19 ], and the Time Management Questionnaire [ 20 ]. (A forward search tracks all the papers that have cited a particular work. In our case the forward search located all the papers citing the three time management scales available on Web of Science .)

Time management measures typically capture three aspects of time management: structuring, protecting, and adapting time to changing conditions. Structuring refers to how people map their activities to time using a schedule, a planner, or other devices that represent time in a systematic way [ 75 – 77 ]. Protecting refers to how people set boundaries around their time to repel intruders [ 78 , 79 ]. Examples include people saying no to time-consuming requests from colleagues or friends as well as turning off one’s work phone during family dinners. Finally, adapting one’s time to changing conditions means, simply put, to be responsive and flexible with one’s time structure [ 80 , 81 ]. Furthermore, time management measures typically probe behaviors related to these three dimensions (e.g., using a schedule to structure one’s day, making use of downtime), although they sometimes also capture people’s attitudes (e.g., whether people feel in control of their time).

As shown in Fig 1 , the initial search yielded 10,933 hits, excluding duplicates.

The search included no terms other than “time management” to afford the broadest possible coverage of time management correlates. Nevertheless, as shown in Table 1 , we focused exclusively on quantitative, empirical studies of time management in non-clinical samples. Successive rounds of screening, first by assessing paper titles and abstracts and then by perusing full-text articles, whittled down the number of eligible studies to 158 (see Fig 1 ).

Data extraction and coding

We extracted eligible effect sizes from the final pool of studies; effect sizes were mostly based on means and correlations. In our initial data extraction, we coded time management correlates using the exact variable names found in each paper. For instance, “work-life imbalance” was initially coded in those exact terms, rather than “work-life conflict.” Virtually all time management correlates we extracted fell under the category of performance and/or wellbeing. This pattern tallies with previous reviews of the literature [ 18 , 32 ]. A sizable number of variables also fell under the category of individual differences and contextual factors, such as age, personality, and job autonomy. After careful assessment of the extracted variables, we developed a coding scheme using a nested structure shown in Table 2 .

Aeon and Aguinis suggested that time management influences performance, although the strength of that relationship may depend on how performance is defined [ 18 ]. Specifically, they proposed that time management may have a stronger impact on behaviors conducive to performance (e.g., motivation, proactiveness) compared to assessments of performance (e.g., supervisor rankings). For this reason, we distinguish between results- and behavior-based performance in our coding scheme, both in professional and academic settings. Furthermore, wellbeing indicators can be positive (e.g., life satisfaction) or negative (e.g., anxiety). We expect time management to influence these variables in opposite ways; it would thus make little sense to analyze them jointly. Accordingly, we differentiate between wellbeing (positive) and distress (negative).

In our second round of coding, we used the scheme shown in Table 2 to cluster together kindred variables. For instance, we grouped “work-life imbalance,” “work-life conflict” and “work-family conflict” under an overarching “work-life conflict” category. The authors reviewed each variable code and resolved rare discrepancies to ultimately agree on all coded variables. Note that certain variables, such as self-actualization, covered only one study (i.e., one effect size). While one or two effect sizes is not enough to conduct a meta-analysis, they can nonetheless be grouped with other effect sizes belonging to the same category (e.g., self-actualization and sense of purpose belong the broader category of overall wellbeing). For this reason, we included variables with one or two effect sizes for comprehensiveness.

Meta-analytic procedures

We conducted all meta-analyses following the variables and cluster of variables outlined in Table 2 . We opted to run all analyses with a random effects model. The alternative—a fixed effects model—assumes that all studies share a common true effect size (i.e., linking time management and a given outcome) which they approximate. This assumption is unrealistic because it implies that the factors influencing the effect size are the same in all studies [ 83 ]. In other words, a fixed effects model assumes that the factors affecting time management are similar across all studies—the fallacy underlying this assumption was the main theme of Aeon and Aguinis’s review [ 18 ]. To perform our analyses, we used Comprehensive Meta-Analysis v.3 [ 84 ], a program considered highly reliable and valid in various systematic assessments [ 85 , 86 ].

Meta-analyses do not typically perform calculations on correlations (e.g., Pearson’s r). Instead, we transformed correlations into Fisher’s z scales [ 83 ]. The transformation was done with z = 0.5 × ln ( 1 + r 1 − r ) , where r represents the correlation extracted from each individual study. The variance of Fisher’s Z was calculated as V z = 1 n − 3 where n corresponds to the study’s sample size; the standard error of Fisher’s Z was calculated as S E z = V z .

In many cases, studies reported how variables correlated with an overall time management score. In some cases, however, studies reported only correlations with discrete time management subscales (e.g., short-range planning, attitudes toward time, use of time management tools), leaving out the overall effect. In such cases, we averaged out the effect sizes of the subscales to compute a summary effect [ 83 ]. This was necessary not only because meta-analyses admit only one effect size per study, but also because our focus is on time management as a whole rather than on subscales. Similarly, when we analyzed the link between time management and a high-level cluster of variables (e.g., overall wellbeing rather than specific variables such as life satisfaction), there were studies with more than one relevant outcome (e.g., a study that captured both life satisfaction and job satisfaction). Again, because meta-analyses allow for only one effect size (i.e., variable) per study, we used the mean of different variables to compute an overall effect sizes in studies that featured more than one outcome [ 83 ].

Overall description of the literature

We analyzed 158 studies for a total number of 490 effect sizes. 21 studies explored performance in a professional context, 76 performance in an academic context, 30 investigated wellbeing (positive), and 58 distress. Interestingly, studies did not systematically report individual differences, as evidenced by the fact that only 21 studies reported correlations with age, and only between 10 and 15 studies measured personality (depending on the personality trait). Studies that measured contextual factors were fewer still—between 3 and 7 (depending on the contextual factor). These figures fit with Aeon and Aguinis’s observation that the time management literature often overlooks internal and external factors that can influence the way people manage time [ 18 ].

With one exception, we found no papers fitting our inclusion criteria before the mid-1980s. Publication trends also indicate an uptick in time management studies around the turn of the millennium, with an even higher number around the 2010s. This trend is consistent with the one Shipp and Cole identified, revealing a surge in time-related papers in organizational behavior around the end of the 1980s [ 87 ].

It is also interesting to note that the first modern time management books came out in the early 1970s, including the The Time Trap (1972), by Alec MacKenzie and How to Get Control of your Time and your Life (1973), by Alan Lakein. These books inspired early modern time management research [ 21 , 58 , 88 ]. It is thus very likely that the impetus for modern time management research came from popular practitioner manuals.

To assess potential bias in our sample of studies, we computed different estimates of publication bias (see Table 3 ). Overall, publication bias remains relatively low (see funnel plots in S1). Publication bias occurs when there is a bias against nonsignificant or even negative results because such results are seen as unsurprising and not counterintuitive. In this case, however, the fact that time management is generally expected to lead to positive outcomes offers an incentive to publish nonsignificant or negative results, which would be counterintuitive [ 89 ]. By the same token, the fact that some people feel that time management is ineffective [ 38 ] provides an incentive to publish papers that link time management with positive outcomes. In other words, opposite social expectations surrounding time management might reduce publication bias.

Finally, we note that the link between time management and virtually all outcomes studied is highly heterogeneous (as measured, for instance, by Cochran’s Q and Higgins & Thompson’s I 2 ; see tables below). This high level of heterogeneity suggests that future research should pay more attention to moderating factors (e.g., individual differences).

Time management and performance in professional settings

Overall, time management has a moderate impact on performance at work, with correlations hovering around r = .25. We distinguish between results-based and behavior-based performance. The former measures performance as an outcome (e.g., performance appraisals by supervisors) whereas the latter measures performance as behavioral contributions (e.g., motivation, job involvement). Time management seems related to both types of performance. Although the effect size for results-based performance is lower than that of behavior-based performance, moderation analysis reveals the difference is not significant (p > .05), challenging Aeon and Aguinis’s conclusions [ 18 ].

Interestingly, the link between time management and performance displays much less heterogeneity (see Q and I 2 statistics in Table 4 ) than the link between time management and other outcomes (see tables below). The studies we summarize in Table 4 include both experimental and non-experimental designs; they also use different time management measures. As such, we can discount, to a certain extent, the effect of methodological diversity. We can perhaps explain the lower heterogeneity by the fact that when people hold a full-time job, they usually are at a relatively stable stage in life. In school, by contrast, a constellation of factors (e.g., financial stability and marital status, to name a few) conspire to affect time management outcomes. Furthermore, work contexts are a typically more closed system than life in general. For this reason, fewer factors stand to disrupt the link between time management and job performance than that between time management and, say, life satisfaction. Corroborating this, note how, in Table 6 below, the link between time management and job satisfaction ( I 2 = 58.70) is much less heterogeneous than the one between time management and life satisfaction ( I 2 = 95.45).

* p < .05

** p < .01

*** p < .001.

k = number of studies related to the variable | N = total sample size related to the variable.

r = effect size of the correlation between time management and the variable | 95% CI = confidence interval of the effect size.

Q = Cochran’s Q, a measure of between-study heterogeneity | τ 2 = measure of between-study variance | I 2 = alternative measure of between-study heterogeneity.

Moreover, we note that the relationship between time management and job performance (see Fig 2 ) significantly increases over the years ( B = .0106, p < .01, Q model = 8.52(1), Q residual = 15.54(9), I 2 = 42.08, R 2 analog = .75).

Time management and performance in academic settings

Overall, the effect of time management on performance seems to be slightly higher in academic settings compared to work settings, although the magnitude of the effect remains moderate (see Table 5 ). Here again, we distinguish between results- and behavior-based performance. Time management’s impact on behavior-based performance seems much higher than on results-based performance—a much wider difference than the one we observed in professional settings. This suggests than results-based performance in academic settings depends less on time management than results-based performance in professional settings. This means that time management is more likely to get people a good performance review at work than a strong GPA in school.

In particular, time management seems to be much more negatively related to procrastination in school than at work. Although we cannot establish causation in all studies, we note that some of them featured experimental designs that established a causal effect of time management on reducing procrastination [ 90 ].

Interestingly, time management was linked to all types of results-based performance except for standardized tests. This is perhaps due to the fact that standardized tests tap more into fluid intelligence, a measure of intelligence independent of acquired knowledge [ 91 ]. GPA and regular exam scores, in contrast, tap more into crystallized intelligence, which depends mostly on accumulated knowledge. Time management can thus assist students in organizing their time to acquire the knowledge necessary to ace a regular exam; for standardized exams that depend less on knowledge and more on intelligence, however, time management may be less helpful. Evidence from other studies bears this out: middle school students’ IQ predicts standardized achievement tests scores better than self-control while self-control predicts report card grades better than IQ [ 92 ]. (For our purposes, we can use self-control as a very rough proxy for time management.) Relatedly, we found no significant relationship between time management and cognitive ability in our meta-analysis (see Table 8 ).

a Female = 1; Male = 2.

b Single = 1; Married = 2.

Time management and wellbeing

On the whole, time management has a slightly stronger impact on wellbeing than on performance. This is unexpected, considering how the dominant discourse points to time management as a skill for professional career development. Of course, the dominant discourse also frames time management as necessary for wellbeing and stress reduction, but to a much lesser extent. Our finding that time management has a stronger influence on wellbeing in no way negates the importance of time management as a work skill. Rather, this finding challenges the intuitive notion that time management is more effective for work than for other life domains. As further evidence, notice how in Table 6 the effect of time management on life satisfaction is 72% stronger than that on job satisfaction.

Time management and distress

Time management seems to allay various forms of distress, although to a lesser extent than it enhances wellbeing. The alleviating effect on psychological distress is particularly strong ( r = -0.358; see Table 7 ).

That time management has a weaker effect on distress should not be surprising. First, wellbeing and distress are not two poles on opposite ends of a spectrum. Although related, wellbeing and distress are distinct [ 93 ]. Thus, there is no reason to expect time management to have a symmetrical effect on wellbeing and distress. Second, and relatedly, the factors that influence wellbeing and distress are also distinct. Specifically, self-efficacy (i.e., seeing oneself as capable) is a distinct predictor of wellbeing while neuroticism and life events in general are distinct predictors of distress [ 94 ]. It stands to reason that time management can enhance self-efficacy. (Or, alternatively, that people high in self-efficacy would be more likely to engage in time management, although experimental evidence suggests that time management training makes people feel more in control of their time [ 89 ]; it is thus plausible that time management may have a causal effect on self-efficacy. Relatedly, note how time management ability is strongly related to internal locus of control in Table 8 ) In contrast, time management can do considerably less in the way of tackling neuroticism and dampening the emotional impact of tragic life events. In other words, the factors that affect wellbeing may be much more within the purview of time management than the factors that affect distress. For this reason, time management may be less effective in alleviating distress than in improving wellbeing.

Time management and individual differences

Time management is, overall, less related to individual differences than to other variables.

Age, for instance, hardly correlates with time management (with a relatively high consistency between studies, I 2 = 55.79, see Table 8 above).

Similarly, gender only tenuously correlates with time management, although in the expected direction: women seem to have stronger time management abilities than men. The very weak association with gender ( r = -0.087) is particularly surprising given women’s well-documented superior self-regulation skills [ 95 ]. That being said, women’s time management abilities seem to grow stronger over the years ( N = 37, B = -.0049, p < .05, Q model = 3.89(1), Q residual = 218.42(35), I 2 = 83.98, R 2 analog = .03; also see Fig 3 below). More realistically, this increase may not be due to women’s time management abilities getting stronger per se but, rather, to the fact that women now have more freedom to manage their time [ 96 ].

Other demographic indicators, such as education and number of children, were nonsignificant. Similarly, the relationships between time management and personal attributes and attitudes were either weak or nonsignificant, save for two notable exceptions. First, the link between time management and internal locus of control (i.e., the extent to which people perceive they’re in control of their lives) is quite substantial. This is not surprising, because time management presupposes that people believe they can change their lives. Alternatively, it may be that time management helps people strengthen their internal locus of control, as experimental evidence suggests [ 89 ]. Second, the link between time management and self-esteem is equally substantial. Here again, one can make the argument either way: people with high self-esteem might be confident enough to manage their time or, conversely, time management may boost self-esteem. The two options are not mutually exclusive: people with internal loci of control and high self-esteem levels can feel even more in control of their lives and better about themselves through time management.

We also note a very weak but statistically significant negative association between time management and multitasking. It has almost become commonsense that multitasking does not lead to performance [ 97 ]. As a result, people with stronger time management skills might deliberately steer clear of this notoriously ineffective strategy.

In addition, time management was mildly related to hours spent studying but not hours spent working. (These variables cover only student samples working part- or full-time and thus do not apply to non-student populations.) This is consistent with time-use studies revealing that teenagers and young adults spend less time working and more time studying [ 98 ]. Students who manage their time likely have well-defined intentions, and trends suggest those intentions will target education over work because, it is hoped, education offers larger payoffs over the long-term [ 99 ].

In terms of contextual factors, time management does not correlate significantly with job autonomy. This is surprising, as we expected autonomy to be a prerequisite for time management (i.e., you can’t manage time if you don’t have the freedom to). Nevertheless, qualitative studies have shown how even in environments that afford little autonomy (e.g., restaurants), workers can carve out pockets of time freedom to momentarily cut loose [ 100 ]. Thus, time management behaviors may flourish even in the most stymying settings. In addition, the fact that time management is associated with less role overload and previous attendance of time management training programs makes sense: time management can mitigate the effect of heavy workloads and time management training, presumably, improves time management skills.

Finally, time management is linked to all personality traits. Moreover, previous reviews of the literature have commented on the link between time management and conscientiousness in particular [ 32 ]. What our study reveals is the substantial magnitude of the effect ( r = 0.451). The relationship is not surprising: conscientiousness entails orderliness and organization, which overlap significantly with time management. That time management correlates so strongly with personality (and so little with other individual differences) lends credence to the dispositional view of time management [ 101 – 103 ]. However, this finding should not be taken to mean that time management is a highly inheritable, fixed ability. Having a “you either have it or you don’t” view of time management is not only counterproductive [ 104 ] but also runs counter to evidence showing that time management training does, in fact, help people manage their time better.

Does time management work? It seems so. Time management has a moderate influence on job performance, academic achievement, and wellbeing. These three outcomes play an important role in people’s lives. Doing a good job at work, getting top grades in school, and nurturing psychological wellbeing contribute to a life well lived. Widespread exhortations to get better at time management are thus not unfounded: the importance of time management is hard to overstate.

Contributions

Beyond answering the question of whether time management works, this study contributes to the literature in three major ways. First, we quantify the impact of time management on several outcomes. We thus not only address the question of whether time management works, but also, and importantly, gauge to what extent time management works. Indeed, our meta-analysis covers 53,957 participants, which allows for a much more precise, quantified assessment of time management effectiveness compared to qualitative reviews.

Second, this meta-analysis systematically assesses relationships between time management and a host of individual differences and contextual factors. This helps us draw a more accurate portrait of potential antecedents of higher (or lower) scores on time management measures.

Third, our findings challenge intuitive ideas concerning what time management is for. Specifically, we found that time management enhances wellbeing—and in particular life satisfaction—to a greater extent than it does various types of performance. This runs against the popular belief that time management primarily helps people perform better and that wellbeing is simply a byproduct of better performance. Of course, it may be that wellbeing gains, even if higher than performance gains, hinge on performance; that is to say, people may need to perform better as a prerequisite to feeling happier. But this argument doesn’t jibe with experiments showing that even in the absence of performance gains, time management interventions do increase wellbeing [ 89 ]. This argument also founders in the face of evidence linking time management with wellbeing among the unemployed [ 105 ], unemployment being an environment where performance plays a negligible role, if any. As such, this meta-analysis lends support to definitions of time management that are not work- or performance-centric.

Future research and limitations

This meta-analysis questions whether time management should be seen chiefly as a performance device. Our questioning is neither novel nor subversive: historically people have managed time for other reasons than efficiency, such as spiritual devotion and philosophical contemplation [ 72 , 106 , 107 ]. It is only with relatively recent events, such as the Industrial Revolution and waves of corporate downsizing, that time management has become synonymous with productivity [ 43 , 65 ]. We hope future research will widen its scope and look more into outcomes other than performance, such as developing a sense of meaning in life [ 108 ]. One of the earliest time management studies, for instance, explored how time management relates to having a sense of purpose [ 73 ]. However, very few studies followed suit since. Time management thus stands to become a richer, more inclusive research area by investigating a wider array of outcomes.

In addition, despite the encouraging findings of this meta-analysis we must refrain from seeing time management as a panacea. Though time management can make people’s lives better, it is not clear how easy it is for people to learn how to manage their time adequately. More importantly, being “good” at time management is often a function of income, education, and various types of privilege [ 42 , 43 , 46 , 109 ]. The hackneyed maxim that “you have as many hours in a day as Beyoncé,” for instance, blames people for their “poor” time management in pointing out that successful people have just as much time but still manage to get ahead. Yet this ill-conceived maxim glosses over the fact that Beyoncé and her ilk do, in a sense, have more hours in a day than average people who can’t afford a nanny, chauffeur, in-house chefs, and a bevy of personal assistants. Future research should thus look into ways to make time management more accessible.

Furthermore, this meta-analysis rests on the assumption that time management training programs do enhance people’s time management skills. Previous reviews have noted the opacity surrounding time management interventions—studies often don’t explain what, exactly, is taught in time management training seminars [ 18 ]. As a result, comparing the effect of different interventions might come down to comparing apples and oranges. (This might partly account for the high heterogeneity between studies.) We hope that our definition of time management will spur future research into crafting more consistent, valid, and generalizable interventions that will allow for more meaningful comparisons.

Finally, most time management studies are cross-sectional. Yet it is very likely that the effect of time management compounds over time. If time management can help students get better grades, for instance, those grades can lead to better jobs down the line [ 110 ]. Crucially, learning a skill takes time, and if time management helps people make the time to learn a skill, then time management stands to dramatically enrich people’s lives. For this reason, longitudinal studies can track different cohorts to see how time management affects people’s lives over time. We expect that developing time management skills early on in life can create a compound effect whereby people acquire a variety of other skills thanks to their ability to make time.

Overall, this study offers the most comprehensive, precise, and fine-grained assessment of time management to date. We address the longstanding debate over whether time management influences job performance in revealing a positive, albeit moderate effect. Interestingly, we found that time management impacts wellbeing—and in particular life satisfaction—to a greater extent than performance. That means time management may be primarily a wellbeing enhancer, rather than a performance booster. Furthermore, individual and external factors played a minor role in time management, although this does not necessarily mean that time management’s effectiveness is universal. Rather, we need more research that focuses on the internal and external variables that affect time management outcomes. We hope this study will tantalize future research and guide practitioners in their attempt to make better use of their time.

Supporting information

S1 checklist, acknowledgments.

We would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge our colleagues for their invaluable help: Mengchan Gao, Talha Aziz, Elizabeth Eley, Robert Nason, Andrew Ryder, Tracy Hecht, and Caroline Aubé.

Funding Statement

The authors received no specific funding for this work.

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6 Tips for Dissertation Time Management

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• Introduction

Create a timeline for your dissertation

Structure regular times in your normal week for writing your dissertation, do your research, prioritize your tasks, keep your supervisor in the loop, just start writing.

If you’re a final year undergraduate student or a postgraduate student, it’s come to that time of the year where you’re planning, or about to start writing, your dissertation.

For those who don’t know, a dissertation is a research project completed at the end of your undergraduate or postgraduate course on a topic of your choice.

Writing your dissertation can potentially be a stressful and time pressured experience – but only if you don’t manage your time effectively!

When you first start thinking about your dissertation, you may feel like you have all the time in the world, so it’s easy to get complacent about planning and writing, and then, before you know it, the deadline is just around the corner.

If you struggle to stick to deadlines, try following our six tips to get you back on track.

Whether it’s on a calendar, a piece of paper or just on your phone, having a timeline is an excellent way to keep track of your progress.

To make your timeline, split your dissertation into several sections, and decide an approximate time that you want each section to be finished by. It’s important to be realistic about these timings – if not, you either won’t follow them, or you’ll just burn out.  

Setting realistic goals can help you feel motivated and less stressed, as it divides the dissertation up into achievable bite size chunks, rather than letting it completely overwhelm you.

Contrary to popular belief, you don’t actually have to write your dissertation every single day, just as long as you do it regularly. Set up a structured time to work on your dissertation – in the same way you might put time aside for the gym. While it’s important to spend time on your dissertation, it’s worth remembering that it’s about the quality of work you produce, not the number of hours you spend working on it.  

Some people find it useful to treat the uni day like a nine to five job, and only work within those hours, so that there’s structure to the working day. Other people prefer a more irregular working pattern, for example if they work better at night or in the morning – so decide what’s best for you and stick to it! 

Start with making a list of sources you want to use in your dissertation. Use suggestions from your supervisor and go to your university library to see what books it has on the topic. Also use online resources: Google Scholar is a good place to search for these.

The next step is to start reading your sources, making sure to take notes and record titles and page numbers. This will make it a lot easier in the future when you go back and reference these sources.

Prioritizing is key when it comes to dissertation writing! Decide what the most important tasks are and make them your top priority (look at your timeline to see which parts need to be completed first).

Write a list of smaller, less time-consuming tasks, so that when you need a break from whatever you’re working on, you can go back to them. This way, at least when you procrastinate, you’re still being productive.

It might also be good to have a notebook handy to jot down any interesting ideas that come to you while you’re writing, so that you can come back to them later on.

When writing a dissertation you’ll be assigned a supervisor who will guide you through your project. Supervisors are generally keen to help you with any problems you might have, so make sure you ask any questions you might have about your dissertation.

It’s also good to keep your supervisor up to date with what you’re doing. Reporting back to them on the progress you’ve made will motivate you to keep going, and they will be able to offer helpful feedback.

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When you start writing your dissertation is completely down to what suits you best. Some people prefer to finish all of their research before they start writing, whereas others prefer to start writing and continue their research when needs be.

Be aware that when you start writing it might become apparent that there’s further research you need to do, so leave enough time for this in your schedule. How to manage time?

You may start writing and realize straight away that this is far from your best work. Even if this is the case, keep going! Even if it’s not very good now, it’s still progress. You can go back and edit it later. 

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As Content Editor for TopUniversities.com and TopMBA.com, Chloe creates and publishes a wide range of articles for universities and business schools across the world. Chloe has a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Reading and grew up in Leicestershire, UK. 

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Time management tips for PhD students

By Federico Pinna

“Tempus Fugit, Time Matters”

Every time i meet phd students at the beginning of their career, i’m always asking them: are you seriously taking into consideration the “time” parameter in your work sadly, the answer in most of the cases is “what” or “no”..

In some ways I feel this is normal. Even if we deal with time daily, we need experience to efficiently handle it. I’m focusing on this aspect because by understanding and improving your use of time, you will see a big improvement and more happiness in your work.

Organising your time

Experienced scientists recognize that every week often has the same structure.

In general, time can be managed at different levels: daily, weekly, monthly and yearly. Normally, PhD students have a weekly plan with a list of experiments that must be performed. Knowing that on Monday you need to run a specific experiment is not a good plan itself. Experiments have a specific execution time with many “incubation” points.

The first rule is: Start every day with a “to do” list! The list should include as many details as possible, including the precise time required for a specific experimental protocol. Work on your experimental plan and precisely define the time based on your experience.

If you are aware that certain methods or protocols require hours instead of days, more time can be used to perform other tasks. Use this information to fill in your daily “to do” list with the right experiment timeline. Fill in the remaining time with all the other scientific activities (meetings, reading articles, analyzing data) .

Experienced scientists recognize that every week often has the same structure. For example, cell culture on Monday and Friday, lab meeting on Wednesday, data analysis on Thursday and so on. My suggestion is to create your own weekly plan . It does not have to be completely fixed. It can be a structured time schedule with degrees of freedom. With this solution you are more organized. I find it is much easier to fill in my daily “to do” list with a structured weekly plan.

Planning further ahead

Healthy time pressure is good for your work

Moving the arrow of time further ahead, you also have to think about the coming months. Normally, during your PhD, you have a detailed scientific project. Well-structured projects always have goals or milestones, which might include packages of data that allow you to move to the next level of your project. It is important to set up a deadline for your milestones. The easiest way is to use your weekly plan as tool for time estimation. Fill in in the weekly plan with every experiment you need to reach your milestone based precisely on the time required.

Healthy time pressure is good for your work. If you feel that every day is like another day,  then you won’t realise deadlines are approaching. Similarly, you may feel more like you are in a public office than a scientific lab. You should be able instantly recognize that you are possibly losing direction.

Finally, take this last concept into consideration:

During the years, the time you dedicate to specific activities changes. In the beginning, you are more focused on setting up experiments and techniques. At the end, the time you need for implementation of your scientific knowledge or simply writing your thesis increases greatly with increased stress.

A good way to avoid this problem is to initiate your knowledge enrichment and your thesis writing from the beginning . Clearly, it is not easy to write a thesis without data. However it is possible to efficiently create a structure of your manuscript to update day by day. Working with your daily and weekly plan gives you the chance to efficiently organize your time.

About the author

Federico is a senior scientist with a great passion in mentoring and scientific project management. For several years, he has been dedicated to basic and systemic mechanisms in liver cancer progression, focussing on NFkB, microenvironment and cell polarity. He is also interested in scientific implementation and innovation, and is currently looking for special and creative ideas to develop. Federico is an EACR Ambassador.

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Thesis time management

How to wrestle your dissertation to the mat

The idea of time management is drilled into most students through their undergraduate years, but the focus on this skill seems to drop off in grad school. The irony is that most students need time management skills even more when they are looking at working on a thesis or dissertation.

Writing a thesis requires both short-term and long-term time management skills, because it is a lengthy project that does without external deadlines. “You see students who are excellent but they just never finish their thesis,” said Dr. Eviatar Zerubavel, author of The Clockwork Muse: a practical guide to writing theses, dissertations and books and director of graduate programs in sociology at Rutgers University.

Seeing students fail to complete was one of the things that led Dr. Zerubavel to write his book. In it, he uses the metaphor of the tortoise and the hare. “Hares get success early in their careers, but then they die,” he says. “There are a lot of different reasons students don’t finish, but managing time better would help.” Time management is about taking control of the writing process. More than that, it’s about recognizing that not all of your time should be taken up with your work and that how you allocate your time is important for your life, as well as your thesis.

Procrastination and Perfectionism

One of the major blocks to good time management is procrastination, and one of the major contributors to procrastination is perfectionism. While the two may seem like polar opposites, they are closely related.”People struggle with their feelings of success. They feel ambivalent and the part of them that feels uneasy about it tries to sabotage it by not meeting deadlines,” explained Zerubavel about the connection.

Maryann Kope, coordinator of learning services at the University of Guelph agrees. “People who are performance perfectionists, a lot of their self esteem is wrapped up in their academic performance,” she says. “There’s a fear of failure or of not excelling. By procrastinating they give themselves an emotional out. They can say, ‘I would have done better if I’d put more time into it.'”

Perfectionism can also be crippling in that students stop themselves from writing or from continuing to write by trying to achieve the perfect first draft. “I see so many students crippled by guilt or embarrassment who don’t permit themselves to write,” says Dr. Jane Freeman, director of the office of English language and writing support in the school of graduate studies at the University of Toronto. Freeman recommends students allow themselves to write a crummy first draft. This not only gets the writing going, it also gives you something to edit later and, says Dr. Freeman, “It’s way easier to edit than to produce.”

The Writing Life

Perhaps what is most daunting about writing a thesis is realizing that if you want to be an academic, this is a good introduction to the rest of your career. Writing proposals, grant applications, journal articles and books will be a significant part of your life from here on. Gaining the skills to be a productive and prolific writer is key to success as an academic. That means making writing part of everyday life. “To maintain productivity as an academic, you need to make the writing process more mundane,” says Dr. Freeman. “You need to discover how you are the most productive. Look at your own productivity. Really note what time of day and in what environment you work best .”

Once you know when you are most productive, and for how long, set yourself a schedule that makes us of that. If you write best in the morning, don’t sleep in – get up and write. If you write best at night, then don’t go out for dinner with friends – stay home and write. This doesn’t mean depriving yourself of sleep or a social life; it means setting your schedule to maximize your productivity.

But many students are hesitant to start writing until they’ve done more research, until they’ve done more thinking about the topic. Both Drs. Freeman and Zerubavel see this not only as a form of procrastination, but also as a misunderstanding of the writing process. “There’s an artificial separation between thinking and writing. The thinking happens when you write,” says Dr. Zerubavel. Dr. Freeman agrees. “Write before you’re ‘ready’ and the writing will help you get traction.”

But first, write an outline. Creating a detailed outline of your work will help you write a first draft that doesn’t need too much re-structuring. Stephen Sims, associate dean in the faculty of graduate studies at the University of Western Ontario, requires all of his students to write three outlines of their entire thesis. “Until we get to the third outline we don’t write a single sentence, it’s all point form. By the time you get to the third one, you’ve got the thesis mapped out. Then you have to do the hard work and write the sentences.”

Write-life balance

Time management is not just about getting your thesis finished; it’s about not destroying your life in the process. While you could give up all social contacts, stop sleeping regularly and let all your other obligations drop to complete your thesis, this is hardly a recipe for success in life. Managing your time well means making thoughtful choices about how you want to allocate your days. “This is not just about work, it’s about living,” says Zerubavel “You have to ask yourself how much time you want to allocate to this as opposed to other things in your life.”

Making choices and deciding how you want to spend your time is ultimately what time management is about. “Students need to think about intelligent procrastination, so that it’s an intentional decision to set work aside,” says Ms. Kope. These intentional decisions not only keep you on track and make sure that neither your thesis nor your life go off the rails, they also help you stop those potentially crippling feelings of guilt about either area getting ignored.

Productivity Management vs. Time Management

As great as time management sounds, it can also be a bit of a misnomer.

“It evokes efficiency and time and motion studies, which I abhor,” says Dr. Zerubavel. “The common way of thinking about time management is about speed, but the irony is that you can produce more if you’re going slow.”

While many experts recommend setting time goals for working on your thesis, both Drs. Zerubavel and Freeman suggest setting goals based on productivity instead.

When she was writing her own dissertation, Dr. Freeman had a three-pages-a-day rule for herself. While this number may seem unreasonably low, if you write each day it adds up quickly.

“I could not do anything but eat or go to the bathroom until I’d written three pages, and then I could do anything else. That rhythm allowed me to do a lot of other things. At the end of the month, when I had 60 pages, it was fairly painless to look at them and edit some out. So writing three pages a day helped me to be productive, to have a goal, to get over guilt and to have a better editing process. And it helped me to blast through my writer’s block.”

Productivity goals are also more tangible and ultimately more closely related to the task.

Another way of measuring productivity is to break the thesis into publishable chunks. Setting realistic, measurable goals is key, but so is learning from the times that you don’t meet those goals. “It’s not enough to beat yourself up or feel guilty when they don’t meet a goal. We suggest students examine and assess what happened. Life happens. But what you do want is to learn,” says Ms. Kope.

Learning to not let your thesis beat you up is also something you want and one of the easiest ways to do it is to manage your time, and your productivity, effectively.

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For me perfectionism and procrastination are the hardest parts of finishing anything. I think the procrastination sort of falls in line because of trying to make everything perfect. It really doesn’t help anything but it’s also a very hard thing to overcome and even realize you’re doing. But if you can do that then it’s good to find a happy medium.

Also great points on the productivity management vs. time management. I’ve never though of it that way but it’s true. I’ve kind of always thought of them as synonymous in my own personal definition though. But anyways, I HAVE to make a to-do list every day or else I will float around to different tasks and not get anything actually done. That’s a bit because of my ADD though. 🙂

Thumbs up if you came here while procrastinating 😀 Nevertheless, I find these advice helpful and I’ll also try to use them tomorrow.

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• Translation

Managing your time as a researcher

By charlesworth author services.

• Charlesworth Author Services
• 27 April, 2021

The demands of a PhD can often feel overwhelming, and it is not uncommon to hear of doctoral students being stressed and overworked. However, this does not have to be your experience. The PhD journey can also be an entirely manageable and pleasurable one if you plan well ahead of time.  

Below are six key steps for ensuring you get everything done on time, while enjoying your PhD.  

1. Accept that you cannot do everything

The first step is to understand and accept that there is no way you can possibly read everything you think you need to read, or do every experiment or piece of fieldwork that you think is essential. A PhD is a finite piece of work and you are not expected to create whole, perfect knowledge that will account for every eventuality. When you accept this and clearly define the parameters of your research, you will find that your reading list and research goals become much more manageable.

2. Establish key milestones  

Some universities schedule assessments (sometimes called progression points) for their doctoral students at specific times in their programme, for example at the end of each year or midway through the PhD. Speak to your supervisor or senior PhD colleagues in your department to find out approximately what needs to be done at each stage.  

For example, find out when you should be doing your fieldwork/data collection, performing analysis or writing your first chapter. Finding out these key points will clarify where you should be at each stage. You can then work backwards to decide what you need to be doing, and when, to meet those milestones.  

3. Break down your to-do list

Technically, what is expected of you in your PhD can be accomplished within the timeframe that you have. It seems like a huge amount of work, but you can begin to lighten the load for yourself by breaking down what needs to be done into smaller manageable chunks.  

Deal with tasks one stage at a time. For example, determine the tasks you need to do for your data collection/fieldwork and allocate specific periods of time for each task. You can then break down these tasks further into a monthly or weekly schedule. By doing this, you’ll feel more confident about what you can practically achieve on a day-to-day basis.

4. Steady wins the race

Know that you do not necessarily have to be working a crazy number of hours, all day every day, to do good research. Some academics recommend working approximately 40 hours a week, as you would for a normal job, but understand that each person has their own way of working and may require slightly more or less at different stages of the PhD.  

More important than trying to clock in a set number of working hours is to work steadily at a pace that suits you best. For example, you may accomplish more by working only four focused hours every weekday, than by trying to do everything at once or forcing yourself to work long hours at the last minute to meet a deadline.  

5. Be realistic

To ensure that you are able to work at a consistent, steady pace, be honest and realistic about your working habits and pace. If you know that it takes you a full day to write 500 words, don’t aim to write a 3000-word essay in two days! You will not only set yourself up to fail but will also create a tremendous amount of pressure on yourself. Your mental health will suffer and the PhD will become something you dread.  

Instead, when planning your working schedule, always give yourself more time than you think you need. This extra time can cover any unexpected issues that may arise and give you more space to work peacefully and steadily. If you finish ahead of time, give yourself some well-deserved time off!  

6. Find time for rest

Although this can often feel counterintuitive, taking time off is one of the best things you can do for yourself in the long term. Forcing yourself to keep working – whether it’s reading another journal or writing another few hundred words – may seem like you’re making progress, but if you are tired and burnt out, you may end up making mistakes or having to redo the work.  

Take a full, regular break from your PhD every evening or weekend to rest and recharge. You’ll find that when you’re rested, you will return to your work with clearer perspectives, more energy and ultimately will be able to accomplish more in less time.

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7 Effective Time Management Tips for Dissertation Writing

Your dissertation is an important a rite of passage in your career. The fact that you have successfully defended your Ph.D. thesis is a sign that you are no longer a student but an independent scientist with a Ph.D. degree, capable of conceiving and executing a research project. I’m sure you cannot wait to see that day, and I congratulate you in advance for it.

But the road to this milestone can prove a bumpy one, fraught with hurdles, both anticipated and unexpected, or to borrow the famous words of a former American Secretary of Defense: "known unknowns and unknown unknowns.“

Having gone through the process of writing dissertations twice over in a manner of speaking—the first time a Masters’ thesis in microbiology and the second my doctoral dissertation in the history of science—here are some field notes on how to get one written and defended in a timely manner.

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Immersed as they are in the day-to-day work in the laboratory—e.g., getting that experiment to run properly, confirming evidence, getting that last bit of data—science students are especially susceptible to procrastination when it comes to writing their dissertations.

However, while it is true that chronologically speaking, writing and defending are your last acts before getting that PhD degree, it is vital to realize that writing is a process. Like all processes, it is a cumulative process that begins long before you work on the actual product.

Just as you don’t run a marathon without having taken various preparatory measures—e.g., a short run, a long hike, sessions at the gym—you cannot plunge into dissertation writing without training for it.

Start preparing for writing your thesis from the very first day you enter graduate school. Every paper you write, ever presentation you give, and even every argument you hone is another tangible step toward that ultimate goal, i.e., it helps you tone and condition your writing skills.

So write often and as much as you can right from the get go because it will save you much time later. Save copies of everything you submit because you never know when or how you may find it useful.

2. Dedicate some time specifically for dissertation writing : Make writing a part of your routine. It doesn’t have to be a daily activity (though that wouldn’t hurt), but like a workout, it is important to get into the habit of regularity for better efficiency and time management in the long run.

3. Keep your advisor in the loop throughout the process : Communication is key for all aspects of your Ph.D., but probably nowhere more so than for getting your dissertation written in a timely fashion.

Most people—and I’ll confess to being of this party sometimes—are  sensitive about showing their written work to others until they believe it is “finished,” but this can be a big mistake.

Have regular meetings with your advisor about your work, its progress or the lack thereof. Do not be worried that you are wasting your advisor’s time with such requests. He or she—and other professors and mentors—are there to help you with different aspects of writing (and sometimes proofreading) as well as the science itself.

More importantly, such meetings make your advisor aware of what you are doing and thinking about, which is an important consideration given that you are likely not their only graduate student.

I can remember one occasion in which the lack of communication between a student and advisor until the eve of the defense resulted in a near rejection of the dissertation because the contents were so unexpected. Thus, it was back to square one or ground zero for the student. Granted, such a scenario is unlikely to play out in a science laboratory (as compared to a doctoral thesis in the humanities) because scientific graduate research is often a part of a larger project, but even so, you want your professors to know about your progress.

4. Maintain an annotated bibliography : In my opinion, this relatively simple practice is perhaps the single most valuable time-management device for a researcher, not only as a graduate student but throughout one’s career.

Much more than a simple reference list or bibliography of different readings, an annotated bibliography includes your personal commentary—call them reading notes—on each paper that you’ve read.

I will discuss different styles and strategies for compiling annotated bibliographies in a future article but will offer here an example of their considerable utility as a time-management tool:

Whenever I sit down to write a formal paper, I open up relevant annotated bibliographies. I maintain several for different subjects and projects in the background and use them interactively with my work in progress. Working with an outline of my idea, I patch in various useful pieces from my bibliographies—e.g., quotes, arguments, opinions—that I then fully flesh out with additional writing, such as commentary, updates, and references.

If you would like more information now on how to organize your bibliography, check out the article: Important English Academic Style Guides .

You can also read my article on the importance of citations: 6 Reasons Why Citation of Sources is Important When Writing .

5. Work on “stepping stone” assignments: In addition to the annotated bibliography, there are other types of articles that you should practice writing to prepare yourself for the longer task ahead.

In some universities, a PhD thesis in science is often a compilation of published papers bookended with an introduction and discussion. Even when it is not, a published paper is a great core on which to build a dissertation.

So, periodically write down evaluative reports of your experiments or groups of experiments, regardless of whether they succeeded or not. Indeed, writing about failures is important because they can provide fodder for evaluation and discussion (something to discuss in a future article).

Other useful genres to experiment with writing include literature reviews or bibliographic essays (where again the annotated bibliographies can serve as useful springboards), descriptions and evaluations of new methodologies and techniques, and even an occasional book review.

You will find these documents to be very useful time saving devices when you sit down to compose your dissertation, be it in a paper format or the full-fledged version.

6. Present your work at workshops, conferences and meetings : Take every opportunity to present your work at formal conferences, in less formal lab group meetings, and/or at graduate student conferences because each presentation entails a certain amount of writing that adds to your stockpile of raw material for your thesis or dissertation.

7. Join or form a dissertation writing group : Many universities have formal systems in place to gather groups of students in similar stages of their PhDs who meet at regular intervals to read and discuss each others’ writing.

If you have this type of access, waste no time in joining such a group, preferably with members that you do not socialize with. If no such service is available, try to round up other PhD students in related but not identical fields to form a group.

Although the idea of having more meetings (as if you don‘t have enough already with the weekly laboratory meetings and/or those sessions with your advisor) might seem like a waste of time and counterintuitive to efficiency just when are you supposed to get your experiments done, writing groups are extremely useful and ultimately save time.

It is true that such groups require more of a time investment in other people’s work than you might want, but like the aforementioned meetings with advisors, they keep you honest and on track with writing besides providing additional layers of revision and proofreading.

Other articles that may interest you:

Why Researchers Need an ORCID iD and How to Get One

Top 7 US/UK University Websites that Provide Academic Publishing Resources and Advice

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About the Author:

Neeraja Sankaran is a historian of science (Ph.D., Yale University, 2006) specializing in the recent history of biological and biomedical research. She came to this field with a background and experience in science writing (Grad. certificate, 1993) and microbiology (M.Sc., 1990). Author of two general reference-style books on the topics of micro-organisms and the human genome as well as numerous articles on science and scientists for general audiences, she has also published a number of papers in peer-reviewed academic journals on various aspects of the history of biology and medicine, including but not limited to, virus research, immunology, and origin-of-life theorizing. She is currently an independent scholar working on a scholarly monograph that is expected to be published in 2018 by the University of Pittsburgh Press.

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Five Time Management Tips for PhD Students

16 th August 2022

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Due to the limited contact time you’ll receive during your PhD, you’ll need to motivate yourself and organise your own time efficiently – that is if you don’t want to end up going into your final year with an entire thesis still to write. Time management isn’t easy. This little fact is probably something you learned while studying for your undergrad, and it will almost certainly have been reinforced over the course of your Master’s degree. When you’re studying for a PhD, time management is crucial. However, the good news is that there are plenty of effective time management techniques you can use to keep you on the right track. Have a read through the following to get you started… 

Time management tips

Find a routine.

If you don’t have a daily routine, it may be all too tempting to get into bad habits (like staying up until the early hours and then sleeping in until midday). Set yourself a time to wake up each day, and then do your best to stick to it. This will help you to save time when you might be tempted to dither around in the morning.

Keep a diary

Having a place where you can organise your thoughts, jot down to-do lists and keep a track of upcoming dates is always handy – buy yourself a diary and get into the habit of using it on a daily basis. Having a documented account of your goals can help to make you like you've steadily been achieving milestones, and we all know how satisfying it is to tick things off a list.

Create a 'work space'

Working and not working in the exact same space can make it difficult to disconnect when the time comes to relax, or make it hard to focus when you need to get back to studying. Whether it’s a desk in your room or your university’s library, having a designated place where you can go to work will help you separate your work time from your leisure time.

Setting yourself goals (such completing a chapter of your thesis or organising an academic conference by a certain date) is a great way to organise your time and keep motivated. If you're able to do so, allocate time to certain tasks so you don't get lost in a certain subject or cut short your time on an important assignment.

Give yourself a break

It’s also possible to overwork yourself. If you give yourself a start time of 9 o’clock each day, make sure you also have an end time. That way you’ll have something to work towards and a well-deserved break to look forward to at the end of the day. This is something you can also apply to your year as a whole – don’t be afraid to give yourself a week off every now and then!

Next: Read more about How to Manage Your Time As a Postgraduate Student

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• Taking Control of Your PhD: Time Management

Ania Gruszczynska holds a PhD in Sociology from Aston University and currently works in both project management and personal coaching. She knows what it takes to complete a PhD and is actively involved in supporting others to do so. In this series she’ll be explaining how new students can take control of their PhD projects.

So you may be considering a PhD. Or maybe you were recently successful in getting a place. Perhaps you’re now a couple of weeks or months in and trying to make sense of the experience, feeling both excited and overwhelmed.

This series of posts will look at ways in which you can ensure that you do get the best experience possible as a PhD student: taking immediate control of areas of key importance such as time management, supervision, your career and overall wellbeing.

We’ll kick off by looking at time management.

I must admit this was something really important for me, both during my time as a PhD student almost a decade ago, and when I started working with PhD students as a coach. In fact, time management is probably one of the key reasons why people decide to contact me, either to fix or improve their skills in that area.

So, in this post I’m going to outline six tools and techniques that you can apply and put into practice immediately to help you thrive rather than merely survive through the daily PhD grind.

Time management as a PhD student - typical problems

First of all, let’s think about the typical time management problems a PhD student might face.

You may have already experienced those really long days – or weeks! - where it seems you are incredibly busy, but don’t seem to have much to show for it. If you were to be completely honest, a lot of that work probably involves what we might call ‘PhD-lite’ tasks: some admin, some web-based research, somehow failing to make any progress on that piece of writing that you need to submit to your supervisor.

Cue another long day and some frantic last-minute catching up, until, very late in the evening, the writing gets done. You look at it and have to admit this might not be your finest work - and more time could yet be required for redrafting. Most importantly, it feels like the PhD is taking over your life and there is never enough time to get everything done.

Or maybe you haven’t started yet but find yourself wondering how on earth you’re going to juggle your PhD, part-time work and any family or caring responsibilities you may have?

Where do you start?

Obviously, it depends on your situation and your unique needs: whether your PhD is full or part-time; whether you have family or work obligations that weigh heavily on your time.

However, regardless of your situation you’ll face the same problems as every other PhD student: you have a finite amount of time available and you need to ‘budget it’ accordingly.

The following steps aim to address some key principles for good time management which you can then adapt to your situation.

Before you start, it is worth remembering that the key principle of time management isn’t to fill your day to the brim with PhD-related activities.

Think of it more as creating space and focus for the tasks you need to prioritise. That way you can devote quality time to your thesis and your research but maintain a good balance between that work and the rest of your life.

Step 1: assess your current situation and audit your working week

How are you spending your time at the moment?

You may be convinced that you spend 12 hours every day working, but, if you were to really track what happens in the course of those twelve hours, what would you find?

You might discover a number of distractions: social media, chatting to your fellow PhD students and so on - you know what your vices are!

Undertaking an audit of your working week can feel like a painful exercise- a bit like looking at your spending at the end of the week, pulling all those receipts together in one place and discovering that you are bleeding money on things that you don’t need or don’t even really enjoy that much.

But this doesn’t have to be the case – particularly if you go about things in the right way and it will be a really worthwhile use of your time.

I would really encourage you to spend at least 2-3 days tracking what you do. It doesn’t really matter whether you use a pen and paper template or an app, the aim of the exercise is to become aware of where your time goes and how much you devote to your key priorities.

Step 2: identify your priorities and map your way to them

Speaking of priorities, what are yours? What should you be focusing on?

Should the focus now be on producing your PhD applications to make sure you get a place by say January next year? Do you need to produce a draft of your literature review by the end of your first six months?

Time management is all about focus and investing your time where it matters.

An exercise I find really useful with my coachees, regardless of where they are in their PhD journey, is to get them to produce a long-term plan and plot out the entire three years (or six years for part-time students) of their PhD.

In the process they identify key milestones and work back from them. This plan will obviously need to be adapted later, but time management that starts without a plan is destined to fail.

Step 3: budget your time

Once you know what your current patterns and priorities are, now is the time to design a time budget that is realistic and takes into account your personal working preferences.

It may be worth revisiting what worked for you during previous degrees, but don’t be afraid to change things up. A PhD is a different challenge to a Bachelors degree – or even a Masters – and your own circumstances may well have changed.

Your goal is to identify the time you have available to work and to ensure that this is sufficient to meet your goals.

Step 4: identify distractions – and avoid them!

Remember, the key point is not to squeeze in as much as possible into your day, it is to ring-fence the time for the activities that matter and perhaps drop ones that stop you from achieving your goals (Facebook, looking right at you!).

Protect your uninterrupted time for focused work - research suggests that many people are unlikely to engage in highly complex, intellectual tasks (such as academic writing) for more than four hours per day, so make that time count.

Constant interruptions in the form of email notifications, social media etc. are also detrimental to your focus. Try to ring-fence your time for work related to your key priorities and do it in blocks of uninterrupted time of at least 60 to 90 minutes.

Once you completed your block of focused work for the day, you may now want to switch to tasks which are less demanding but still need doing, such as PhD-related admin and this is where it’s best to batch tasks rather than respond to them in an ad-hoc manner.

Step 5: be reflective and reward your own success

Remember the end-game, but don’t forget to reward yourself frequently and acknowledge the progress you are making.

If you do find yourself drifting off the schedule you created at the beginning of the week and succumbing to disruptions, gently bring yourself back on track and reflect on what may be stopping you from sticking to that schedule.

Are there things going on in your personal life that leave you overwhelmed? Do you need to start paying more attention to your health and wellbeing? Knowing that you do have a plan and are steadily working towards accomplishing your goals will help you regain momentum and will also help to silence that inner critic shouting that you must spend all your awake time working.

Step 6: know when you’re going to take a break

Make sure you build in the time for non-PhD related activities that will help re-energise you and give you a bit of time away from the screen.

Ideally, these should provide a chance for your body to move around, whether that involves yoga, running or just a walk in nature. Your brain and body will thank you for it and you may find yourself even more productive and able to do the work when you’re supposed to.

After all, a PhD is a marathon, not a sprint and anything the will help you maintain a healthy mind and body in the long run will pay off by allowing you to recharge your batteries and operate at your best.

Want More Updates & Advice?

Got questions about time management as a PhD student? You can keep up with Ania Gruszczynska on twitter . See our advice section for more information on an average PhD week and the typical stages of a doctorate .

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Planning the timeline and progress of your doctoral dissertation (or Masters/undergraduate thesis)

One of my PhD students lamented this week with me that she had a lot to juggle (taking children to and from schools and to and from activities, etc.) and that she needed a strategy to make her research move forward. I had been planning to write this blog post for a while, since this is the one question I get asked the most by doctoral students (“ how do I plan my unstructured time over the summer ” being the other one).

Do you have one like this but for dissertations? From how to pick your topic to how to plan your chapters or something similar? 🙂 — Mariana Miguélez (@Scherezadda) March 27, 2018

I had to rush to get this blog post done because my student is 2 years away from the deadline her university has imposed for her thesis defence, which is why I sat down with her last night to show her how I do things. I have two other PhD students at exactly the same stage (2 years to defense) so I figured I might as well finish this blog post.

While I’ve suggested that people read one (or more) of the books that I’ve digested myself (check my Writing a Doctoral Dissertation page), one of the main things I teach my students is how to apply backcasting techniques to develop a project plan . I was trained as a project manager, and I worked in that capacity for a number of years, so I understand exactly the kind of work that needs to be done to develop good project plans.

There are a few resources for students, which I mentioned on Twitter earlier today (October 5th, 2018), many of which are listed in the thread that will appear if you click anywhere on the tweet shown below. Thanks to everyone who responded to my query, though I think many of them were professors describing their own process, which is not the same as having a doctoral dissertation (ONE GOAL) to finish in X number of years. My students are doing theirs in the 3 papers’ model, which is a bit closer to the day-to-day life of a professor, but still, the trajectory is quite different. Anyhow, here are some recommendations (click on the tweet to expand the entire thread).

Everyone: one of my PhD students today asked me how to plan her day/week/month/time table. Can you tweet me your process before I tweet/thread mine? Thanks! (I'm off to dinner because I've already written 460 words). — Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) October 3, 2018

The core planning strategy I would thus recommend doctoral, masters and undergraduate students is to engage in a combination of Gantt Chart Design and project backcasting techniques .

The Gantt chart is a technique I learned in graduate school when I took project management courses. This is a hypothetical Gantt chart for my doctoral student, covering about 15 months.

What I suggested to her was to use backcasting techniques to plan backwards from her goal (PhD thesis defense) to intermediate goals. This post explains how I backcast a project https://t.co/wAmyejeoa0 since her dissertation is a 3-papers one, I suggested she uses that model. — Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) October 5, 2018

For Gantt Chart templates, you can see Dr. Emma Sheppard’s here.

Project planning for research students https://t.co/ku7shfB5uL excellent template by @DrESheppard which may be of interest to students from undergrad, Masters and PhD levels. pic.twitter.com/ujQVlYocH7 — Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) September 3, 2018

Here is another resource that you can use to create Gantt Charts.

To do Gantt charts you can use Excel or Microsoft Project (which is how I learned to do them), or Visio (which has been bought by the evil company and is now Microsoft Visio). I liked this detailed approach that uses connectors between milestones and tasks https://t.co/xVjNmM1q7c — Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) October 5, 2018

Hugh Kearns and Maria Gardiner have lots of resources on their site, and have published books on this as well.

I just realised @ithinkwell and @ithinkwellHugh have excellent FREE templates on their website https://t.co/Q859jNiM6Q for PhD students to plan their trajectories, etc. #PhDChat (thanks, Maria and Hugh!) — Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) October 5, 2018

Dr. Patrick Dunleavy’s book “ Authoring a PhD ” is incredible and really does help students who are planning their PhD process. I recommend it to my own doctoral students.

And of course I would be remiss if I forgot to recommend Dr. Ellie Mackin Roberts (my coauthor for a forthcoming book on research planning) and her website. Ellie has A TON of downloadable printables for you to plan your own research. She is fantastic.

Both for doctoral students AND for post-PhD folks, my coauthor Dr. @EllieMackin has an entire website for research planning https://t.co/unXMqmaf2Z she offers FREE downloadable printable templates that you can use to plan your own research. — Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) October 5, 2018

In the end, the process I recommended to my students and that I do myself is – set a target defense date and then work backwards and plan tasks, activities, and intermediate goals. For example, I have asked my students to plan submission dates for their 3 papers (to be sent to journals) and then schedule fieldwork and data analysis accordingly. This process has worked well, and I hope my description of the process will help my students and others!

In a subsequent blog post I’ll describe how to go from long-term goals (submit paper X by Y date) to daily tasks. That blog post will definitely apply to doctoral students and post-PhD folks.

If you liked this blog post, you may also be interested in my Resources for Graduate Students page, and on my reading notes of books I’ve read on how to do a doctoral degree.

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November 1, 2017, by Agata

6 time management tips for PhD students!

We all know that phd is usually the very individual type of job and depends a lot on your own motivation and organizational skills. it is up to you how effectively you use the time you spend in the lab. often nobody is going to organize your time during phd and you need to figure out on your own how to stay productive., today, i want to share with you my 6 practical tips on time management i learned during my phd , use a calendar and have a schedule.

The good practice I found extremely helpful is having a calendar with tasks and aims I want to achieve during the entire month, week and day. This kind of calendar can have different forms. I personally created a table-calendar in Excel file where each sheet is dedicated for one month. I update this file on an everyday basis. Some people prefer to print out a monthly calendar and write manually what they need to do in the lab each day. A good tip for this practice is to put this printed sheet into a plastic sleeve and use a marker to write on the sleeve so you can easily delete and reschedule some tasks by just wiping it with a bit of ethanol.

Having my calendar has many advantages! It helps me to spot how effective I am every day, plan my experiments well in advance (especially when experiment takes more than two days to finish), to not forget about any started experiment (you know that, hm? ;D) and what the most important it helps me to stop postponing my tasks!

Another very necessary option is to include in your calendar your planned holidays! Seeing how many weeks/days you have left before leaving for holidays is incredible productivity booster! ?

Start your day with an easy task!

Updating your calendar at the end of each day also means that every day you will come to work with an already-created list of tasks for the day! In the morning, choose one easy and fast task to achieve, complete it and after you will feel you started the day in a productive way and it will bring you a positive energy for the rest of it! ?

Have some personal plans after work!

There is no better booster of your time management than having plans after work. If you know you need to leave office/lab at the certain time suddenly you productiveness increases significantly. PhD students without plans for the rest of the day very often tent to stay in the lab until very late hours, being tired and slow what may have very bad impact on their work-life balance and mental health. ☹

Multitasking is great (as long as you do not put too many tasks at the same time). We all know that lot of protocols have hours of incubations, cooling down, spinnings, freezings etc. Use these free 5, 15, 30 min of waiting in a productive way! Why not prepare some buffer that is running low, fill a couple of tip boxes or reply on that e-mail you postpone for a whole day? Ok, these are tasks for a couple of minutes. What if you have to wait for 1, 2, 3 h during the experiment? Here you go: why not start a new experiment or read an article or … wait for it… write a bit of your PhD thesis (try to start with materials and methods, you will be surprised how much you can write while waiting during incubations :D)! ?

Check the ‘real-time’ of completing your protocol!

I am sure you know this feeling: you just need to do that little ‘thing’ in the lab which will take you just 15 min … and after 45 min you realize you are not done with it yet? It is normal! Especially when you need to handle many samples. Tip for this: one day try to write down the time when you start a protocol and then write down the time you completed it. It will give you a ‘real-time’ you need to take to complete the protocol. In the future it will allow you to plan better your daily tasks without lying to yourself ‘I am done in 15 min’ ?

Use 2 min-rule!

A long time ago, during one of the workshops I learned this very simply 2-min method of time management: do not postpone any tasks which will take you less than 2 min to complete. What you should do is just completing it immediately when it appears. I practice this method almost all the time and I love it! Sometimes we get emails which really need a short reply but we tent to postpone it due to the trivial reasons. We are not aware that this behaviour slows down work of the person who sends us the email, as well as it can have a negative result for us. Moreover, multiple thinking about this 2-minute tasks is an unnecessary junk for our attention and takes more energy than is worth! Therefore, try to not postpone 2-min long tasks! ?

What are your tricks for better productivity? Please leave a comment! ?

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11 Proven Time Management Tips for PhD Students

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Tips for Completing Your PhD Thesis on Time

Completing a PhD course is undoubtedly one of the most fulfilling pursuits for academics. Recently, however, a new term arose: ABD (“All but Dissertation”). ABD refers to students who have completed their coursework and passed the exam, but have yet to complete and defend their theses. Indeed, ABD students are more common than previously thought. The PhD Completion Project revealed that the ten-year cumulative completion rate for PhD students ranges from 64% (engineering) to 49% (humanities). While not all students advance to the doctoral writing stage before dropping out, a significant portion do, based on these numbers. Leaving graduate school without finishing your thesis has psychological and occupational consequences. Completing your thesis on time is, therefore, essential for career advancement and personal growth.

Overcoming a Time Crunch

Being pressed for time will likely happen, especially if you are holding down a part-time job during your doctoral studies. The pressure to finish is greatest during the last year of your PhD and this is usually the time when conflicts and tensions arise. There are tips that can help you finish your PhD on time , even when you’re pressed for it.

• Prepare an action plan for your last year. This will help you optimize the time that you have left and avoid feeling overwhelmed by all the things that you have to do.
• Clarify your priorities. Ask yourself what you intend to finish first and stick to it. It may be helpful to break down your priorities into smaller and simpler tasks.
• “The truth can wait.” That is, it is vital to start writing your doctoral thesis once you have your data, even if more can be done.
• Know all the rules and regulations of the university. Prepare a list of all the documents and papers that you will need before you need them. This will help you avoid pitfalls in your last year.
• Familiarize yourself with software. Producing scientific documents entails the use of specific programs, such as LaTeX. While the program may not be as easy to understand as other editors, there are marked advantages such as ease in publication and faster manipulation of images.
• Pay attention to your career. While you may think that this is not the best time to think about your career , it is. Your career should follow suit after your doctoral studies, and focusing on what lies ahead will help you frame the current situation.

Key Tasks for Finishing Your PhD on Time

Finishing your PhD thesis on time is not as daunting as it sounds. Although many students will be pressed for time, completing your study is possible with a little ingenuity from your part.

• First, ensure that you meet all the PhD requirements set by your institution. Never presume anything without double-checking with your institution and your supervisor. This can save you from a lot of wasted time and stress.
• Keep a good perspective. Your peers are unlikely to read your thesis , but they are likely to read journals and articles resulting from it.
• Contrary to what most people say, your introduction should be written last. Breaking your thesis into defined stages is important for success. On that same note, your conclusion also should be written last.
• Get familiar with project management applications, such as Trello.
• Buy your own laser printer. This will save you from having to rush elsewhere to have your drafts printed. It will save you time and money as well.
• Get feedback on the entire thesis—from start to finish. Getting feedback for individual chapters is fine, but you should aim to get feedback on the entire work.
• “Begin with the end in mind.” Make sure you know when your doctoral studies are supposed to end, and when your work will be considered as done.

Planning and Writing Your Thesis

Breaking down your tasks into manageable blocks is one way to ensure that you actually finish the entire thing. There are plenty of techniques to help you along the way, such as the 25-minute Pomodoro for academic writing. Undoubtedly, writing your thesis is at least as hard as performing the actual study, but it is never impossible. With the right tools at your disposal and a positive mindset, you can finish your PhD on time. Below is a checklist of things that you need to do to get to graduation day.

• Draft your proposal and research design
• Acquire IRB consent
• Pilot study
• Gather data and information for your study
• Analyze your data
• Write, write, and write some more . Ideally, aim to write for a minimum of 30 minutes a day
• Defend your thesis

Completing your PhD paper on time is definitely possible. Knowing the tips and tricks of the trade can help you to get on your way towards a life in academia.

Thanks for the very useful article to complete the Ph.D. thesis before the deadline. The doctorate course is very difficult for the student so the student could not able to complete the work on time. But your article helps to finish the article to complete the work for the students.

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Planning your PhD research: A 3-year PhD timeline example

Planning out a PhD trajectory can be overwhelming. Example PhD timelines can make the task easier and inspire. The following PhD timeline example describes the process and milestones of completing a PhD within 3 years.

Elements to include in a 3-year PhD timeline

What to include in a 3-year PhD timeline depends on the unique characteristics of a PhD project, specific university requirements, agreements with the supervisor/s and the PhD student’s career ambitions.

For instance, some PhD students write a monograph while others complete a PhD based on several journal publications. Both monographs and cumulative dissertations have advantages and disadvantages , and not all universities allow both formats. The thesis type influences the PhD timeline.

The most common elements included in a 3-year PhD timeline are the following:

The example scenario: Completing a PhD in 3 years

Many (starting) PhD students look for examples of how to plan a PhD in 3 years. Therefore, let’s look at an example scenario of a fictional PhD student. Let’s call her Maria.

In order to complete her PhD programme, Maria also needs to complete coursework and earn 15 credits, or ECTS in her case.

Example: planning year 1 of a 3-year PhD

Most PhD students start their first year with a rough idea, but not a well-worked out plan and timeline. Therefore, they usually begin with working on a more elaborate research proposal in the first months of their PhD. This is also the case for our example PhD student Maria.

Example: Planning year 2 of a 3-year PhD

Example: planning year 3 of a 3-year phd, example of a 3 year phd gantt chart timeline.

Combining the 3-year planning for our example PhD student Maria, it results in the following PhD timeline:

Final reflection

In fact, in real life, many PhD students spend four years full-time to complete a PhD based on four papers, instead of three. Some extend their studies even longer.

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Finish Your Thesis

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Five Time Management Strategies You Must Learn to Finish Your Thesis

September 6, 2019 by Dora Farkas, PhD Leave a Comment

Time Management Isn’t Only About Checking Things Off

I always thought that getting your PhD was only about better time management

One morning I stood up from my desk around 10 am after spending an hour dutifully answering all the emails in my inbox.

Collaborators, students in the class I was teaching, friends, and family members all decided to ask me for favors of various sizes that morning.

At the time, the word “No” was hardly in my vocabulary, so I replied to all the questions and made notes of all the favors I would do later in the week for others.

I went to the office to get a glass of water and to get mentally ready for analyzing data for my thesis research the rest of the day.

But, as soon as I filled my cup, my lab mate walked in and put a tray of home-made fudge brownies on the table next to the water cooler.

“I made these for my sister’s birthday party yesterday,” she said. “They are soooo awesome, you have to try one before they disappear.”

She was right. I hadn’t had a fudge brownie that exquisite in a long time.

I had to find out her secret recipe. It would be a great way to surprise the students in the class I was teaching.

Before I knew it, it was 10:30 and I was still in the office talking to my labmate about fudge brownies.

“I’ve got to go,” I said glancing at my watch, remembering that I had to send my data analysis to my supervisor by the end of the day so we could discuss the next steps in my thesis research.

I sat down at my computer, and I decided to “check my email quickly” in case anyone had any questions about the emails I sent earlier.

As I expected, more emails populated my inbox.

Most of them were from my students who were getting ready to present their final projects at the end of the semester.

I wanted to make sure that they had all the information and support they needed and I replied to their emails in as much detail as possible.

By the time I answered their emails it was almost 12 noon.

Lunchtime already?

I hadn’t made a dent in my data analysis, which I had to send to my supervisor by the end of the day.

I wasn’t particularly hungry, but I went outside to the Chinese food truck to get my lunch before the line took up the entire block (it was the best food truck on campus).

I got lucky, there were only a handful people ahead of me.

But, all I could think of while waiting was “Where did my morning go?”

Why is Time Management so Tough in Graduate School?

On my first day of graduate school I remember asking my supervisor “What are the typical work hours here?”

“There are no set work hours,” he replied. “You manage your own time. But, as you can see everyone gets their work done.”

At the time this sounded like an ideal workplace. Setting my own work-hours?

It was a liberating thought after four years of college, where I was juggling classes, studying for exams, doing problem sets, and working part-time in a Chemistry lab.

I had heard stories of students who took 9 or 10 years to get their PhDs (the average for my department was 6 years), and I decided that I would do everything possible to get my PhD in the shortest amount of time possible.

I showed up punctually at 9 am every morning, and (after checking my email) I either studied for one of my courses or set up my experiment for the day.

While I was taking courses for the first 2 years, I also wanted to generate data as quickly as possible.

I stayed at lab sometimes until 9 or 10 pm , and I worked on Saturdays too.

But, my data was inconsistent, and I did the what seemed to be the most logical strategy at the time: I worked even longer hours and on Sundays too.

Like many other graduate student, I was burnt out by the end of my first year. 

I worked as many hours as I could, but I also went through periods of low energy where I was just a “warm body” at work.

I was physically in the lab, but I couldn’t focus because I was mentally exhausted.

In retrospect, my lack of focus makes complete sense.

Think about it.

How can you stay sharp if you never give yourself a break?

How do you know if you are on the right track if you don’t get consistent feedback?

When “are you allowed” to take time off if there are no set hours?

I learned the hard way that in an unstructured environment, like graduate school, y ou have to be your own boss.

And, you’ll be the toughest boss you’ll ever have.

When you are your own boss, it is very tough to get a realistic perspective of where you are in your thesis research.

Just to be on the safe side to make as much progress as possible, most graduate students work very long hours 6 or 7 days a week.

This ruthless schedule leads inevitably to physical and mental exhaustion.

At this point you may feel too fatigued to work.

You might miss a deadline, and feel like you disappointed your supervisor.

Then, when you have a surge of energy or motivation you start working again, but without structure or feedback you may fall back into the same schedule where you drive yourself to the point of exhaustion.

This pattern can become a vicious cycle, which leaves you more frustrated each time you go through it.

Eventually, you may conclude that you are “not smart enough” for graduate school because so much time has passed by without any measurable progress.

In an unstructured and competitive environment like graduate school, how do you manage your time?

How can you stay focused throughout the day so that you make consistent progress on your thesis?

1. Put structure into your days

I remember feeling incredibly relieved after I passed my qualifying exams.

With no more classes or exams to study for, I would have so much time to do my research.

But, during my celebration party one of the senior students shook my hand and said: “Congratulations on passing your exam! Easy part is over!”

At the time I thought she was kidding and we had a good laugh together.

But a few months later I understood exactly what she was talking about.

I had too much time on my hands, and no one told me what to do or how to manage my time.

Sometimes I spent 10 hours in front of the computer, but I had little to show for my time at the end of the day.

To make matters worse, I developed chronic back pain from sitting so much.

I realized it was not a good idea to work all the time and I decided to go swimming several times a week.

While I felt a little guilty initially for “leaving the lab”, the commitment to go swimming put structure into my days.

I knew I would have less time at work, and I was forced to prioritize during the rest of the day.

You can also put structure into your days by blocking out time for exercise, hobbies, and time with your family and this will make you more productive on the long run.

2. Make your thesis your #1 priority when you are at work

Like 99% of the population, I used to start my days by checking my email.

As a consequence of “dutifully” responding to everyone’s request, sometimes my entire morning went by without any measurable progress on my thesis.

I was also part of several collaborations that were “interesting”, but I knew they would not become part of my thesis.

These collaborations took time and energy away from my own thesis, and sometimes I didn’t even gain additional skills to expand my expertise.

While my supervisor encouraged these collaborations, I didn’t have to do them.

I joined these collaborations because I wanted to seem like a “good” graduate student in hopes that this image would help me graduate sooner.

It didn’t.

My thesis committee didn’t care about my side projects. They only gave me the green light to defend when I had enough data for my own thesis.

Yes, your supervisor may ask you to do side-projects and sometimes you have to do them.

But, just shifting your mindset and making your thesis your #1 priority at work will help you to discover ways to make progress, even if you have other projects to work on.

If you have a choice, be wise about which side-projects to take on (choose ones that will expand your skill set), and how much time you will commit to them so you don’t jeopardize your own thesis.

3. You are a human being, so treat yourself like one

Most graduate students who fall behind their timelines are not slackers.

On the contrary, most graduate students are diligent and ambitious and aspire to be professors.

To “motivate” themselves to work harder, many students compare themselves to senior students who have published several papers or (worse) tenured professors.

As a consequence of constantly comparing themselves to more successful people in their fields, students may put so much pressure on themselves, that they feel like they don’t “deserve” a break.

While it is inspiring to look up to role models in your field, just keep in mind that their success did not happen overnight.

It takes months (or, more typically years) to gather enough data to put together a publication, and then it takes several more months for each publication to go through the review and editing process.

It is impossible to sustain a high level of productivity for years if you constantly work to the point of exhaustion.

So, go a little easy on yourself and take regular breaks so you can stay focused.

Remember having recess time at school? Recess is just as important to learning as classroom time.

On the days when we didn’t have outside recess at my school (due to bad weather), the kids were restless and weren’t able to focus for the second part of the day.

Adults also need recess.

If you want to be productive, you need breaks during the day and get your body moving whether you are 5 or 105 or any age in between.

4. Develop a system to track your progress

Now you know that you need to put structure into your days, make your thesis your #1 priority, and take regular breaks.

But, how do you know whether you are on track with your thesis so you can actually enjoy your breaks and not feel guilty about not being at work?

If you want to develop a productive time management strategy so you can graduate on time, you need to have a system to track your progress.

In other words, you need to set long-term (1 year), mid-term (3-6 months) and short-term milestones (next month).

The best way to develop these milestones is to start with the big picture:

What are the main goals of your thesis? (do your best to answer this question if you are still early in your program)

Where do you need to be 1 year from now to be on track with these goals?

What do you need to achieve in the next 1 month, 3 months, or 6 months to make progress?

Make sure that you and your supervisor are on the same page regarding these timelines and milestones.

Also, keep in mind that research is unpredictable (as is life) so you will need to modify these timelines as you make progress.

When you have a system where you can set goals and track your progress towards a finished thesis, you will feel more confident and it will be easier to manage your time during the day and take breaks when you need them.

5. Join a support and accountability group

The number one advice from PhDs to current graduate students is to “join a support and accountability group.”

Even if you have your goals written down and your day planned out, it is very tough to stay motivated on your own.

Writing a thesis can be isolating and frustrating, and without an accountability system many students put off writing indefinitely or just quit graduate school.

Don’t let this happen to you.

You have already invested so much of your time, energy, and soul into graduate school that you deserve to have all the resources you need to finish.

Make sure that you have the academic and emotional support to keep you on track and motivated while you write your thesis.

In college there were support groups in the form of study groups, office hours, and the residential community.

In graduate school many student do not have any type of support – you have to be proactive and find your own accountability system.

Simply knowing that you need to report your progress to someone else by a specified time will give you a burst of motivation to follow through on your plans. 

Managing your time in graduate school can be challenge if you are not proactive, but, if you put these strategies into place you will notice an incredible boost in your productivity and confidence.

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From Calgary to Castletroy: All roads lead to Limerick for lifelong learner Barbara

Life and work have led Barbara Watts down many interesting avenues, but it was her studies at University of Limerick that brought her back to a childhood passion she reluctantly strayed from long ago. 

Barbara joined over 3,600 students being conferred this week as part of the University’s August ceremonies, graduating with a PhD from the School of History in UL’s Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.  

Originally from Aberdare, Wales but now living in Alberta, Canada, Barbara undertook her PhD entirely remotely, encouraged to continue her studies at UL after completing the MA History of Family , also online. 

For Barbara, whose father is originally from Listowel, Co. Kerry, undertaking her PhD – titled Searching for Celtic cousins: Welsh, Irish and Scottish immigrant worker experience in Alberta, Canada, 1880-1920 – combined a love of history with a natural curiosity for her own local and family heritage. 

“History was always a passion. But it was as a child that I remember becoming interested in the past,” she explains.  

“My mother told stories about people that figured in her life which, of course, were ‘ancient history’ to me then. I loved to hear about people in my family, the war years and my father’s Irish family. 

“As a 10-year-old, between trips to the outdoor baths, I took the whole of the summer holidays to research the dates and history of old buildings. In the library, I studied photos of the buildings and the people who lived and worked in them. As a family we took day trips on the train to old churches and museums that my father loved … 

“Unfortunately, once I went to grammar school, I could not relate my little bit of Welsh nineteenth century knowledge and my father’s passion for old buildings to the English based history of the curriculum. I dropped history as soon as I could.” 

Barbara’s life and career would take many interesting turns. After completing a teacher’s certificate in Dress and Design at Cardiff, she worked in a Welsh comprehensive school as her husband pursued a PhD in Geology. The couple then relocated to Calgary in Alberta, Canada. Keen to re-enter the teaching profession, Barbara undertook a Bachelor of Education in the University of Calgary, meaning she could now teach locally. 

“This became the start of a personal educational journey which seems not to have ended,” says Barbara, who further completed a Graduate Diploma in Instructional Development as well as a Master of Education in Teacher Professional Development. 

After a fruitful career in which she held roles as diverse as a fine arts consultant and an assistant principal, in 2015 Barbara decided to retire – but that was far from the end of her education journey, and she was eager to ‘continue on her learning curve’. 

It was during a holiday back to her native Wales, surrounded by the familiar sights and sounds of her childhood, that Barbara decided the time was right to get back to the history books. After completing an online Local History course at the University of Oxford, and keen to broaden her knowledge, Barbara discovered UL’s MA History of Family Programme. After initial queries with her eventual supervisor, Dr Ciara Breathnach, Barbara knew this was the right choice for her. 

“I immediately felt welcome,” recalls Barbara, who reserves special praise for Dr Breathnach – her ‘mentor’ and ‘first port of call’ for support throughout her MA and, later, her PhD. 

Once Barbara had the time differences down to an art (“I kept a time conversion chart which I still use”), it was plain sailing; she was paired with another Welsh student on the course for team assignments, and her lectures were recorded and readily available online. Even field trips were recorded – although, Barbara admits, the thoughts of missing out on visits to the National Library of Ireland and Kilmainham Gaol had her wishing she could ‘just take a plane to Limerick’! 

In the true spirit of a lifelong learner, Barbara was keen to build on her MA dissertation research into Irish migrants from Newtown, Cardiff. Seeking to delve further into the story, she developed a PhD topic that would explore the history of the migrants who became coal miners in four of Alberta’s coal towns from 1880 to 1920. 

“Just as the Newtown community enabled me to add to my knowledge of Wales, studying the coal miners gave me an insight into not only how Alberta began and the difficulties migrants faced entering Canada, but also that Alberta was built on coal – something that history seems to have forgotten.” 

Of course, studying remotely – particularly for a period during the Covid-19 pandemic – had its challenges; however, Barbara says, the support from her fellow students as well as academic and administrative staff from the History Department and UL Global Office helped to make her six years of remote study at UL a success. And those people were at the centre of her celebrations on graduation day. 

“Apart from attending the ceremony … my most important plan is to meet, in person, people I have come to know over the last six years. I hope, too, to be able to thank those who have helped me along the way,” she says. 

Looking forward, Barbara has not closed the book on her research; indeed, she hopes to develop some sections of her thesis into articles and is also looking into presenting her work as a monograph. No matter where the path takes her, one thing is clear: she will no doubt continue to maintain that sense of curiosity in life and learning.