The focus of this workshop was the “80/20” rule. According to this rule, 80% of our results, attainments and achievements come from only 20% of what we do. The key in prioritising how we spend our time then, is to identify that small subset of all our possible tasks, that will lead to the greatest progress. For self sabotagers, the challenge is to also identify behavioural and thought patterns that lead to us to spend undue time on tasks outside that “20%” group.
We began the workshop by reflecting on progress towards goals that had been articulated at the previous workshop. As part of this reflection, participants were asked to write down what they had actually done in the previous 10 days and to list what they felt they had achieved in that time.
While all members of the group had met their goals to some extent, many were dissatisfied with their progress. The discussion that followed brought up the following point: although it can feel frustrating not to have progressed as far with a plan as you’d hoped, you need to evaluate what you have achieved against longer-term perspectives eg if the difficulties in keeping to a plan have taught you something about research processes or your own approaches to your work you have achieved something that can help you be more effective in the long term. However you will not know that you have achieved anything, if you don’t reflect on what’s happened, and use all experiences as opportunities for learning and development. This means that you must make time for “intelligent” reflection as part of your daily plan. In our workshop, we used a self sabotage checklist accompanied by a list of suggested strategies for dealing with self sabotaging behaviours (see below), as a prompt for “intelligent” reflection.
The workshop concluded with planning for the following week. Each student was asked to identify the single most important practical thing they could do in the coming week, that would give the greatest progress with their PhD or Masters. As always, they were also asked to specify times when this could be done, to identify behaviours that are likely to get in the way of progress, and strategies to enhance progress with this task.
Our next meeting is scheduled for 2-4pm on Friday 20th October in Guild Seminar Room 1.
Self Sabotage Checklist
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Self sabotaging behaviour |
Strategies for dealing with it |
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Procrastination |
Action leads to motivation which then leads to further action.
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Perfectionism |
Work in ways that reduce fear (eg use a “draft” stamp on work you submit to your supervisor for comment).
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Taking on too much/not saying “no” |
Assess what you actually do against your long term priorities.
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Always looking for something better to come along |
Undertake all tasks using sound methodological principles of your discipline and document everything accurately. What you are doing IS part of your PhD and not a rehearsal for it.
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Commitment to things that are unlikely to work within a reasonable timeframe |
Seek guidance from others, read other theses in your field to see what a student can be expected to achieve. You can check out passed theses from a wide range of disciplines at http://adt.caul.edu.au (Australian Digital Thesis).
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Disorganisation |
Make lists, use notebooks, diaries, planners etc.
Set aside a specific time each day to organise a list of priorities for the next day.
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Underestimate time |
Multiply all your time estimates by 3 (or a larger number if you are a gross underestimater).
Undertake some timed trials before embarking on larger tasks and use simple arithmetic to estimate the likely time for the larger task.
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Negative focus on the self |
Remember that most people believe everyone else is doing better than they are. Calibrate your work against a range of theses that have passed.
Those with a strongly entrenched negative self view should seek help from the Counsellors at Student Services.
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Intentionally work in ineffective ways so that failure can be attributed to a lack of preparation etc. |
Admit to yourself that this is what you’re doing.
Work in ways that reduce fear.
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Anxiety |
Make time for physical activity, yoga, meditation etc.
Work in ways that reduce fear.
Recognise if you’re using anxiety as an excuse for underachievement.
Avoid group “anxiety-fests.”
Make use of the free Counselling Service at Student Services.
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Busyness with tasks requiring minimum skill |
Admit that’s what you’re doing.
Work in ways that reduce fear of undertaking difficult tasks.
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Not prioritising
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Follow basic principles of time management and remember the “80/20” rule.
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Drug and alcohol abuse |
Make use of the free Counselling service at Student Services
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