Tag: jobs

Tales From the Tenure Track: Time Management

Time management is a never ending issue for those on the tenure track. You’ve just about got your email under control and something breaks. You think you’ll have lots of time to write in the summer but suddenly there is random money for renovations. There is always something pulling at your time.

Greg McKeown offers some great advice on existentialism and saying no to be more effective. “…by focusing on the few things that are really essential we are actually able to make a more valuable contribution.”

There’s a lot of ways to try and manage your time, not all of them will work for all people. Here’s a few tips that I’ve found helpful.

Email

Try and keep your inbox at 20 or under, over 20 and it’s easy for things to get buried.

Don’t use auto sorting mail folders unless you either a) really good at checking things other than your inbox, or b) don’t really need to read those emails because most of us will just ignore the darn things.

If you can answer the email in 5 minutes or less do so when you first open it unless there are extenuating circumstances.

Meetings

Look at your week as a whole, make sure that you leave yourself blocks of meeting-free time to get your work done. (Sometimes it is not the number of meeting but when they are scheduled that disrupts your productivity.)

When possible stack meetings on the same days so that you are not constantly being interrupted all week.

Meetings should be scheduled with the time and location displayed on your calendar; add in travel time if the meeting is not in your office, even for meetings in your building. A minimum of 15 minutes travel time will allow you to gather your stuff and walk to another part of the building even with last minute phone or email interruptions. Add more time for meetings not held in your building as appropriate.

Lastly, at a certain point in your pre-tenure career you’re going to have to decide what is essential to you and take a stand because you’ll be getting a lot of conflicting advice on what will make you the best possible tenure candidate. Talk with as many mentors both at and outside of your institution as possible and then find a path that marries what you consider to be essential with the essentials of your department and institution. Sometimes you will have to do things that you don’t care for or disagree with, but as long as they are not deal breakers it is best to think of them as the stepping stones that allow you to make a difference in the areas that really matter.

Everyone always asks…

Campus Squirrel Protects It's Tree
Campus Squirrel Protects It’s Tree

The most common question I receive when traveling is “Why Nebraska?” In all honesty I had never heard of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) before I met, then Associate Dean, Elaine Westbrooks at an ALA Midwinter 2010 event. I suspect what most people really mean when they ask “Why Nebraska?” is “How can a woman from Southern California tolerate life in the Midwest?”

Quality of Life and Good Coworkers are the answer. In these troubled economic times it’s easy to assume I’m just happy to be employed, but, Gallup’s recent research on best places to live in the future ranked Nebraska as fourth out of all fifty states surpassed only by Utah, Minnesota, and Colorado. The campus itself has received honors from the Arbor Day Foundation and, although it’s counterintuitive, we have more sunlight here in winter than Southern California does. It may reach minus 20 for a week or two but we very rarely have enough cloud cover to cause gloomy attitudes. Lincoln and Omaha are only about an hour apart, depending on where you live, and both cities are stops for national tours, heavily support the performing and fine arts, and have a variety of food and fine dining options featuring recipes from around the world. Did I mention there are plenty of boutique and high end shopping options for those who are interested? With several major medical schools that also do cutting edge research the health care available is very good. Where else is an hour to an hour and a half preliminary visit with a doctor normal?

What makes people good to work with is definitely subjective. I like having a fair amount of autonomy with the ability to ask for help or advice when needed without being judged for acknowledging that I’m human and can’t save the entire world, or even just my task list, by myself. As an employee at a large university I enjoy the extra training and support available through the university and the libraries. Since the beginning of the year I’ve participated in several dozen on campus training sessions sponsored by both the library and the university. That sounds like a lot but in reality I am only able to attend about 1/4 of the programs I feel that I should. No organization is perfect but its nice to work somewhere that is constantly striving to better itself, and where you feel that they want people to succeed. We all have different things we’re looking for from a job, and where we live, and these change over time. Organizational fit and having a good supervisor are key to a good work experience so if you’re on the job hunt and able to move give institutions a chance regardless of location. You might find a great match!