Strategies for busy researchers08 December 2008

Event overview

A Vitae workshop for postgraduate researchers and research staff

This is a one-day workshop designed to help you to be more effective in your research. Being more aware of how you spend your time and what makes successful people so successful is very likely to pay off in the long run. The workshop will be led by Hugh Kearns, from Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia, who also wrote the Vitae booklet "the balanced researcher".

It will start with a 2.5 hour "balanced researcher" workshop, which has proven very popular in Australia. This is designed to allow for interaction and engagement. It will explore strategies that thousands of researchers have found useful in balancing the many demands on their time.  More specifically topics which will be covered include:

• strategies for coping with email overload
• prioritising work
• dealing with distractions and interruptions
• how to say NO gracefully
• setting boundaries
• looking after oneself
• and many more...

After lunch the focus will turn to awareness of how you do your research based on Hugh's "the Seven Secrets of Highly Successful Researchers".

The course will help you to understand how to increase your effectiveness and outcomes in the following key areas:

• working with your supervisor
• how you structure your research time
• your approach(or lack thereof!) in relation to your research
• dealing with writer's block or having difficulty writing
• getting the help you need when you are stuck
• juggling multiple commitments and nothaving enough time
• keeping on going when the going gets tough

There will also be plenty of opportunity to network with other researchers from around the country and it should be lots of fun as well.