Time Mismanagement

How much work do you have to do in a day to feel satisfied that you've achieved something?

Three words: Poor. Time. Management.

Working in a research environment, time isn't money, as money isn't even part of the game here. In the world of 'academia' (snobby voice), one is able to spend the day pondering the laws of the universe (or what to have for dinner that evening) without one's pay being docked for too many toilet trips. Comparable to a hippie  artist's life in many ways:

"You can't force creatively, man! Chillax, have a coffee, a stroll around campus, and that will surely get the brain cells firing. Oh look, is it home time already? Must dash!"

In research, you can repeat an experiment many hundreds of times without actually achieving anything. This isn't really conducive to motivating doctoral students, during the years when they're laying down work habits that will serve them for the rest of their careers, to work harder and faster.

Friends and employers would describe me as one of those 'jolly good old sorts who likes to get the job done'. I like to feel busy and productive at every moment of the day, or else I get this 'itchy' feeling (not anatomically speaking).

But unfortunately, this isn't my perfect world, and I rarely ever achieve this. What's more, I'm aware that others can take multiple 'itch-free' coffee breaks and chats with friends whilst still achieving far more in the remaining time than I would after depriving myself of all of the above in favour of getting the work done.

What gives you good 'work satisfaction'?

When I'm at uni, I feel as if I've had a good day when I've been able to devote a solid block of time to one particular thought or concept or task. But usually time slips me by before I can achieve anything.

When I'm working at my part-time job as a retail assistant in the 'real world', I feel as if I've had a good day when I've split up my time into as many different mundane tasks as possible. I want time to slip by as fast as possible.

Unfortunately, I often get the two the wrong way around!