List it or Lose it!

About every 6 months, I have what my wife calls a nervous breakdown.  I don’t think it’s quite that serious, but it is something that seems to affect every area of my life.  It’s that time when all of the chemistry seems to be going wrong, I’ve got too many presentations scheduled, the boss has been in a bad mood for weeks, etc., and I just can’t seem to get purchase on any of it. 

Well, I have recently discovered (with the help of my wife’s super-skills in logic and reason) that this stems largely from my tendency to make a wreck of any ordered space including my desk, bench, and mind.  Now, I believe that a small degree of “mess” is actually beneficial to some of us, particularly synthetic chemists.  But when I get going in too many directions and lose focus, everything falls apart.  I start making bad decisions, I miss getting a spectrum for an intermediate, I give frazzled project reports, and on and on. 

So, the one simple thing that keeps me on track in the mire?  LISTS.  It’s what my wife does all the time (ALL the time!)  She’s got lists for To Do’s, shopping, Thank You cards, purchases, gifts, you name it.  And somehow it never occured to me that this might help me organize my day, too, until she suggested to me from the depths of my semi-annual despair that I plot out the next day.  Here’s what mine looks like: 

 

 

I like to break my day up into 15 minute chunks.  This gives me a real, tangible amount of time to determine if I’m on track to be completed for the next activity.  The large blocks are reactions that really only need tending at the beginning and end, so I highlight those times, and know that I can work on something else in the middle. 

I throw in keeping up on literature as lower priority, though it’s certainly not!!  Just that it can be done whenever I find myself with a little free time.  Then it’s checked off the list and room is made for ordering chemicals or whatever other thing has come up unexpectedly.  Finally, speaking of changes, as I work during the day, things don’t alway go as planned (in fact, rarely do they go as planned . . . this is chemistry).  I don’t think I’ve ever completed a list exactly as it started the night before.  But it’s okay to let it morph as needed, and usually some things get pushed back to tomorrow.  There’s always room for more in the “Tomorrow” column!  This way, I find that I’m able to stay on task, and have an idea how I am advancing towards my project goals. 

So, todays little tidbit of wisdom is . . .

Organized thoughts + organized work=Efficient Chemistry.  So keep your eye on the prize!!

 

 

A laptop a day . . .

Whatever it takes…whoever you have to bribe…however much stuff you have to eBay…get a laptop!!  I’m starting out ‘spensive, but for a good reason.  There is no other single device/instrument/resource that provides you with so many possibilities for becoming more efficient than a laptop computer.  With this little dig you’ll be able to draft a manuscript, email, read publications, order chemicals, and on and on and on (and on!).  I am of the opinion that it doesn’t matter so much which platform or case or specs you get, just that you get one. 

[An important note for those of you in the academic realm: Check with your chemistry department, or IT guys and see if you have a discount or an extended warranty from a particular manufacturer.  If not, it's probably not worth paying for an extended warranty...we'll save number crunching for another day, though.]

Owning a laptop is a first step toward reducing the number of non-chemistry activities you have to do while you’re spending your valuable time in the lab.  Hit it hard on the bus, or spend an extra half hour on your manuscript at home with a cup of coffee before heading out the door, and get a head start on the day.  I know it helps me to focus on getting it done, and then prohibiting myself from using the internet during the day (yes, you can actually work without surfing the internet!). 

It might be a good idea to trade a little effort for this new status symbol…offer to help write a section of your PI’s next proposal in exchange for budgeting an extra 500 bucks for his/her rising star.  Not to mention, the experience certainly doesn’t hurt!  You might even see about writing your own proposal for a small project with a local foundation:  There are a wealth of untapped granting agencies out there if you look around.  Obviously, this requires then that you do a little extra (possibly divergent) work to carry out the proposed research, but if you tie it into the famed “future work” of your current strategy, it could give you a nice way to round out your skill set, and a new notch on your belt. 

An added bonus of a laptop:  You’re never more than a login away from the most recent TEC post!!

I know, I know . . .

Yes, another chemistry blog.  But (hopefully) not JUST another chemistry blog.  I am starting this in the hope that perhaps someone (SOMEONE?!) out there may be able to benefit from some of the lessons I’ve learned that were less than pleasant to go through.  Now, if you’re wondering, “Who is this guy, anyway?” just wait . . .  I’ll be posting more in the About Me page soon.  For now, just tune in, and decide for yourself if you think that what I’ve got to say makes any sense at all. 

One of the main reasons I have set out to write this blog is an unpalatable practice of which I’ve seen and heard horror stories all too often in these great United States.  And that is the demand placed upon students/employees to work 50, 60, 70, even 80 hours a week with zero consideration of the person’s productivity.  I submit that less is more!  It has been my experience that sometimes slowing down, taking a few minutes to use that massive brain of yours and strategically planning out the next move can help accomplish your goals with amazing speed…without the ridiculous hours!!  And, in fact, by trying to put in too many hours, you’re not only robbing yourself of a social life/family time/recuperation, but you’re REALLY robbing your career (including your PI) of the level of success that you could achieve if you just went home, took a load off, ate some sweetbreads and watched a movie, then hit it again the next day with a fresh mind and body.

Tune in next time for tips to improve your efficiency in the lab so that you can be effictive at learning how to work hard AND play hard!!