The document discusses planning concepts, elements, and tools for academics. It describes using milestones, task lists, calendars, and scheduling templates to plan projects at different time intervals from years to days. Effective planning involves breaking large tasks into smaller steps, using tools like bullet journals, calendars, and to-do lists, allowing buffers for errors, and reflecting on past performance to improve future plans. The key is finding a planning approach and tools that work best for the individual.

1.  
Dr. ir. Eva Lantsoght
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2.  Planning tools – essential soft
skills
 How can you plan the
unexpected?
 Today’s presentation:
o Planning concepts
o Planning elements
o Planning tools
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3.  Milestones
o Graduation requirements
o Project deliverables
 Big steps in your planning
 When?
 How?
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4.  Tools: www.klaarinvierjaar.nl
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5.  Google Calendar
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6.  What do you need to do for your Milestone?
o Task list
o Different levels
 When do you need to be working on your tasks?
o Ranges of weeks/days
o Plan the last task first, and then work backwards
o Now you know which task should be finished when!
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7.  Example: writing a conference paper:
 Tasks
o Draft introduction
o Draft literature review
o Draft methods section
o Draft results section
o Draft discussions section
o Draft summary and conclusions
o Work on figures and tables
o Proofread
o Format references
o Send to coauthors
o Meet to discuss with coauthors
o Implement changes
o ….
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8.  Planning
o Deadline
o Your target submission date: 2-3 weeks before deadline
o Last proofread: 2 days before your target submission date
o Make changes: 1 week before last proofread
o Meet with coauthors: before making changes
o Send paper to coauthors: 2-3 weeks before meeting
o Proofread: 3 days before sending to coauthors
o Make figures: 1 week before proofread
o Draft text: 4 weeks before making figures
 For this example: start 14 weeks before deadline of
paper!
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9.  By Raul Pacheco-Vega: Planning the timeline and
progress of your doctoral dissertation:
http://www.raulpacheco.org/2018/10/planningtheses/
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10.  Milestones (several years)
 Planning per year
 Planning per semester
 Planning per month
 Planning per week
 Planning per day
 Know what you want to achieve at different levels
 Break down larger tasks into smaller levels to get to daily
tasks
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11.  What I use:
 Milestones: Bullet Journal
 Planning per year:
o Goals in Bullet Journal
o Events in Google Calendar
o Reminders in ToDoist
 Planning per semester: Bullet Journal
 Planning per month: Bullet Journal
 Planning per week:
o weekly template – Google Calendar
o Priorities on whiteboard and BulletJournal
 Planning per day:
o Priorities in Bullet Journal
o Task list ToDoist
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15.  Idea: Raul Pacheco-Vega: Scheduling my academic life
to the very minute:
http://www.raulpacheco.org/2013/08/scheduling-my-
academic-life-to-the-very-minute-my-weekly-template/
 Create a template for your week to fit in all categories
(courses, writing, research, reading papers, email)
 Then: adjust prior to week to include meetings and
update categories with specifics
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18.  Don’t miss a deadline!
 Use buffers
 Use self-imposed deadlines
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19.  Plan time for non-negotiable self-care
o Sleep
o Eat
o Move
o Your self-care
 Set goals in categories
o Work
o Self
o Relationships
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20.  Data = knowledge!
 Track how you spend your time (at work and/or in
general)
 How much time do tasks take you?
 When are you more productive (circadian rhythm)?
 When are you distracted?
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23.  When you plan for the month ahead, reflect on the past
month
 Idea: Bart Noordam & Patricia Gosling: Mastering your
PhD: Running in Place
https://www.sciencemag.org/careers/2006/11/mastering-
your-phd-running-place
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24.  4 questions I use
 What did I complete?
o Based on “Log of the week” for the weeks of the month
 What did I not complete?
 What went well?
 What didn’t work?
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25.  Yes, you can fit in a lot!
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27.  No one size fits all
 Writing: finding voice and authority is a journey
 Similarly: planning, finding what works for you is a
journey
 Adjust, iterate, and find how you work best
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28.  Plan your work
 Know what you should be doing when
 Find which tools work for you
 Planning is a journey too
 Have fun along the way!
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29. Contact:
Eva Lantsoght
elantsoght@usfq.edu.ec // E.O.L.Lantsoght@tudelft.nl
More: http://phdtalk.blogspot.com
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