Time-management workshop (Oct. 2021)

A virtual, interactive workshop on "Time Management for Early Career Scientists" was held in October 2021. The workshop was divided into two parts with a 2-week interval between them, so that what was learned on the first day of the workshop could be put into practice and then reflected on the second day of the workshop. In total, 16 ECS from W2W took this opportunity to work on their self- and time-management.
The first workshop day took place on October 8 and started with an interactive introduction round, so that the coach could record which methods had been used till then for time management by each of the participants. The coach introduced several techniques which help make planning the week more effectively by setting priorities, e.g., S.M.A.R.T. goals and the Eisenhower Matrix. A lively discussion took place about typical "time thieves" in daily life which vary from self-doubt and procrastination to writing emails and multitasking. At the end of the first workshop day, the importance of work-life balance was discussed with a direct exercise in which the ECS were asked to plan daily schedules and audit their time in detail in smaller breakout groups. The ECS were then encouraged to take the next two weeks to reflect on their self-management, goals, and bad habits.
The second workshop day covered the morning of October 22, and the focus was set on reporting what changes one had noticed in the past two weeks due to the use of newly learned time management methods. In general, the ECSs noticed positive changes and questions about time management that came up during the 2-week period could be clari-fied in detail in the group and through the experience of the coach.

Some participants of the workshop