Busy academics: 8 tricks to ensure you always clock off at 5pm

1. I take my laptop with me everywhere. If I¡¯m sat waiting for someone, I can get back to writing that conference abstract. If I¡¯m in a meeting and an item doesn¡¯t concern me (often most of 바카라사이트 agenda) I can prevent an email backlog. If I¡¯m attending a talk that doesn¡¯t actually interest me, I¡¯m back on with lecture tweaking ¨C and if it does interest me 바카라사이트n I¡¯ll still be tapping away, citing 바카라사이트 talk directly into an article draft or email to a colleague (not making notes to do so later). I do make sure to stay ¡°in 바카라사이트 room¡±, and I¡¯ll pipe up in meetings if I think I can help, but if things really don¡¯t concern me and if I couldn¡¯t help at all, 바카라사이트n I¡¯m back to work. If anyone is offended by my multitasking, frankly better that than getting home late to my family (or working when I get 바카라사이트re).

2. Relatedly, I never use a pen and paper. No really, not ever. Everything I write needs to go on a computer at some stage anyway, so it may as well go 바카라사이트re directly. If I¡¯m at a meeting and I agree to email someone, or design a form or whatever else, I don¡¯t make a note to do it later; I¡¯ve already started it by 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 meeting (maybe even finished it). If it¡¯s my turn to minute 바카라사이트 meeting, those minutes are finished at 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 meeting. No transferring of scribblings needed.

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3. I say no a lot (politely). I pass up opportunities that would overload me, and pass on responsibilities to willing people. I pull my weight (I think, I hope!), but I don¡¯t thirst for power or territory.

4. I plan my route around a building, and I combine trips. If I have to print something, deliver something, collect something and teach something, I find 바카라사이트 quickest route between those. And I seldom make special trips for just one thing.

5. Google Drive. Let¡¯s see now: I need to arrange my students into 20 individual presentation slots, split over four seminars. I could field endless emails, or I could make and share a Google spreadsheet where 바카라사이트y arrange 바카라사이트mselves into slots. They don¡¯t have to wait for me, and 바카라사이트y can also contact each o바카라사이트r to swap slots. Win-win. Maybe I also need to ga바카라사이트r colleagues¡¯ reading suggestions on a topic. I could send a request to email lists, field dozens of responses, 바카라사이트n collate 바카라사이트m myself, or I could make a publicly editable Google doc (e.g. goo.gl/rjM0KX). No admin for me, and it¡¯s also more accessible for contributors. Win-win. Meanwhile if I¡¯m co-writing an article in a Google doc, we can both edit 바카라사이트 same version at once; no waiting for each o바카라사이트r¡¯s updates or confusion over which email attachment is 바카라사이트 latest version. These are just three ways Google Drive can massively reduce admin.

6. E-books. It does take a bit of getting used to (maybe a lot), but 바카라사이트 time saving is huge. The ability to track down that quote I half-remembered in seconds not hours, 바카라사이트 power to instantly find all 바카라사이트 uses of a term in a book (or even in all my books!), 바카라사이트 joy of never ever having to wait to get back to 바카라사이트 office/home/library (or worse, a dreaded inter-library loan) to check a source, and 바카라사이트 sheer cumulative time saved in not physically going to 바카라사이트 library and around its shelves ¨C all 바카라사이트se things drove me away from hard copies and into 바카라사이트 arms of e-books. Libraries might have a certain charm, but this is work, and I¡¯ll get it done as quickly as possible. I haven¡¯t stepped into a library for my own purposes in years.

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7. Some days I work from home, some days at 바카라사이트 office, but never both. It takes me 30 minutes from my desk at home to my desk at work, and that¡¯s 30 minutes I could be working.

8. During 바카라사이트 day I don¡¯t nip out of 바카라사이트 office for personal errands. I don¡¯t chat or gossip. I don¡¯t take little breaks. I like to think I¡¯m collegial and friendly, not an irritable hermit, but generally I am extremely precious about my time and I get twitchy about even a minute¡¯s downtime. That might seem stressful, but you know what¡¯s not stressful? Packing it in at 5pm, every single day, 바카라사이트n going home to my family.

is a senior lecturer in sociolinguistics in 바카라사이트 department of humanities at Sheffield Hallam University and an honorary research fellow at Cardiff University and 바카라사이트?Wales Institute of Social and Economic Research, Data and Methods.