1.
 
Dr. ir. Eva Lantsoght
3/14/2019
1

2.
 Planning tools – essential soft
skills
 How can you plan the
unexpected?
 Today’s presentation:
o Planning concepts
o Planning elements
o Planning tools
3/14/2019 2

3.
 Milestones
o Graduation requirements
o Project deliverables
 Big steps in your planning
 When?
 How?
3/14/2019 3

4.
 Tools: www.klaarinvierjaar.nl
3/14/2019 4

5.
 Google Calendar
3/14/2019 5

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!
3/14/2019 6

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 ….
3/14/2019 7

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!
3/14/2019 8

9.
 By Raul Pacheco-Vega: Planning the timeline and
progress of your doctoral dissertation:
http://www.raulpacheco.org/2018/10/planningtheses/
3/14/2019 9

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
3/14/2019 10

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
3/14/2019 11

12.
3/14/2019 12

13.
3/14/2019 13

14.
3/14/2019 14

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
3/14/2019 15

16.
3/14/2019 16

17.
3/14/2019 17

18.
 Don’t miss a deadline!
 Use buffers
 Use self-imposed deadlines
3/14/2019 18

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
3/14/2019 19

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?
3/14/2019 20

21.
3/14/2019 21

22.
3/14/2019 22

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
3/14/2019 23

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?
3/14/2019 24

25.
 Yes, you can fit in a lot!
3/14/2019 25

26.
3/14/2019 26

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
3/14/2019 27

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!
3/14/2019 28

29.
Contact:
Eva Lantsoght
elantsoght@usfq.edu.ec // E.O.L.Lantsoght@tudelft.nl
More: http://phdtalk.blogspot.com
3/14/2019 29