A Guest Blogger!

Today’s post is from a PhD graduate of the College of Management and Technology, Carol (Charlie) Barton.

Best practices can be a way to avoid reinventing the wheel. I offer three sets of best practices aimed at providing a foundation for you to leverage during your journey.

Dr. McCollum’s Time Management Videos

It is a fact; each day on our planet holds 1440 minutes. Why is it that some people seem to get so much more done than others? Dr. McCollum, Dean of Student Affairs, recorded six videos about time management. If you are unsatisfied with your progress or are looking to learn a new way to do things, watch these videos. Furthermore, I recommend that you review the videos at the beginning of every term. Reason? Our life situations change and sometimes the tools that were not right earlier may be just the ticket now.

• Introduction to Time Management
• Managing from the Inside Out
• Self-Awareness and Time Management
• What is Working and What is Not Working
• Goal Setting
• Tools & Resources

Putting on Your Oxygen Mask

We wear many hats. Student, worker, parent, caregiver, volunteer…the list could go on indefinitely. It is time to put on your oxygen mask. Use what you’ve learned from the time management videos to help you meet your obligations. If you do not take care of yourself, physically, emotionally, and mentally, then you will probably find yourself having difficulties with your dissertation work.

Very important! Do not short yourself on sleep. Credible research findings show that sleep deprivation leads to poor judgment, the inability to internalize information or form memories (Rolls et al., 2011), as well as a host of adverse physical effects. What this means is, staying up and reading that article doesn’t get you closer to done if you cannot remember what you read.

Doctoral Capstone Resources

There are many, many places you can go on the Walden website to find answers to your questions. While it is interesting to randomly click through links; is that really the best use of your time? Walden created a one-stop resource for all things Capstone. Bookmark the Doctoral Capstone Resources page. Rather than wandering the web site, visit here first for:

• Literature Review Resources
• Methodology, Research & Statistics Resources
• Writing Resources
• Capstone Process & Timeline
• Tips from Dr. Riedel, CAO, Walden University
• Are you struggling? We can help

Summary

Time Management: Figure out the time of day that you are most productive and block it out. Keep your promises to yourself. Look for baby steps.

Putting on Your Oxygen Mask: By taking care of yourself, you acquire the energy to study effectively and manage your commitments. By scheduling leisure activities, you will find yourself able to concentrate because there is playtime on the books.

Doctoral Capstone Resources: Get the right answer to your question. Once you find your answer, bookmark that page. To the extent that you are able, avoid rework. This means learning how to save and rapidly retrieve information that you need. Hint: set up a folder on your browser menu bar. I have bookmarks to the library, Center for Research, TurnItIn, and other places.

Remember: A best practice must fit your needs in order to work for you.

References:

Rolls, A., Colas, D., Adamantidis, A., Carter, M., Lanre-Amos, T., Heller, H., & de Lecea, L. (2011). Optogenetic Disruption of Sleep Continuity Impairs Memory Consolidation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science,  USA, 108(32), 13305–10.