The idea of taking additional responsibility is a major decision in my career. I didn't think this become a burden in life, but a way to develop my abilities and competencies at work. When I'm thinking about the consequence, it needs a very huge responsibility and time allocation, but it match the opportunities offered by the position. The solutions to juggle with so many focuses are a good time and workload management.
Considering the time management and manageable workload could help us to spacing time for that many tasks, I agree we need an art/skill to do them. It needs a frugal planning or it does not? I believe I am a person who loves flexibility than rigid plan to do my work, but I love them to be finished. So, how will I finish my workload, but in the same time could achieve my objectives in career? Again, the answer is the art of controlling my time and resources.
This is not a new method, it will never be, because a project management means to allocate appropriate money and resources to achieve the aims under projected time frame. By having a plan, work in increment and stay focus under a block of time, I finally could resolve my problem. This is how I juggle with my work:
a) I manage my work by finding a solitary office (mostly at home) and work there full time at least two days a week. This is the time when I could read, write and review manuscripts or prepare lectures.
b) At those quiet time, I also invest on my administrative responsibility by managing staffs from home. I answer emails, take notes and send notices to them so they still could proceed without me. We then could sign the final draft of formal letters or financial report when I come to the office on the following day.
c) I also used to send many emails to my final year project students and make them send me their research log book weekly. This gives them a sense of progress, while I could control my supervision on them and let them work on the right track. I set time for the students to meet me by adjusting my schedule, and send the notice to administrative staff at the department.
d) Most of the time, I communicate with the students with email. I don't take phone calls and teach them how to contact lecturers with appropriate language and attitude through this way. I teach the students to be well prepared and planned their activities in advanced through email communication. There will never be on the spot activities, since I won't be available whenever they need me.
e) I use various apps to help me at work. I have Evernote in my laptop and sync the information to the ipad. The Evernote app is very useful for storing ideas, keeping comments, planning tasks and sending information to everyone by email. I also use Mendeley for working efficiently towards finding references. This is a highly recommended app to track back all my papers in the library because I could use the key words sparingly. I love my scanner pro for ipad to instantly scan documents everywhere.
f) I try to deal with deadlines by submitting work at least a day before. I don't want any extension, because I know how dangerous the extension for my final progress. If I can't do it, then I will leave the work by communicating the person in charge that I need assistance or delegate it to somebody else.
g) I see my task as a sequence of steps that need to be pursued. There should be no hesitation to do it, because it will make me more knowledgeable and grow as a person. I learn to find a 'fun' on it and don't think soo much about its financial benefit or I will destroy my noble intention. I must do perform work because I want to work for Allah, the Almighty.
In short, I just want to emphasis that the art of juggling is important to be mastered. Just focus on good time management and workload management. Find our own style which best fit on job condition and practice it regularly.
Pekanbaru,
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