Online PhD Workshop: “Succeed in your PhD – Thanks to good organisation and self-management” (Part I) by Dr. Kristina Böhlke

Workshop Content:
Doctoral students have a lot of duties to fulfil. On the one hand, they are employed at the university and have to fulfil teaching and supervision obligations. On the other hand, they should take care of their doctoral project, which often involves learning new techniques before they achieve useful results or introducing new methods in laboratories where nobody has ever done so before. At the same time, they should take on general tasks in their laboratories, such as maintaining equipment, ordering consumables or organising work processes. And they are asked to voluntarily organize conferences, meetings and retreats just to gain some experience and get a pat on the back from their PIs. Finally, they are expected to be supportive and helpful when other PhD students need their advice.
This multifaceted set of tasks requires a lot. Setting priorities, having discipline, and being able to say “no” are only some of them. In the workshop the participants will learn how to define their goals precisely and how to complete intermediate steps. We will discuss the prerequisites necessary to focus on personal goals and will train how to handle distraction and interruptions without being rude.
Workshop Objectives:
– Identify time thieves and time traps
– Define own goals and necessary steps towards achieving them
–  Acquire a technique to prioritize tasks
–  Say “no” when needed without offending others
–  Create a mindset that encourages you to achieve your goal
– Plan necessary steps for your dissertation