Work/Life Balance « The Student Affairs Collaborative

Work/Life Balance

Del

The Pomodoro Technique™: Transforming Time into Your Friend

The Pomodoro Technique™ was created by Francesco Cirillo in 1980s after a long search to improve his own study habits. While attending college in Rome, he had a difficult time staying focused and concentrating on his work. He grabbed the familiar kitchen timer in the shape of a tomato (a pomodoro in Italian) and used it to set short term deadlines for himself. Essentially, he would set the timer and work without interruption until it went off.

The Pomodoro Technique™ is deeper than just setting a timer and going to work. The whole purpose is to change your mindset about time and work. It’s not just a silly idea,
but it’s synthesis of concepts proposed by Steve McConnell, Tony Buzan, Hans-George Gademer and Tony Gilb in a variety of areas and disciplines.

It’s built around three basic assumptions:

First, that you will come to see time differently. It’s not the enemy. By changing your view of time from “becoming” (the abstract, dimensional use of time), you eliminate the
anxiety associated with working under a deadline.

Second, that better use of the mind results in a higher level of consciousness, clarity of thought, and more effective learning.

Finally, that using simple tool like a timer reduces the complexity of applying the technique and makes it more effective and efficient.

Of course, there is a website that explains it all. And, while there is a book, you can download it free.

You might think that it would be difficult to apply this in your own office, as it calls for working uninterrupted in 25 minute cycles. There are, however, ways to interrupt and to
keep track of those interruptions. And now — during the Summer when students are fewer and farther between — it might be a useful method of getting through that endless “To-Do” list we all face.

Liz

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Books / Uncategorized / Work/Life Balance — View Comments
29
Mar 10

Shifting Focus From Your Job to Your Career

I read a blog post a month ago that I still find myself thinking about almost every day at work. It’s this post by Peter Weddle, author of Work Strong: Your Personal Career Fitness System. I haven’t read his book, but may consider picking it up based on the blog.

I’ve strung together a few of Peter’s sentences to create a summary of his article to convince you to click through to the original post:

“Millions of Americans are still convinced that the best way to protect themselves in this stuttering economy is with long hours and never-ending devotion to their job…You have to change both your focus and your priority. You have to shift your focus from your job to your career. And you have to shift your priority from what you do for your employer to what you do for yourself. Here’s what I mean.…Focus on your career. Concentrate on building up the capability, flexibility, utility and visibility of your talent — your DNA of excellence.”

When I read this on February 26, I emailed it to many of my colleagues. My supervisor immediately responded with, “That is a great article. I also wonder if you feel connected to what the author wrote due to the fact that this philosophy is one that you are already putting into practice?” Have I mentioned how much I love my supervisor lately?

So, read the article. Let it marinate awhile. I’ll be back in a few days with a thoughtful post about putting this philosophy into practice. Could this be the next step to the elusive “work/life balance?” Contact me if you’ve got something to contribute as well.

Sean

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Careers / SA Humor / Work/Life Balance — View Comments
30
Dec 09

Closing Statements or Parting Thoughts?

Last
month, after working just over 15 years full-time in Student Affairs
(mostly in Residence Life), I resigned my stable, standing position
at one of the best universities in America (Penn State), and moved to
Athens, GA, to go into business for myself as a Life, Career and
Transition Coach. In later posts, and on one or the other of my own blogs, I will expand
on my reasons and explain more why I did what some might think is a
pretty crazy thing, and what I hope to do with my newfound life as an
“education entrepreneur.” But for now, I would like to share some
things I learned from working in higher education over the last
generation.

The
following comments were adapted from a handout I gave out as I
delivered my “parting thoughts” to fellow staff at Penn State.
Hopefully, readers will find some wisdom, some humor, or at least
something to disagree with among the dozen items below.

1.
Like the people around you. It
makes coming to work less stressful. And by this I mean like your
peers, housing and foods workers, your RAs, student leaders, student
drama queens/kings, needy clingy types, nerds, troublemakers,
arrogant bastards, and even crazy parents. There’s something to
like about almost anybody. Look for the good. It won’t kill you.

2.
Mind your own business. And
everything isn’t your business! The more time you spend worrying
about what other people are doing, the less you are paying attention
to yourself and what you are supposed to be doing. And people do
notice. It annoys them, because you spend too much time being cranky,
instead of producing results.

3.
People don’t care what you think. They
care what you do. Do or do not. All talk
and no action doesn’t just make you a dull boy. It makes you an
a**hole. If you aren’t going to do something about the things you
want to change, then shut up already. Silence is golden.

4.
Treat people with dignity and respect.
Working in Student Affairs is about
valuing people. This includes the students, their parents, your
colleagues, your boss, the custodians, the housing manager, the
coffeehouse workers, maintenance workers, UPS guy, commons desk
workers, etc. People won’t remember you for your title. They’ll
remember how you treated them. And you can learn a lot about life,
work, ethics and purpose from just about anyone. Never put yourself
on a pedestal above other people. You may think you have the big
picture from up there, but that’s just the thin air making you
giddy and keeping you from actually thinking.

5.
Take assignments others don’t want. You
will define yourself as a team player with a good work ethic, and you
will learn something from doing the tasks. If the task is boring,
confusing or not particularly motivational, do what you can to change
that. Think between the lines of your task or committee’s
descriptions. If you are bored and unmotivated, that’s a choice you
are making, not something that others are doing to you to make you
miserable.

6.
If you don’t love students, you shouldn’t be here. Go away.
Conversely, if you do love students, that
doesn’t necessarily mean you should be here or do what you are
particularly doing, either. Loving students and being able to help
them are two very different things. To make it in Student Affairs,
you have to love them until it hurts you, and do the things that are
necessary to help them, even if that hurts a little more. If you
don’t feel like helping college students is your purpose in life, a
lot of what you have to do will eat at your soul. And nobody likes a
picked-over, half-eaten soul. Get out while you still can. You
deserve to be happy and do what you love.

7.
Assume that others have good intentions.
Most people do. They just fail in their
practices. And it’s best to assume that when they do fail, that it
had nothing to do with you. People think more about themselves than
others. It’s human nature. If you are honest with yourself, you are
that way sometimes, too. Give people a break. You know you’d want
one.

8.
There is no grand conspiracy to keep you in
your place. Conspiracies require
planning, and planning requires ideas. Most people in charge are too
busy thinking about themselves and keeping off people’s radar
screens in a bad way to come up with any great ideas. They are just
doing their thing and hoping it will all work out. So refer back to
#7 and assume that they have good intentions (for you or someone
else) and that most negative impacts on you are the result of good
intentions and bad planning exploding in someone’s face, and not
some effort to confound you. It’s not all about you. Get over
yourself.

9.
That being said, there are some conspiracies, good-old-boy networks,
and cliques operating within and at the periphery of any
organization. Anyone who watches Survivor knows
that people in your coalition are just as sure to screw you over as
people who aren’t. Sometimes the better choice is not to play games
at all. Leave the games to Survivor, and people will
have to judge you by your actual contribution to an organization,
instead of your alliances.

10.
Choose the mountain you want to die on. If
every issue brought up for discussion at a staff meeting is a
potential opening for telling people they are screwing up, are
stupid, and you know a much better way, and if you perpetually feel a
need to dig in your heels on matters of principle, do yourself a
favor, and keep most of these to yourself. There are more subtle ways
to campaign for change, and one of the most valuable ways is to keep
your head down, do good work, take advantage of strategic
opportunities, and wait for an issue that really matters. If you go
atomic over the announcements, you are seriously limiting your career
options.

11.
Know when to quit. There is a difference between doing what you are
capable of, and doing what you are meant to do with your life. I
always got interesting projects, and I gradually moved into a
position in the organization with stability and a decent amount of
influence. I can point to things I have done that have made a
difference at Penn State. It was fun, and I learned a lot, but I know
in my heart that I am not really meant to be an administrator, but a
creator…to write, to design, to do creative projects and to help
people. And I am meant to be a good husband and father. I arrived at
a point in my career where I knew that I'd accomplished what I needed
to, and so I went gladly, and happily, and I know that Penn State is
better for my having been there, and that people will appreciate me
leaving while things were still going pretty well.

12.
Do good things. Not for your own sake, but for the sake of all beings
in the universe. Save and make free everyone you encounter. Show them
how to attain the wisdom of the way. In
other words, be yourself, free yourself, and give yourself to fate,
destiny and the universe. Life’s too short and the universe is too
vast. Make sure your light burns brightly and doesn’t go out to
soon.

Cindy

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Careers / Work/Life Balance — View Comments
23
Dec 09

Student affairs… why stay?

One of my former students told me, "do you remember the conversation we had about sororities on the orientation cruise when I was a sophomore Orientation Leader?" I'll confess, I didn't. She, however, cites that as a defining moment in her decision to join a sorority and, in retrospect, a defining moment in one of the most important decisions she made in her life. She told me that because of that conversation and her related decision, she grew as a person beyond even her own potential and found her leadership style, her best friends, and a career she now loves. I just attended her wedding a few months ago!

That conversation took place about eight years ago and I just heard about its impact last month.

In that story, a "typical student moment" for me is pretty momentous for her. If I'm being honest with you, my frame of mind at that time, was probably more like "if I can just make it through this long night on the Spirit of Boston cruise we will be so close to this huge week of events being over!" Yet, a basic "should I get involved" conversation is something she remembers today.

Why in the world would we endure never ending work days, low pay, occasional lack of respect, shortage of resources, and struggles with serious crisis situations? Why do we stay and not just give up the ship for easier, safer, more lucrative careers?

I wanted to close out 2009 on a positive note, so here is my list… in no particular order.

1. I stay because at least twice a year, I get to gather with like-minded people in my profession to learn more about my chosen field through active professional associations. These conferences seem to come at just the right time each year and refocus me toward wanting to achieve in this field.

2. I stay because at least once a day, I get to connect with like-minded people in my profession to learn more about my chosen field through active on-line communities like the SA Blog and Twitter. There's a lot of great thinking out here and I'm grateful for the vibrant community!

3. I stay because every time I think something has brought me down at work, the next thing comes right along to pick me back up. We could have a terrible disaster one day and then a big "a-ha" comes through the door that reaffirms my faith in my ability to impact education and help good students become great.

4. I stay because I get the chance to hire talented people who put their all into their work with a temperament that doesn't take ourselves too seriously. There are a lot of amazing people out there in our field and they are all potential future coworkers, supervisors, or assistants.

5. I stay because if I decide it would be fun to have a "Wear your Snuggie to Work" day, we do it. No joke. We did it… and there are pics on Twitter to prove it.

6. I stay because the field is about learning. Learning for students, learning for me as a professional, chalking up mistakes to "learning opportunities" and attributing weaknesses to "learning and needed development." This learning thread is not as present in our corporate settings and this focus on learning cuts us a lot of slack.

7. I stay because if I think there is a new program, event or service that we need to experiment with, I can make it happen. (within budgetary constraints, of course!) It may not happen immediately and may not happen with the funding it deserves, but if I want to plant a seed to start something new, it's up to me!

8. I stay because my skills and experiences are marketable in a zillion possible directions… and frankly, the next step confuses me! Might as well stick it out until it gets clearer. There are great ways to "stretch" your skills, try new things, and really see what you can do.

9. I stay because the campus activities profession feeds my "policy maker side" by giving me that role, feeds my "counselor" self in my many interactions with students, feeds by "entrepeneurial" side by giving me room to start new programs, and feeds my "emerging CEO" by giving me a small sphere of the universe where they call me "director." There is such a big range!

10. I stay because of the students. It's got to be said.We are lucky to work with some of the best and the brightest on campus and they really teach me just as much as I teach them. I mean really, in what field do you get to work with the same "clients" over the course of four/five/six years and help to support their achievement of their most important goals in life?

I could write forever, but let's close out 2009 on a positive note, shall we? Tell me why YOU stay? Let's end it all with a big student affairs group hug.

Happy holiday break to all and no matter what holidays or observances you may celebrate in the coming weeks, I hope you celebrate making a difference in countless lives. Most of your impact may never become clear right away, but let's feel that unspoken "thanks" from all of those students' lives you have influenced!

Gary Alan

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Work/Life Balance — View Comments
4
Dec 09

Of Work and Life

Last night I participated in the #SAchat on Twitter,
and it spurred an old conversation that I've had with myself and others
about the role of work in my life. I used to say that work is "something I do, not who I am."
The chat was focused on work/life balance, and I posed that idea to
others in the chat. Perhaps it's not unusual that a group of
dedicated professionals participating in an after-hours chat are
inclined to be heavily invested in their careers. So, I wasn't caught
off-guard that many others felt that this quote wasn't representative
of how they felt — many posited that their work is who they are, or at least a very big part of who they are.

I've
been pondering today whether or not that makes me less-dedicated as a
professional or if it's more of a semantics argument. I have worked in
higher ed since 1993. In fact, I've never held a position outside of
higher ed. It's been my career for as long as I've had one. When I'm
at work, I work hard. I think others would use words like "dedicated"
when describing me. I'm a contributor. I generate new ideas. I'm
totally dedicated to the students I work with. I love higher education
and student affairs.

But, I still don't feel like my vocation is equivalent to my "being."

To be fair, I am one who sometimes feels like he's had a 40-year-long existentialist crisis.

Sometimes I'm impatient. I used to think I had wanderlust
(until I realized I'm a homebody…). I have a need for new projects
and challenges. I used to frequently feel a non-specific sense of
being unsatisfied. But, I didn't understand why. Now I know it was
because I didn't quite understand myself. It was a great relief when
I came to understand that one of my personal drivers is change. I crave it. Maybe that's why I've been reluctant to define myself by my career – I keep expecting it will change.

I've done exactly what I tell my students to do – I've focused
on my strengths and looked for organizations that provide a positive
environment to apply those strengths. One of my skills is working
effectively with students, and I'm thrilled to have dedicated 15+ years
of my life to that work. However, I still can't comfortably say that's
"who I am." Without a doubt, it's part of who I am. But, it feels
limiting to give vocation that much power and "real estate" in life.
No doubt you can tell by this muddled post that I'm struggling with
wrapping my thoughts around this. So, I'd love to hear your feelings.

Cross posted on my blog.

Gary Alan

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Work/Life Balance — View Comments
2
Nov 09

Balancing demands: work vs. new baby

On October 27, 2009 at exactly 4:36pm, I became a father for the first time. The past week has been exhilarating, exciting, exhausting and elating. But, now I’m back at work with a full slate of student appointments and meetings. I’d love to hear advice from other student affairs pros about their first weeks after the arrival of a new baby and how you’ve balanced the demands of work and home. All comments welcome.

Here’s a shot of the proud papa (me!) and our new little guy.

Gary Alan Miller

Cindy

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Work/Life Balance — View Comments
28
Sep 09

To Do…Doing…Still Doing…Not yet Done?

Hi folks. Am I the only one out here in SABlogger land that feels like the academic year has been long already and it's barely even a month?

During the craziest days on the job in student activities I always notice that things get most out of control when I lose sight of all of the great time management lessons I have learned over the years. It never fails, but on the worst days I see that my To Do List is a mess, my voice mails are piling up, and I've lost track of every committment I have made that day while also having no idea what the next day will bring. Sound familiar? Well, I'm here to offer some quick time management tips both in an effort to share my experience and also to force myself to take another look at how my semester's been going! So, I'm admitting to being a little selfish…but here we go:

1 – Is it time for a planner makeover?

If you're like me, I can't go completely techie in time management so there's still some element of paper in my time management life. Check out your planner and make sure it's keeping track of the right information for you. If you're using the same "monthly calendar boxes" planner that you've used since your junior year in college, it might be time to see what else is out there. Make sure your planner or other tool is helping you to manage your tasks, helping you to manage what kinds of tasks you are agreeing to complete, and helping you manage your appointments.

2 – Take time for power planning!

Whether you are most productive in the morning or at night, take ten minutes and force yourself to plan your To Do List for the day ahead and review the day's prior events. Don't just spend three minutes doing it. Force yourself to take the full ten so that you offer yourself the benefit of a little clarity before the day gets hectic. Don't you deserve it?

3 – Plan based on your roles!

We all play so many roles in life – employee, sibling, spouse, mentor, volunteer, parent, manager – list them all. Now that you've mastered your daily planning routine, take that up a notch and plan based on your roles for the week ahead. Set at least one focus for each role so that you work to maintain some degree of balance. For example, if you're a mom and you're also having a crazy week at work, this will assure that your 'mom stuff' still gets some airtime whether it's a small task like "enroll kiddo in swimming lessons" or a big one that makes sure you save time to go pick out a new bike.

4 – Take control of your calendar life, too!

No one says that you have to attend every meeting just because someone asks. Make sure your time is scheduled "on purpose, for a purpose" and start asserting the importance of your personal time. If someone schedules a meeting and you don't know why you are going, ask them! If you feel your participation in a committee is a duplication of someone else's role, then talk with your supervisor about what he or she is looking for. Also, if you reciprocate the value of people's time by making sure your meetings have clear and communicated agendas it will let people realize how kind it is to have that kind of consideration.

I could go on and on here, but let's hear from you! What are your favorite tips to keep things afloat? Student affairs folks, I know you're great at this stuff so let the comments roll!!

Have a great week!

Gary Alan

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Assessment / Work/Life Balance — View Comments
13
Sep 09

Introversion in student affairs

I had a conversation recently with our graduate intern about life as an introvert career counselor. He's just starting his life as an introvert in the world of student affairs, and our conversation lead me to reflection of the earlier years of my professional life.

I told him to be aware and be intentional in his consideration of how his introversion is or is not an issue as he learns to navigate his professional life. When I first transitioned from registrar-type work into my first counseling role it took me a while to understand my introversion in that generally-extroverted context. In fact I think for about the two years I did a horrible job of balancing my needs as an introvert and the demands of the work.

As an academic counselor in a setting with ludicrously high advising ratios (try 5500 students to 4.5 counselors!), there was no down time, no time to re-energize, no time to contemplate or rejuvenate. There was only go, go, go. Next student, next student – typically 10 per day, in half-hour increments. My evenings became more solitary. My outlook, considerably more grumpy.

It took me years to understand why I was (and am) more productive in the morning than in the afternoon; why many of my ideas wouldn't be pursued because they didn't feel fully formulated until after the brainstorming session had ended; and why I preferred not to go out to lunch with my colleagues each day.

Now, not every student affairs position will demand this hyper level of interaction and outward-facing energy. But, they all will have varying degrees of the same, and I believe that even for lower traffic student affairs offices there is a relatively steep on-ramp for the new introverted professional.

New professionals need to understand that these things are okay, while simultaneously learning that being in student affairs sometimes means putting on your "extrovert mask," even when it doesn't feel natural (it became entirely comfortable for me over time, I'm happy to report). Here are a few other tips for the introverted new student affairs professional:

Don't feel guilty about needing time to yourself. If that means foregoing lunch with colleagues or occasionally skipping out on that office social, do it. But of course, you must strike a balance to make sure that you don't accidentally develop a curmudgeon label.
If you know the subject of a particular meeting, make notes and write down some of your thoughts ahead of time. It may help you to feel like you can participate more actively, having thought through the issues ahead of time.
Find the ways that are most accommodating for you to "become" an extrovert when it is needed. Some skills like public speaking or working a room may not be natural, but you need to make them become comfortable. So, practice, practice, practice (then sit quietly for a while!)

As a profession, and indeed as a culture, we tend to prefer extroverts. Extroverts often make more-immediate impressions and many qualities associated with extroversion are thought of as positive in the workplace. But, our students are represented across the introversion/extroversion spectrum, as should be our student affairs professionals who will work with them.

Fellow introverts, I'd love to hear your thoughts and perspectives.

Gary Alan Miller

Cross posted on my blog

Annette Martel

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Work/Life Balance — View Comments
27
Aug 09

Thank You Note Thursdays

I’ve started a new tradition: Thank You Note Thursdays. I suppose I could send out thank you notes any other day of the week, but the “Th” that appears on my calendar serves as a good reminder to thank someone.

Here are the rules of my tradition:

1. Have a running list of people you need to thank. This is easy to accomplish through the “tasks” function of Outlook, GCal, or probably any other online calendar you’re using. If it helps, move these tasks onto the next Thursday on your calendar. But you may be asking yourself, who do I need to thank? Well, just ask yourself these questions:

· Who has gone out of their way to make me feel welcome and show me the ropes if I’m in a new job?

· Who have I had to make a last-minute request of?

· Who have I asked the impossible of?

· Who have I learned an important lesson from?

· Who do I see working really hard and may not be getting enough appreciation for it?

· Who helps me do my job better?

2. Do it first thing in the morning. Of course, you could sit down and write out thank you notes any time of day, but in the morning, there tend to be fewer distractions in my work environment. And this way, you know you won’t get to the end of the day and have to tell yourself, “I’ll do it tomorrow.” I believe in the power of doing the important tasks first and thanking people who need to be thanked is an important task.

3. Be sincere. You don’t need to use overly flowery language or ask anyone if they ever knew that they were your hero, and, in fact, the wind beneath your wings. However, you should let people know the positive influence they’ve had on your life and your work. Don’t you like to know when you’ve made a difference?

4. Be the one. I read somewhere that for every one piece of feedback that you get, there are 500 other people who feel the same way but said nothing. For instance, lots of people read blogs (like this one!), but most do not leave any comments. (I must confess; I am guilty of this myself.) However, that one person who does leave a comment is speaking for countless others who feel the same way, but don’t speak up. By sending someone a thank you note, you are that one person who is representing so many other people who appreciate someone, but are silent. Be the one.

Sean

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3
Aug 09

Time to Make the Donuts!

So here it is, the first workday of August. It's just past midnight and our professional staff training in Residence Life starts in just a few hours.

Though the day kicks off, as usual, with a breakfast welcome meeting, I find myself again feeling somewhat like "Fred the Baker" in the classic Dunkin Donuts Commercial . The tireless donutarian drags himself out of bed, and shuffles out the door, muttering "time to make the donuts." Ceaselessly coming and going, his faithful wife greeting him and sending him off, Fred waddles through a seemingly endless cycle. His daily reward for the Sisyphean task? A line of happy customers, always waiting anxiously for some donuts.

August and September annually blur themselves together when you work in academia, but I always find some shreds of variety in the routines we march through each year. And no matter how much stays the same, I always find a few glints of the unique and special, from meeting new people, changing tasks, or seeing the university, the department, and all our rules and protocols through the fresh lens of a new staff member. And, like Fred, I find the routine often dull, and the reward in serving happy customers. And after 15 years, I still get up at roughly the same time, though I worked too late or worried too much about what the next day would bring, and trudge to work.The routine reasserts itself, and I find some comfort there, not in the rules, the tasks or any of the other nonsense, but through the eyes of new students, their parents and new staff.

So, as you drag yourself out of bed today and stare another year down, muttering to yourself "time to make the donuts," try to remember that there are all kinds of donuts out there, and plenty of hungry people waiting for what you have to serve. It may seem mundane drudgery to you, but to the people you serve, "them are some damn tasty donuts!," and well worth the wait. One could do worse than be a baker of donuts. Good luck to all as we start another year!

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