Learning From Academic Colleagues Who Productively Manage Aspects of the Faculty Life

There are myriad facets to being a productive faculty member. In this article, you will be encouraged to consider productive colleagues in the categories of writing, travel, advising, and promotion/tenure/review processes. It is likely that all four of these areas are places where you could gain a few tips and techniques - or potentially an entire range of new skills and practices.

1. Writing - I deliberately chose to label this differently than "research." So for now, just ask yourself who the faculty members are who get their writing done. Whether they are writing articles, books, monographs, conference papers, or whatever other kind of writing that is necessary for their field - they produce. Make a list of those folks.
2. Travel - Depending on the work that you do, you may do a great deal of traveling for your scholarly activities or maybe you travel to conferences and other professional activities. Who have you noticed who seems to be an extremely productive academic traveller? They aren't crazed at the airport, they have their materials and documents handy, they have clothes that match once they get there, and...here's a big one, when they get back to the office, they re-enter with a sense of ease. That is someone to learn from!
3. Promotion/Tenure/Review - If you are a newer faculty member, you are going to want to pay attention to those people who seem to have a system for getting their documentation together for their promotion and tenure packet. However, even tenured faculty members go up for annual or merit reviews upon occasion, so see if you have someone in mind who seems to know how to keep everything in order so that when it is requested, they are not running around like a chicken with its head cut off (which is never very dignified or productive for a professor!)
4. Advising - Some faculty are not only excellent advisors, but they are productive in their advising. They have figured out how to best serve students, the department, and their own peace of mind by making sure that they have current information, correct documentation, systems for keeping tabs on students, etc. Determine who these folks are and write down their names.

So now you have this great list. What are you supposed to do? Systematically, take 2 names per month from your list and ask for a phone, email, or face to face meeting so that you can learn their secrets. They will be happy to share and honored that you noticed what you perceive as their excellence in productivity. This is time VERY well invested.

And for scores of sets of Productivity Tips for Professors like these, you're invited to join others around the globe who subscribe (free) to one of the Top Ten Productivity Tips series (info to be found at):

** http://TopTenProductivityTips.com

(c) 2010 Meggin McIntosh, Ph.D. | The Ph.D. of Productivity(tm) | http://www.meggin.com

Through her company, Emphasis on Excellence, Inc., Meggin McIntosh, Ph.D. works with smart people who want to consistently keep their emphasis on excellence.

Learning From Productive Faculty Members Who Manage Their Space, Time, and/or Life

Regardless of who we are, we can learn from other people. Sometimes those others are within close proximity (like when we learn from our own children or from our students) and other times, we can learn from people who are colleagues across campus or across the globe.

In this article, we will consider categories of productivity related to managing space, managing time, and managing life. Let me prompt you a bit to consider people you have observed who (at least seem to) know how to manage better than you do in these areas.

1. Workspace - Whether it is someone's office, lab, or other workspace, there are those who seem to be organized and productive in that space. Make note of a name or two here.
2. Family - Although it sometimes does not feel like it, an academic's life really does have parts in it other than work. Who do you know who at least appears to have their family life run in a productive manner? There may be kids involved or there may not be. You are trying to generate the names of professors (or others) who seem to have their work life in order AND they have their home life in productive order, too. Or, maybe it is someone whose worklife is in disarray but their home life has some parts that are quite productive...you can still learn from them, too.
3. Time - Is there a faculty colleague (in your department, college, or across the country) who never seems harried due to time? This person meets deadlines, doesn't seem ruffled by an overwhelming amount of work, and is seen calmly talking to students or other colleagues on occasion - without looking at his/her watch every two seconds. Write down the name of that person because there is something to learn there!
4. Health - We all know that if we let our health go, then our teaching, research, service, relationships, and everything else can go out the window pretty quickly. Yet....we often ignore our health and wellness. Who are some fellow faculty who seem to productively tend to their health without it becoming the primary focus of their lives?
5. Other - You can also choose one or more additional areas where you would like to learn ways to be more productive in your career as a professor. Figure out the category and then think of the people's names who represent productivity in those categories.

Once you have this list of 5 or 10 names, now what? Well, you could follow them around day in and day out, but that would get a little creepy. Instead, contact at least one of these people each month and ask for a face to face, email, or phone interview where you could learn some of their secrets for productivity in whatever area you have categorized them. I know from experience that they will gladly share their wisdom and will be honored and maybe humbled that you have asked.

And for scores of sets of Productivity Tips for Professors like these, you're invited to join others around the globe who subscribe (free) to one of the Top Ten Productivity Tips series (info to be found at):

** http://TopTenProductivityTips.com

(c) 2010 Meggin McIntosh, Ph.D. | The Ph.D. of Productivity(tm) | http://www.meggin.com

Through her company, Emphasis on Excellence, Inc., Meggin McIntosh, Ph.D. works with smart people who want to consistently keep their emphasis on excellence.