Don't have time to read this blog? Then it's for you!

This Winter, ORDE conducted a needs assessment with our faculty at the Denver Campus and the Anschutz Medical Campus via a survey and interviews to better understand their top challenges around grant development.

One of the top challenges mentioned by faculty was the limited time they had to accomplish several important things: research, teaching, course development, grant development, committee-work, etc... sound familiar? And, in this mix, seeking funding sometimes was put off to do more urgent things, that is until funding became urgent.

In the new book Manage Your Day-To-Day: Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus, & Sharpen Your Creative Mind, edited by Jocelyn K. Glei, a variety of successful writers and other professionals share their time management and prioritization tips:

Do important/creative work first: So often, the first thing we do with our day is to check email, and although this is a simple task that can give us a small sense of accomplishment (ah, my inbox is clean again), it often means that we are spending our most productive and creative hours on a task that doesn't necessarily call for it.  Also, we're focusing on work that may feel urgent, but is perhaps not as important in the overall scheme of things. Instead, consider using your "best" hours on your most important work (and of course, in ORDE, we hope that includes some grant development :))

Establish a writing routine: Many great writers and thinkers establish a routine to train their minds to focus and get down to business with their important work. Stephen King begins work at the same general time each morning. He takes a vitamin, gets himself a cup of tea or water and sits at his same desk, with papers arranged the same way. Finding a place and time that you can be most productive and focused and replicating that daily or a few times a week can allow you to make great strides with your work.

Incorporate physical activity into your day: The Manage Your Day-To-Day book advocates for incorporating "renewal" into your day - taking breaks and changing activity to allow you to be the most productive.  Even mixing "mindless" tasks into your day can give your brain a break to process and digest your more  mindful work.  And, for an extra benefit, consider adding physical activity into your day.  A recent article in "Scientific American," by Professor Justin Rhodes describes some of the benefits of exercise for your brain and thinking.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=why-do-you-think-better-after-walk-exercise

Certainly, these tips are not earth shattering, but I think that they offer small ways that we can reflect on our work, routines, and habits to see where we can make small gains to save a little time, or, more importantly, spend our time more effectively.

I'd recommend this book; it is a quick read and offers thoughtful insights and recommendations from leaders who have really exploited the benefits.

Find more on the book here: http://99u.com/book/manage-your-day-to-day

If you are a faculty member of the University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus, we're happy to send you a copy of the book, simply email your request to naomi.nishi@ucdenver.edu.