Question for those who are already attending

[Chiqui74]

What does your typical day look like?  How do you manage your time?  Bonus if you have a family, but not necessary.

[music]

Relatively typical would be:

 

6am: wake up, emails, social media

7-10am: reading (humanities student)

10-12pm: gym

12-1pm: lunch

1.30-4.30pm: class

4.30-6pm: writing/reading

6-7pm: dinner

7-10pm: yoga, chilling out, emails, maybe a social event, but no work

 

My goal is to work "normal" hours, or equivalent, so that when I do have a family (starting with my hubby moving here in August) my schedule will allow for family time which aligns with his hours. I'm not someone who has a desire to work all hours of the day and night, and as you see I place a high priority on physical and mental health

[Bleep_Bloop]

I don't have a family, I'm single, and in my first year as a humanities PhD student.

 

Typical weekday:

 

8:00 Wake up

9:00-12:30 Reading/Writing

12:30-1:30 Lunch

1:30-4:30 Class

4:30-5:30 Exercise

5:30-7:30 Dinner, Relax

7:30-12:00 Reading/Writing

 

Typical weekend:

8:00 Wake up

9:00-12:00 chores, errands

12:00-1:00 Lunch

1:00-5:30 Reading/Writing

5:30-6:30 Exercise

6:30-11:00 Dinner then drinks, movie, social event, etc.

[maelia8]

I have two roommates and a boyfriend who lives down the street, and I'm also in my first year at a humanities program.

 

8:00 wake up

 

9:00-12:00 either:

 

1) head to campus and do reading and send emails, busy work, administrative stuff

2) (once a week) go grocery shopping and clean my apartment

3) part time job two days a week

 

12:00-1:00 lunch

 

1:00-4:00 class (two days per week) or writing/hard brain work in the campus library

 

5:00-7:00 work out two days per week, otherwise go home and make dinner at 6 

 

8:00-11:00 reading or hanging out at my boyfriend's place (two or three nights per week)

 

On the weekend I wake up at 9 and don't head in to campus until after lunch (if I'm going in to campus). On one of the two weekend days I like to spend the afternoon outside since the weather is so nice, but I usually do at least 4 hours of work either in the morning or afternoon. In the evening I go out or hang out with friends one night (Friday or Saturday) and on Sunday night I prep everything for the upcoming week.

[autumn]

This is a great idea; very excited to see the responses.

 

My question is... for those of you who attend classes AND teach, what is your typical schedule like with teaching, prep, grading, office hours, etc.?

[TakeruK]

I am married but no children. My spouse is not a student but works on campus. My daily routine is something like this:

 

Weekdays

7AM -- wake up / morning routine

8AM -- arrive at work (I match my work schedule to my spouse's)

8AM to 5PM -- my workday (I take an hour off for lunch, usually noon-1pm; see notes below)

After 5PM -- go to the gym a few days of the week, but usually make dinner, do dishes/chores etc. -- sometimes social things like dinner with people

8PM to 11PM -- generally free time where I might play games, watch TV, and do some work (I usually do my volunteering work, or homework, or grading in the evenings, but will rarely do actual work too, as needed).

11 PM -- go to bed!

 

My weekends are unstructured but I generally do not work at all and do chores (laundry, get groceries), run errands (go to the bank, etc.) and do social things with our friends

 

My "workday" varies a lot depends the quarter. I was fortunate enough to schedule it so that during my PhD program, I never have to teach and take classes at the same time! When I was taking classes, my work-week was something like 10 hours in classes, 30 hours of research (and probably 15 hours on homework but mostly outside of the workday). When I was teaching, it was about 10 hours per week on TA face-time and prep (attending lectures, office hours, preparation), 30 hours of research, and maybe 5-ish hours per week for grading (but this is done at home). Now I just spend all my time on "research".

 

When I say "research", I include things like reading/writing emails to collaborators/supervisor, reading papers, writing code, running analyses, attending seminars, etc.

 

Finally, when there are hard deadlines (grant proposals, telescope proposals), I do work a lot more. I might come home only between 5PM to 7PM in order to make dinner (I do almost all the cooking in my family), eat it, clean up, and then I'm back at work until 11PM or so. Once in awhile, I push myself and work until 1AM or 2AM, but I often find that although I might get a little bit more done in the extra 2 hours, my body can't really handle it and I lose much more than 2 hours of productivity on the next day. Sadly, I'm not as resilient as I was in undergrad!! And, since I am an observational astronomer, I also have a few night shifts where I observe on the telescope all night (generally 8PM to 8AM). This happens on average once per month and I adjust my work schedule that week to accommodate the shift but it does throw a few things off.

[GeoDUDE!]

I'm a 3rd year graduate student in Earth Sciences (2 year masters 1 year PhD).

 

8am - Wake Up/Eat/Shower

9am - Arrive at Work

9:15 - Noon: Reading Email, Reading Articles, Going over problems from day/night before

Noon - 12:30pm:lunch !

12:30 - 5pm: Research/Meetings/Committee Stuff - Things I need to be in the office for

5pm - 10pm: Dinner, Happy Hour, Video Games, Tv ect (this is a 5 hour period where I can do what I want every day)

10pm - 2am : This is my most productive 4 hours. This is where I soley do writing or coding. The morning after is used to fix problems from the night before, this time is completely intended for NEW work that I produce. Be it setting up an algorithm, fixing some math, or even working on a manuscript/talk/poster. 

2am - 8am: Sleep 

 

So as you can see I do a lot of work during the week. On the weekend I do 5 hours a day. so doing the math I typically get about 10-12 hours of production a day, + 10 hours on the weekends so anywhere between 60-70 hours a week. I think this is a bit accessive to be honest, I could probably graduate doing half that amount of work. Sometimes I'm less productive. There probably will be a time when 60 hours a week will be too much, and i'll go down to 40. When I'm dating, reduce that time by about 15 hours a week. I'll still work on weekends (sometimes more) but my nights tend not be as productive and things have to get shifted around. 

Edited April 18, 2015 by GeoDUDE!

[Cheshire_Cat]

Are grad classes typically in the afternoon?

[GeoDUDE!]

It depends.

[TakeruK]

Are grad classes typically in the afternoon?

 

At my last program, grad classes time are determined on the first day of the term, where the students and prof decide together when the class takes place. At my current program, some departments do it this way but others just depends on the professor's preference. Overall, class times between 1pm and 4pm are the most popular, and second place is the 10am to noon slot. No one wants an early or late class

[autumn]

The majority of my classes are 3-6pm.

[bsharpe269]

The majority of my class are between 9 and noon

[victorydance]

The majority of my class are between 9 and noon

 

I would so prefer that. My most productive hours are 1-5. 

[Sigaba]

10pm - 2am : This is my most productive 6 hours. This is where I soley do writing or coding. The morning after is used to fix problems from the night before, this time is completely intended for NEW work that I produce. Be it setting up an algorithm, fixing some math, or even working on a manuscript/talk/poster. 

FWIW, I did my outside field in educational cognitive psychology. I studied under a professor who focused on how experts acquire their cutting edge knowledge.

A key finding in the field is that "directed practice" is crucial to skill development. That is, of the 10+ hours a day a world class gymnast spends practicing, it's the two to three hours of "perfect practice" a day that make the difference in her development.

Geo dude has a process in place where he knows when to be especially focused and he does it a time when he's most effective.

My point here is that while benchmarking one's schedule has its merits, it also has limits given the range of individual differences that can shape learning styles.

IRT history, I recommend that the emphasis be placed on objectives and processes with the day to day schedule a matter of tertiary importance. (Granted, this is easy for me to say. I am an insomniac.)

[Cheshire_Cat]

I am really bad at keeping a schedule.  I mean, if I have a hard time commitment, then I am sure to be there, but right now at work I can be in anywhere between 6:30 and 9:30, and the time I get in varies daily.

 

I really want to be able to take a nap during the middle of the day though, so I'm hoping I don't have classes then.  I do best when I take a nap instead of working straight through the day.  I'll probably adjust my schedule to get a nap no matter when my classes are.

[RunnerGrad]

My classes have typically been 0900-1200; 1000-1300; 1200-1500; 1300-1600; 1300-1700; or 1400-1700.

 

I was only part-time this past year, due to recovery from a concussion and dealing with post-concussion syndrome.

 

On the days I had classes:

 

0500 - wake up

0530 - leave the house

0530-0630 - commute by car or train with husband

0630-0700 - commute by subway

0700-0745 - do physiotherapy exercise and whatever other exercise I was allowed at the gym

0745-0830 - shower, dry hair, put on make-up, etc.

0830-0900 - grab a tea, a bite to eat (usually a piece of fruit and a yogourt)

0900-1200 - class if I had a morning class that day; if no class, relax in the grad lounge and crochet (needed to stay off computers/tablets to let brain heal) or, if not caught up on readings, do readings with plenty of breaks; meet with group members if needed for group projects

1200-1300 - normally lunch, unless class time overlapped with this time (then lunch would be before or after)

 

Afternoons were different, depending on whether I had an afternoon class or not

 

If I had an afternoon class:

 

1300-1600 - class (or whatever time class started and ended at)

1600-1630 - subway commute

1630-1830 - commute by car with husband

1830-1930 - make and eat dinner

1930-2030 - relax and spend time with husband

2030-2100 - listen to book on tape (not allowed to read for pleasure to let brain heal)

2100 - go to bed

 

If I didn't have an afternoon class:

 

1345-1415 - physiotherapy

1430-1300 - subway commute

1300-1630 (approx) - commute by car back home with husband

1630-1730 - relax with husband

1730-1830 - make and eat dinner

1830-1930 - do readings in small chunks if needed, or work on assignments in small chunks if needed; if not, relax with husband

1930-2030 - relax and spend time with husband

2030-2100 - listent to book on tape

2100 - go to bed

 

Weekends, and the days I didn't have class, would be spent doing readings and working on assignments (in small chunks), Skype with group members if required for group projects, etc.

[MOR_embryo]

This is a great idea; very excited to see the responses.

 

My question is... for those of you who attend classes AND teach, what is your typical schedule like with teaching, prep, grading, office hours, etc.?

 

When I was teaching in first and second year, the schedule balance with research was pretty busy.

 

7:30 - 9:30 M/W/F - Core Class

 

9:30-10:30 break

 

10:30 - 4:30 teaching assistant

 

At 4:30, I had the option to either go home, call it a day, have free time, go to the gym. Whatever I wanted.

OR I could go in to lab, which was 30 minutes away on the turnpike, since the medical campus is separate from the main campus.

If I decided to go in, it would only be worth it to stay at least 3 or so hours, so I would get home pretty late. Home was also 30 minutes from lab. 

 

Tuesday and Thursday - Lab around 9am, sometimes class on main campus (30 minutes away) in the afternoon (sometimes at noon, sometimes at 3).

So tuesday and thursday would be lab, drive to main campus, then class until 6 or 7.

 

They have realized it was set up poorly and are trying to get some classes at the medical campus.

 

 

What I HAVE loved about graduate research is that my advisor is very lax about when I come in. On rare occasions I am in before 9 am, but I have often stayed until 9/10/12 at night. Things get done. Sometimes it's good to be there when everyone else is, sometimes it's best to work in peace and not worry about others being in the way. Either way, it's MY first author papers and MY thesis I'm working on (most of the time), so self-motivation is key. For grad school, you have to be in tune to the long-term reward. Delayed gratification is something to get used to (except for grades on tests n stuff).

I guess, in research, long-term gratification is something to get used to. Things take forever

[Marst]

I am surprised that you of all seem to be able to keep a schedule. I have a very hard time living a structured life. How about people who only have their research going on, no classes and no teaching? Are you also able to maintain a schedule? I have a lot of issues with maintaining anything resembling a schedule and could do with some tips!

[BiochemMom]

Mine is crazy because I commute 70 miles each way and my husband works nights so we don't have daycare which means I have to be home by 4 pm.

For my MS, I front loaded and took 12 credit hours and only did literature research and minimal lab work my first year.

Semesters with classes

Wake up at 3 AM

Arrive in campus at 5.

Do homework and study

Classes 9-12

Grade

Leave at 2.

Beginning summer after classes were over:

Wake up at 3am

Get to campus at 5

Run experiments until 2 with a break for lunch (teach 2x a week and grade while NMR was running)

Leave at 2.

Wash rinse repeat daily for two years. I just defended Friday and was unanimously approved. Now onto a phd program where thank god we'll be 3 miles away so I won't have to rush out every day at 2. I loved coming in early cause I got so much shit done before other people began trickling in at 9-10. I'm most likely going to continue early mornings for my phd. I love feeling so productive and having the lab to myself for hours when everyone else was staying late nights.

[Imaginary]

I get up between 6 AM and 7:30 AM depending on the day. I answer emails, get ready to go, get my child ready to go, and take my child to school. If I get up earlier, I read or write, particularly if something is due.

 

I get on the bus and go to the campus. I usually have class, so I spend a couple of hours reading or grading first. After class I have half an hour to an hour to grade or answer emails. I pick my kid up from school.

 

I usually work 1-2 hours in the evening on coursework or conference-paper writing/editing. Once my kid is in bed at about 8 PM, I spend anywhere from 1-2 hours on grading or schoolwork to 3-4 if I have a lot to do.

[TakeruK]

I am surprised that you of all seem to be able to keep a schedule. I have a very hard time living a structured life. How about people who only have their research going on, no classes and no teaching? Are you also able to maintain a schedule? I have a lot of issues with maintaining anything resembling a schedule and could do with some tips!

 

I'm in this category now, and yes I maintain a schedule (see my post above). I think it's especially important, for me, to keep a schedule when I don't have rigid structures like classes/TAing because it's easy to accidentally work too much or work too little! But I am a person that really likes schedule and structure so this works for me but might not work for you.

 

If you do want to keep a schedule and want tips, I would recommend getting into a routine. Setting a waking time and a bedtime and sticking to it is probably the first step. Then, I would use apps like Google Calendar or whatever your favourite apps is to block out time for certain tasks. For some people, they find it helpful if they can schedule all their meetings in one or two half-day blocks. You can evaluate your schedule by setting small goals for each week (or each day) and see if you can meet them--adjust your scheduling later if you find you need more/less time to achieve certain tasks.

 

I'm not saying everyone needs to have a schedule! But if you do, hope these tips help Personally, the biggest motivator for me to keep a schedule is so that I can get the work I need to get done during the day, which means I can relax and have free time in the evenings and weekends. 

[orangeglacier]

Lot of early morning people in this topic.  I generally wake up around 10 or 11, eat something, then work until evening from my bedroom, going to campus if I have a meeting with someone and taking a break to go for a run if I get restless with whatever I'm working on.

 

I keep a strict schedule of "I need to get this done on Tuesday" or "I need to work for a few hours on this on Wednesday" so that I get things done, and as long as I'm meeting my schedule, I can relax and play games or whatever with extra time without worrying about what I should be working on.

[VulpesZerda]

Lot of early morning people in this topic. I generally wake up around 10 or 11, eat something, then work until evening from my bedroom, going to campus if I have a meeting with someone and taking a break to go for a run if I get restless with whatever I'm working on.

I keep a strict schedule of "I need to get this done on Tuesday" or "I need to work for a few hours on this on Wednesday" so that I get things done, and as long as I'm meeting my schedule, I can relax and play games or whatever with extra time without worrying about what I should be working on.

This sounds more like me. I always feel ashamed about not being a morning person. My natural waking time this year is about 9:30 and I need about 8-9 hours of sleep. I always imagine eventually becoming that person who does yoga in front of the sunrise and then starts working nice and early. So far that hasn't happened...

[BiochemMom]

This sounds more like me. I always feel ashamed about not being a morning person. My natural waking time this year is about 9:30 and I need about 8-9 hours of sleep. I always imagine eventually becoming that person who does yoga in front of the sunrise and then starts working nice and early. So far that hasn't happened...

I naturally am a night owl but having a preschooler who has woken me up every morning at sunrise changed that slowly. Now I wake up easily in the am and spend my weekends bemoaning the fact I'm up at 5 instead of 10. And I can't stay awake past 8:30pm to save my life anymore. I feel old.

Edited April 22, 2015 by BiochemMom

[Threeboysmom]

I am married with three children ages 10, 7 and 5 and we homeschool.    I am only able to attend part time which means 2 classes/6 hours a semester. I am going to attempt 9 hours this fall because I am eager to get this portion of my education done so I can start my Ph.D.  My program is designed for working adults so all classes are in the evening. I am generally in class from 4-10 p.m. whenever my classes are scheduled.  So far I have been lucky that my classes have been scheduled on the same day so one at 4 the next at 7 on a Tuesday for example. This will not be the case forever but that's how it worked out my first year. I try to get up before my children and devote an hour or so to studying daily.  I study after they go to bed when the house is quiet at least I try. However most days when the children go to bed I am drained.  One day a week I don't study at all its a free day and then on the weekends I have to leave the house to get any studying done for  6 hours or so Sat and Sun.  

 

The studying has been easy maintaining a home cooking, cleaning, etc. has been almost impossible.  We are managing but its been difficult.