Time management is a problem faced by many research postgraduates. ‘Time gets away from us.’ they say. ‘Time catches up with us. Time runs out on us.’ But time is not a puppy playing games of hide and seek. Time is a constant ( at least at the macro world of classical physics in which research projects get written.

The problem I suggest to students is not time management but mind management because our minds

( and in this I include myself and most people I know) tend to act like a playful puppy that is easily distracted.

photo credit: Ubi Desperare Nescio

Our minds wander off into the highways and the byways of ideas and readings and experiments to do and conferences to attend and social chit chat etc etc and we lose focus on our research.

Bring the puppy back from wherever it has wandered off and make your mind sit and stay and focus on the task at hand and suddenly it feels as though time has expanded as each moment is used productively and effectively.