Academic Productivity and Sustainable Work Methods - Three workshops for doctoral students Autumn 2024
The School of Architecture and the Built Environment is pleased to offer a series of workshops for doctoral students from all KTH's schools wishing to enhance their skills in academic productivity, writing and sustainable working methods. During the autumn of 2024, three groups will be meeting for a series of three interconnected workshops to acquire useful tools in these areas, while sharing experiences of academic life with each other in an interactive learning environment.
In academia, we focus on the what, on the content of our work, but we sometimes forget to pay attention to our own work process or how we work, think, and act. However, those processes are important for finishing research projects and managing stress levels. Furthermore, as individuals, we often have a primary strategy or certain way of thinking and acting to deal with a variety of situations. Often, that main strategy works fine, but when we encounter new situations, we might need a greater variety of options. This workshop series is designed to provide you with new strategies applicable to academic work.
More specifically, you will learn productivity tools such as the 80/20 principle, focusing on the end product, and working in units, and apply them to your own work situation. These tools serve to reinforce each other, are easy to implement, and provide powerful impact. In connection to this, we will cover research based principles for prolific and enjoyable academic writing, and how to manage common writing obstacles. You will also learn about what causes stress in academia and various coping techniques, and tangible methods to address common academic obstacles like perfectionism and procrastination.
Workshops
First workshop: ”From efficiency to effectiveness”
It shifts the focus from the what to the how giving you strategies and practical techniques to finish your dissertation on time and feel good along the way. You will learn about new tools and apply these tools to your own work situation. You thus get a toolbox for increased academic effectiveness that many doctoral students have applied successfully to their own ac ademic work. The toolbox consists of research based approaches and proven techniques.
Second workshop: ”From perfectionism and procrastination to flow”
While we know (or heard) that academic writing can actually be highly rewarding many of us experience it as stressful and frustrating But here are proven strategies and tools to shift from writer’s block to writer’s flow. This workshop focuses explicitly on academic writing and common psychological aspects surrounding it. You will get access to a toolbox which helps you work more happily and productively, starting today. You will learn how to build writing habits and manage common psychological obstacles to academic writing, such as perfectionism and procrastination. You will also learn how to achieve a sense of continuous flow in your writing process.
Third workshop: ”Sustainable work methods”
It covers proven strategies and tools to shift from negative stress to positive stress For example, the demand control support model explains the causes of stress in the academic environment and helps you find a sustainable long term work method. It also covers helpful coping techniques for working in a high performance environment and how to set productive and healthy boundaries in the academic context.