Where Is Your Time Actually Going

Last week, you named the career you are actually trying to build.

This week it’s time to see whether your daily focus matches the goal.

Spoiler: for most PhDs, it does not.

Once again, the mismatch is not a moral failure. It is a structural problem visited on an invidual. But it will definitely derail you if you don’t confront it!

To be honest, I hate this sort of thing, but I think there is a value in it so I am going to recommend a time-and-energy audit. (Note: I hate it because it is hard for my particular brain to keep track of this sort of thing, so if you are the same, find your version and do your best!)  It’s one week; don’t try to make it a perfect week that looks good!

Here’s how:

1. List everything you did last week that took more than ~15 minutes.
   Teaching, meetings, grading, admin, writing, email, domestic labor, emotional labor, side gigs. ALL OF IT.
2. Next to each item, mark:
   • A = advances the career you named last week
   • N = neutral
   • D = actively drains time/energy without advancing your goals
3. Note:
   • the top 3 drains
   • the top 2 things that actually moved you forward

That’s it.

Why Do This Annoying Thing?

PhDs are trained to believe that if they just “manage time better,” things will work out. I don’t think that’s true. I see careers stagnate not from poor discipline, but structural misalignment. In other words, saying yes to things that are someone else’s priority.

If you do not name where your time is actually going, you will keep feeling behind and blaming yourself. And if you are anything like too many academics I know, you’ll pile on that blame by be haranguing yourself to “get more organized!”

This audit replaces shame and blame with data, which can actually be useful! So do your best with whatever way your brain works to get a sense of where your energy is directed, and when you’re done, ask yourself:

• How much protected time am I spending on the career I said I want?
• If not, what is consistently crowding it out?
• Is this misalignment temporary or chronic?