Taming My Chaotic Mind

How to keep Up with the chaos

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Redditors Notes

Student Days

Advice from Reddit postings of random hero Redditors facing the same issues as grad school students: (When you’re a student, you are your own boss).

1. Focus on deliverables: Set concrete tasks (deliverables) to complete each day to stay on track.

2. Batch errands: cram as many as possible together / minimize obligations at all costs

   • Group errands (laundry, emails, etc.) into a single day to minimize wasted energy.

3. “Hard” days: most productive / crucial

   • Sleep well the night before it.
   • Dedicate uninterrupted time for demanding tasks (writing papers, proving theorems).
   • Hack together a project / part of code / model design / experiment for solving the problem on hand.
   • Work until a checkpoint is reached to avoid losing progress.

4. “Normal” days:

   • Schedule tasks that require less focus (coding, reporting, writing results, meetings).
   • Tasks you know how to do, but “just have to get it done”.

5. “Relaxing” days: Just as the word, emphasize Relaxing

   • Dedicate time for leisure activities (reading papers, socializing with colleagues).
     • i.e. sip some tea/coffee and read cool papers
     • socialize with the community and vibe it out.
   • Use this time to recharge and spark creativity.

6. “Off” days: Shutdown

   • Completely unplug and relax (video games, hobbies).

7. Schedule daily routines:

   • Allocate fixed time slots for exercise and leisure activities.

8. Manage motivation:

   • Prioritize tasks when motivated and switch to relaxing mode when lacking motivation.
   • Utilize “relaxing” days to recharge and maintain productivity.

9. Plan daily goals:

   • Set clear goals for the next day before going to bed.
   • Treat these goals as commitments you made to yourself.

10. Be deliberate:

    • Approach your day with intention:
      • At the beginning of the day set a “theme of the day” from the examples mentioned above.
    • Evaluate each activity before starting and write it down for accountability.

• Remember: Enjoy the flexibility of early career and set your own pace. However, prioritize deliberate action and motivation management for long-term success.

Transitioning to Industry:

In the industry, expect a shift in your day-to-day:

• Focus on supervisor’s priorities: While your own goals and capabilities remain important, your supervisor’s expectations become a critical factor (sometimes aligning, sometimes not, with your own priorities).
• Balance efficiency and progress: Be prepared to churn out tasks efficiently while demonstrating significant progress on projects at any given moment.
• Master time management: Industry demands promptness with communication and other seemingly small tasks, requiring strong time management skills.

In essence, industry life often becomes a dance between “what needs to be done now?” and “what your brain is capable of today?” add “what my boss/supervisor wants you to do” to the mix… which sometimes, but not quite often, aligns with your first and/or second one.

Don’t overthink it - find a balance and keep moving forward.

Resources

• Redditors comments on the following post:
  • r/Machine Learning : how do you structure your workloads