Get Control of the 'Tasks' that plague our Minds

Presented by Dr Adrian West, facilitated by Sophie Brown, Company of Mind

“It is not enough to be busy, the question is: what are we busy about?”

Henry David Thoreau

Overwhelmed by all the "stuff" you have to cope with? (Supervisors, meetings, deciding on research, reading, networking, doing-work, teaching...and normal life too).

Welcome to academia! And on the positive side, there’s the opportunity to find and develop effective capacities for coping with stress and task overload.

At undergraduate, the timetable is provided for you (as indeed it is in many workplaces). But at postgraduate, you are responsible for everything yourself, which is a big step. And if you get a lecturing appointment, the load will definitely increase dramatically. Yet the image of someone with a Doctorate is of a person who can cope with all of this very well. If you think you have work to do in that regard, then how are you going to acquire that capability between now and when you graduate?

In this series of three online events we'll learn tools to organise our minds for research (and life). You can then put the tools you find most helpful into practice during postgraduate study to gain that capacity – and in doing so, be well positioned to help people you'll be managing too.

Step 1: Get Control of the 'Tasks' that plague our Minds

Overcoming the analysis paralysis of too many things to do.

Step 2: Get Control of Research Literature and Information

There’s too much to read and take in - and then things slips out of our minds anyway.

Step 3: Get Control of Life's Projects

What should we be doing in any case? And how do we make it do-able?

Sessions are as follows: You don't have to attend all three (***see below)

Step 1 – Get Control of the 'Tasks' that Plague our Minds - Online workshop on Tuesday, 13 April 10:00 - 12:30 hours (UK Time)

Please complete a short registration form here to register for this session!

If we’re overwhelmed and distracted by all the daily calls on our attention, no bigger plans or ideas will get a look in. So we need to master this first, or there’s no hope. We'll use the well-known approach by David Allan for this, so you can get support from others trying that out, over time.

Comments

“I can honestly say, without exaggerating that your events were not only beneficial, enjoyable and interesting, but life-changing at the same time - “Getting organised” was the best one for me, helping me narrow down the process of thinking too much towards having simple doable actions that are manageable and can be achieved in daily life, is such a life changing way of perceiving things. I have noticed a real change in my attitude because of the practicality shown during the workshop.” Imane Ghezal, PhD Researcher

Upcoming! Step 2 – Get Control of Research Literature and Information - Online workshop on Tuesday, 20 April -10:00 - 12:30 hours (UK Time)

Upcoming! Step 3 – Get Control of Life's Projects - Online workshop on Tuesday, 27 April -10:00 - 12:30 hours (UK Time)

***Structure

You can attend any one session by itself, and gain benefit. Hence, even though this is a series, our intention is that each event will stand alone, so you don't have to attend all three, although you are very welcome to.

If you attended our "Practical Thinking for Researchers" or "Working with Difficult People" series, then "Getting Organised for Research (and Life)" is complementary to those worlds too.

Comments: “I attended two events with Company of Mind, and found them to be excellent. Both facilitators were approachable and ready to engage in conversations to clarify points and to extend the conversations. The tools and information shared were really useful.” Terry Kana, Researcher

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Facilitators

Dr Adrian West co-founded the shared virtual reality research group at The University of Manchester. He has held UK and EU research grants, leading both Technology and Psychology contributions, and has also been an expert reviewer in technology for the European Commission. He went on to lead a team of engineers at a U.S. Venture capital funded technology company which was sold off to IBM in 2008. Adrian has been Research Director for The Edward de Bono Foundation which specialises in thinking as a skill and has inspired over 200 cross-discipline innovation teams in academia and industry. His research interest in perception and thinking developed into Company of Mind, which facilitates thinking skills for corporations, Government bodies, and Universities. He is routinely voted best Lecturer by technology students, and by business leaders when he presents on innovation and thinking skills. Adrian's most unusual job has been Chauffeur to, someone he would regard, as the world’s most impressive conflict resolution expert.

Sophie Brown – Adrian is joined by Sophie who co-founded Company of Mind, and held the position of Creative Director at the Edward de Bono Foundation UK. Sophie studied Fine Art at Edinburgh, before moving to larger canvases of Landscape Architecture designing environments, facilitating community involvement and running construction contracts across the North West. She co-designs and facilitates Company of Mind programmes, and develops graphics and techniques for the Canvas of the Mind in the thinking and facilitation arena. She is a contributing co-author of “Business Model You” (ranked #1 in business start up books by The Independent) and “Business Models for Teams” 2017.

Registrations are closed

Getting Organised for Research (and Life) by Company of Mind, Step 1