Self and Time Management - Dr. Markus Gyger

Self and Time Management in Science

Setting Goals and Managing Your Tasks

As a doctoral candidate, you see yourself confronted with high expectations from both yourself and your supervisor. To achieve a fine balance between these demands without endangering your health or your private life, self-organization and good time management are crucial.

Content and Goals

During the workshop, you will learn approaches and methods to help you succeed in this challenging task. The workshop consists of a balanced combination of theoretical input, practical exercises, and first-hand experience relayed by the trainer.

This training imparts basic techniques for a successful doctorate. You will learn:

To develop appropriate objectives and to divide complex tasks into manageable units;
To set priorities and focus on key tasks;
To monitor the progress of your work and to control your achievement of objectives;
To benefit from modern AI assistants to support and optimize your daily work processes.

Self and Time Management in the Age of AI

From Personal Values to Sustainable Productivity

nachhaltiges Selbst- und Zeitmanagement mit KI

Doctoral researchers work in an environment defined by complex projects, fierce competition, and the constant demand to stay current in a rapidly evolving research landscape. They face high expectations from supervisors, and in many cases even stronger pressure from their own ambitions and high standards. Achieving long-term productivity while protecting mental health and well-being is therefore a core aim of sustainable self- and time management. It goes far beyond scheduling techniques: what matters is clarifying values, making deliberate choices about time and energy, and developing strategies for real progress without sacrificing health. Here, artificial intelligence (AI) can serve as a helpful ally, offering new possibilities for reflection, structure, and decision-making.

Content and Objectives

The workshop is highly interactive, combining group exchange, guided self-reflection, and the practical application of artificial intelligence (AI), complemented by trainer input. You will actively engage in exercises that encourage you to analyze your own working habits, experiment with strategies, and learn from peer discussions while exploring how AI can serve as a helpful ally in structuring and clarifying your approaches.

In this workshop you will strengthen your ability to combine productivity with well-being. You will learn to:

clarify your motivation, values, and long-term goals,
prioritize tasks and structure your work more effectively,
apply strategies for self-reflection and self-regulation,
develop approaches to better cope with stress, pressure, and competing demands,
use AI as a supportive ally for reflection, organization, and decision-making.

To make full use of the exercises, participants should ensure they have access to an AI platform throughout the workshop (for example, via institutional access or free platforms).

Procrastination and Mental Health

Strategies for More Effective Self-Management and Well-Being

Procrastination is a very common phenomenon in academia. However, most of the time it is more complex than it seems to be. The causes for our postponement behavior are often hidden deep in our psyche. To deal with them, we must become aware of our own individual reasons and face the underlying problems and fears.

Content and Goals

The training consists of individual work and a live online workshop. In the individual exercises, you will reflect on the reasons and the nature of your own procrastination. In the online workshop, we will first discuss theories and background information, and then develop ideas and approaches for dealing with procrastination.

This training will help you increase your work efficiency. You will:

Understand common causes for procrastination.
Reflect on the reasons for your postponement behavior.
Develop strategies for avoiding procrastination.

Getting Started With Your PhD

Managing Your PhD Project and Your Supervisor

As a doctoral candidate, you find yourself confronted with high expectations from both yourself and your supervisor. To achieve a fine balance between these demands without endangering your health or private life, self-organization and good time management are crucial.

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Content and Goals

This training imparts basic techniques for a successful doctorate. You will learn:

To clarify the mutual expectations between you and your supervisor.
To develop appropriate objectives and to divide complex tasks into manageable units.
To set priorities and focus on key tasks.
To monitor the progress of your work and control your achievement of objectives.