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  • CAREER COLUMN

Six easy ways to manage your time better

The amount and quality of what you achieve are crucially dependent on how effectively you manage your time. Andrew C. Johnson and John Sumpter propose some simple steps that scientists can take to improve their time management.
  1. Andrew C. Johnson

    1. Andrew C. Johnson is an author of How to Be a Better Scientist.

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  2. John Sumpter

    1. John Sumpter is an author of How to Be a Better Scientist.

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Scientists are often passionate about their research, and frequently work long hours. However, it is not necessary to become a workaholic to be a good scientist. If you attempt to accomplish too many tasks simultaneously, the most likely outcome is that you will be overwhelmed in the forlorn hope of ‘catching up’. Here is some advice on how to better manage your time as a scientist, based on our experience as scientists and supervisors.

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doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-019-00973-6

This is an article from the Nature Careers Community, a place for Nature readers to share their professional experiences and advice. Guest posts are encouraged. You can get in touch with the editor at naturecareerseditor@nature.com.

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