I’m working through some ideas on planning and project management for academics.

As someone who suffered through chronic pain, chronic fatigue, psoriasis-eczema-dermatitis, I have become keenly aware of 3 things that we believe are in infinite supply: energy, time and health.
I’ve said a lot of “yes” to things that I believe I will be healthy for, I will have the time and energy to do them.

Well, guess what? When I travel, I get super tired now. I’ve had to travel three times over the past 3 weeks. The result: I’m exhausted and behind on everything
I said “NO” to bidding on a project where I’m basically the most qualified scholar to do the project.

I said “NO” to teaching a class I’ve perfected over the years, one where I already have the slides and reading packet prepared.

Why? I have limited time and energy.
I’m literally barely getting through the massive number of “yes” I said (when I had the energy, health and time to do them), and feeling anxious about this made me realize that one of the best ways to teach project management is to showcase when something didn’t go well.
Generally speaking I’m almost always in control of my agenda and my projects. It’s when I say “yes” to something without consulting first with my overall global planning scheme that I screw up.

Even my mother noticed: “but... you’re always so organized!”

Well, yes Mom except
... when I let something slide.

What I tell everyone who attends my workshops on planning and project management:

The time you spend planning is super important and will prove invaluable when you’re confronted with feelings of overwhelm.

Now if I could synthesize my learning
I would say, from my experience:

- say “yes” to projects that you’re 100% certain you have the time, energy and health to do.

- frequently and systematically monitor yourself so you can detect when you no longer have time, energy or health to do something you committed to.
- generally speaking, assume EVERYTHING will take 2-3 times longer than you originally planned.

- always (if you can, of course) insert “buffers” onto your calendar — blocks of time that will allow you to rest in between activities.

- saying “NO” is healthy and ok.
And perhaps the most useful lesson I have learned:

- saying “I am no longer able to do X, even though I had originally committed to do it. Sorry.” is ok.

Obviously it helps if you help find a replacement, but it’s also healthy to admit you have ran out of time and energy.
NEW BLOG POST: Time, energy and health: Three considerations for academic commitment and project planning raulpacheco.org/2021/06/time-e…

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More from @raulpacheco

1 Jun
My query on causality and explanations has several strands to it.

1) if “explaining” means “making things clearer”, not all explanations are causal (others can be interpretive or definitional)

2) If “explaining” means “giving reasons for X to happen”, we are naturally making
... a causal argument.

“What explains the origins of conflict?” is a question that has causal language. However, conflict can be caused by multiple, concomitant factors. What explains that some factors are more relevant in certain cases and others are not could be causal or not
3) There are explanations that describe, interpret, define or qualify phenomena. These aren’t necessarily causal.

What I want to make clear, though, is that yes, I like causal explanations but I think “explaining something” is definitely MUCH broad-ranging than just causation.
Read 4 tweets
28 May
I have a confession to make: I, the King of Early Morning Writing and Master of “Reading is Writing”, have not been able to wake up early to write this week. I’ve also been feeling guilty about reading and NOT writing (or grading, in my case). I confess this to say, I’m human too Image
This is normal for me. I travelled twice this week to Mexico City, and given that I had not travelled for 15 months, I was (am) out of practice. I have decided to practice with myself what I practice with my colleagues and my students: be empathetic and compassionate.
So yes, this morning I'm going to read, annotate, and take some time to write (despite the fact that I'm basically about 3 hours late on my daily morning writing, I start at 4:30am). I'm definitely going to catch up on grading and other work, but FIRST SOME TIME FOR MYSELF.
Read 5 tweets
25 May
Si checan la página principal de @FlacsoMx verán que tenemos 3 #ConversacionesMetodológicas programadas en las próximas semanas: flacso.edu.mx

1) Etnografía del trabajo de cuidado con @anapggarza (modera @raulpacheco)
2) Interpretación de encuestas electorales con @ArturoErdely (modera @salazar_elena)

3) Etnografía de élites con @HugoCA15 (modera @matorrew)

El ciclo de #ConversacionesMetodológicas que organiza el Laboratorio de Métodos #LabdeM está diseñado para estimular discusión.
Una de las áreas en las que el Laboratorio de Métodos #LabdeM (que coordina @salazar_elena, y al que estoy afiliado yo) está poniendo muchísimo énfasis es en la formación de cuadros , en la provisión de herramientas metodológicas, y en discusiones profundas sobre los métodos.
Read 4 tweets
25 May
HILO SOBRE MÉTODOS COMPARADOS:

El semestre Otoño 2020 impartí en el CIDE un seminario doctoral sobre Métodos Comparados. En ese seminario tuve que combinar tanto Diseño de Investigación como Métodos Cualitativos y Métodos Comparados (la verdad, el curso me quedó increíble).
Algo que me parece importante resaltar es que el diseño de investigación con perspectiva comparada requiere de una visión muy específica.

Qué obtienen ustedes de comparar casos en lugar de estudiar solamente uno? Cuál es el aprendizaje? Qué es lo que están tratando de explicar?
El tipo de trabajo comparativo que yo hago trata de explicar la variación entre diseños y respuestas de política pública. Pero hay una gran diversidad de diseños de investigación comparativos que podemos utilizar. Por ejemplo

Qué explica que una ciudad implemente una política?
Read 4 tweets
23 May
En mis clases de Métodos Mixtos (Maestría y Doctorado), en @FlacsoMx siempre enfatizo la importancia de que todos los ejercicios en clase y extra-clase (talleres) sean aplicados al trabajo de tesis.

Un tema que ha estado saliendo recurrentemente es "cómo diseño la tesis?
Y la pregunta viene, obviamente, de los distintos momentos en la trayectoria del posgrado en la cual están mis estudiantes. Los de Maestría en Ciencias Sociales están terminando el primer año, igual los del Doctorado en Ciencias Sociales, PEEEERO están en distintas etapas.
Este fin de semana, en el delirium tremens de la vacuna (me dió escalofríos, un poco de temperatura, cuerpo cortado) se me ocurrió una idea de cómo puedo ayudar, tanto a quienes son mis tesistas como a quienes no lo son, al diseño de la tesis con una visión de Métodos Mixtos.
Read 11 tweets
19 May
Para mis estudiantes de #MetodosMixtos (maestría y doctorado): algunos/as de ustedes me preguntaron sobre Análisis de Redes Sociales (Social Network Analysis) como herramienta analítica potencial para sus tesis.

Estuve buscando algunas referencias básicas para ustedes.
El Wasserman y Faust es muy típico en la docencia e investigación sobre SNA.

cambridge.org/core/books/soc…

Mi colega y amiga Dra. Adriana Aguilar-Rodríguez (CentroGEO) me comenta que aprendió "un poco a la mala" con Pajek con este texto:

cambridge.org/core/books/exp…
Yo aprendí a hacer SNA usando Gephi - este es un tutorial muy rápido y sencillito noduslabs.com/courses/networ…

Ahora bien, creo que tanto en España como en Chile hay muy buena bibliografía en castellano sobre Análisis de Redes Sociales.

Y en @FlacsoMx tenemos a @GiseZarem experta!
Read 4 tweets

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