I work remotely with a boss who seldom assigns actual tasks (more or less mentions things in passing) and very fluid deadlines. So, I spend a whole lot of time trying to build my own structure into my workday. Unsure if any of this will be of use to you, but here's my take on it.
* Set the alarm clock, get dressed, and have a place to work from - yes, you can slum on the couch and do stuff, but if you force yourself mentally to prepare yourself for a workday, then you will be ready for it
* Create projects and tasks. Plan what you want to do - Personally, I use Omnifocus to jot down projects, tasks, and deliverables. I schedule the tasks across the month and it reminds me when things are getting due. There's other GTD apps out there, so look around and see what does it for you.
* Emergent Task Tracking - I have a spreadsheet using the Emergent Task Tracking concept. I can look across the past day, week, month, etc and see where my time went.
Covey said it best: "begin with the end in mind." Visualize what you want to accomplish over the Summer. Best case scenario. Write it down. Now, break it down to component parts- x number of papers read a week, y number of regressions, z amount of programs, code, documentation, notes, etc. Put numbers around it. Schedule those into tasks and get started.
But, take some time out everyday to enjoy the summer. perhaps you can get away with 4 hours a day instead of a full eight. Tweak it until it works for you.
I work remotely with a boss who seldom assigns actual tasks (more or less mentions things in passing) and very fluid deadlines. So, I spend a whole lot of time trying to build my own structure into my workday. Unsure if any of this will be of use to you, but here's my take on it.
* Set the alarm clock, get dressed, and have a place to work from - yes, you can slum on the couch and do stuff, but if you force yourself mentally to prepare yourself for a workday, then you will be ready for it
* Create projects and tasks. Plan what you want to do - Personally, I use Omnifocus to jot down projects, tasks, and deliverables. I schedule the tasks across the month and it reminds me when things are getting due. There's other GTD apps out there, so look around and see what does it for you.
* Emergent Task Tracking - I have a spreadsheet using the Emergent Task Tracking concept. I can look across the past day, week, month, etc and see where my time went.
Covey said it best: "begin with the end in mind." Visualize what you want to accomplish over the Summer. Best case scenario. Write it down. Now, break it down to component parts- x number of papers read a week, y number of regressions, z amount of programs, code, documentation, notes, etc. Put numbers around it. Schedule those into tasks and get started.
But, take some time out everyday to enjoy the summer. perhaps you can get away with 4 hours a day instead of a full eight. Tweak it until it works for you.
best of luck!
Awesome advice! Thank you, I'll try to apply a lot of those! :)