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Honing Your Management Abilities Along

THE Academia Life Roadmap

Advice & Resources for Multiple Career Management Skills

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Time Management

  • Time management is the #1 skill you should learn and improve upon so you can maximize your time. This is your most valuable resource in this career.

    • A PhD is a marathon, not a sprint; and your academic career is long and non-linear. So pace yourself and have fun with the process.

    • Start everything early and plan in advance; every project you work on will take longer than expected (and this extends beyond research projects).

    • Install a web browser extension (e.g., Google Scholar, Libkey Nomad) so that you can quickly find PDFs of articles quickly.

    • Generative AI can be useful (e.g., ChatGPT, Microsoft CoPilot), but reliance on it might diminish your ability to express yourself. Avoid simply copying AI suggestions and instead reflect on the improvements it suggests. This approach will help maintain your integrity as a researcher.

    • Use PDF management tools (e.g., Zotero, Mendeley) to organize your lit searches/reviews.

    • Use Loom (free for us as teachers) to record and send videos to collaborators.

  • Set clear goals:

    • Set short-term and long-term goals for yourself. Make task lists and set deadlines even when they aren’t externally imposed. Track your progress over time. And it’s okay if you don’t meet all of these goals and deadlines. Keep setting them and adapt as needed.​

    • Make goals based on inputs, not outputs (e.g., focus on effort since you can control effort but not what happens).

  • Manage your focus wisely:

    • Avoid the noise (see a few takeaways in Dr. Fadel Matta's PowerPoint).

    • ​Recognize that all tasks (even tedious ones) are part of the learning process, especially in early career stages. Try not to view any task you do as pointless, focus on what you can gain from it.

    • Avoid getting bogged down by social media, unnecessary breaks, and distractions during the workday. Leverage and/or create processes that work for you (e.g., Pomodoro sessions, writing groups, quiet office hours)

  • Capitalize on research opportunities and diminish time-sucks:

    • When it comes to research, think like Wayne Gretzky: “you miss 100% of the shots you do not take.”

    • ​Be skeptical of teaching/service "opportunities" that drain time and energy. Many of these will often be presented as “opportunities” and while they can be, they may not be worth the cost. Always. Be. Questioning.

    • Develop a tactful way to say no to tasks that don’t benefit you.

  • Manage your email wisely:

    • ​Avoid over-crafting emails and aim to reply in a timely manner. Keep communication clear and transparent to avoid delays in collaboration.

    • Use schedule send to make your emails arrive in others’ inboxes at certain times if it suits your goals (e.g., managing impressions, needing a response at a later date).
      ​

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Project Management

  • At the beginning of your PhD, focus more on learning about the research process instead of focusing on whether the project directly aligns with your research identity.

  • Manage research projects like an investment portfolio: balance risk, diversify, and progress papers through different stages.

  • Use project management tools to manage projects and research teams (e.g., Box, Dropbox, Google Drive, Slack).

  • Prioritize your focus:

    • Focus on completing manuscripts; completed work is more valuable than ideas alone. If you have an R&R and a data collection for new paper, focus on the R&R. If you have a paper you’re about to submit and a paper you’re just starting, focus on the paper you’re about to submit.

    • Too many projects can make you your own worst enemy; be selective and prioritize.

    • Focus on research over taking extra classes. You learn more by doing.

    • Do not prioritize admin tasks due to deadlines; prioritize research first.

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Mental Health Management

  • Be kind to yourself! What we do is fun, but it’s not life and death.

  • Find a balance that works for you:

    • Use Chris Winchester's Work-Life-Self Balance Tool.

    • Balance is unique to you and to the time of year and the time of your life. It will fluctuate and that’s okay. Find what works best for you in the long-term.​

    • Work-life balance should be a long-term goal.

    • Don’t feel guilty about taking breaks. This career is long and research shows that you will burnout if you don’t take breaks/care of yourself.

    • Life happens in tandem; expect setbacks. It’s okay for things to take longer than you initially thought.

    • Doctoral years are preparation for a long career so treat those years as such.

  • Find a therapist and create a support system from Day 1:

    • Go to therapy and take care of mental health from the get-go. Therapy is the norm and not the exception in this field.​

    • Take care of your mental health by seeking therapy or other forms of support. Having someone to talk to who understands academia but isn't directly part of your network can be very helpful.

    • Find people who will support you—both inside and outside of academia. Having friends who will love you regardless of your academic achievements helps keep you grounded.

    • It’s normal to feel bad, cry, and be down at times. Everyone has felt that way. Give yourself a little time to grieve and then get yourself back into gear because your next win is just around the corner.

  • Find activities to do outside of academia:

    • It's common for doctoral students to feel anxiety and stress. Everyone should find their own way to release pressure, whether it's through exercise, hobbies, sleep, or other means. A positive mindset is essential for enduring this journey.

    • Don't neglect exercise; it’s time well-spent.

    • Pursue a non-academic hobby from the get-go. It will provide a confidence boost and keep you from putting all your self-worth into academic success.​

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Relationship Management

  • Building relationships is critical, especially early on. This includes relationships with your advisor, with PhD students at all levels, with faculty at multiple universities, and with people outside of academia. The relationships you build as a PhD student can last a lifetime and impact your career.

  • Focus on building quality relationships as these will shape your entire career.

    • Complete the Mapping Your Network Ecosystem Exercise by Dr. Beth Campbell.

    • Where to form connections:

      • Join academic communities like DIGs within AOM and informal groups within and beyond your institution.

      • Conferences are key places to practice communicating your research and developing relationships from Year 1. Build informal relationships by breaking away from sessions at conferences for one-on-one meetings.

      • Get to know alumni from your program, who can become valuable parts of your academic network.

      • Be present and engaged within your program—attend lunches and informal discussions as these can be surprisingly productive. It’s also great from an impression management standpoint.

    • Form a diverse support network—no single advisor can meet all your needs. Be proactive in communicating and seeking out assistance from others.
    • You are going to experience people you don’t like in this career just as you would anywhere. Always be respectful (everyone in this field is just 1-2 connections removed at most from everyone else).​​

  • Advisor Relationships:

  • Collaborative Relationships:

    • Read Ravasi, D., Zhu, J., Wan, W., Dorobantu, S., & Gruber, M. 2024. What makes research collaborations successful? Advice from AMJ authors. Academy of Management Journal, 67(3), 583-594.

    • Choosing Collaborators:

      • Add collaborators who are motivated, especially junior faculty and students nearing the job market or tenure. On average, they tend to move papers along the fastest.

      • Choose research collaborators who are energizing, productive, and helpful; collaborations often last years.

      • Get to know collaborators before joining projects; evaluate work styles and availability.

      • Be selective with collaboration offers; focus on what aligns with your methodological and topic interests as well as your working style. Get advice from others before accepting a collaboration with someone as that will be a multi-year commitment.

      • Regardless of advisor involvement, actively seek out collaboration opportunities at conferences. You can learn more by working with additional scholars and people (e.g., job search committees) will eventually look to see how much research you have done without your advisor.

      • Collaborate with faculty or fellow students to execute ideas, as you’ll learn much from these early projects.

      • A good friend does not necessarily make a good co-author. Choose collaborators who are good people and whose work you admire.

    • Managing Collaborators:

      • Discuss and keep track of author order throughout the project. It may seem uncomfortable, especially as a rookie in the field, to discuss author order, but it’s a common discussion and an important one.

      • Be transparent and respectful in communication with collaborators; share workloads and expectations.

      • Talk to a variety of people about your research and your career. Everyone has different advice so gather all the data you can from people and then make your own decision.

  • Peer Relationships:

    • Be intentional about developing your scholar network, particularly at the peer level.

    • Invest in peer-level relationships (both at your institution and beyond) as much as possible; it helps emotionally and professionally. And it’s okay if that sounds scary; most of us are introverted nerds.

    • Reach out to folks on the AOM Student Community.

    • Utilize feedback from your cohort to enhance productivity and academic accountability.

    • Engage with others to provide frequent feedback on research ideas and methods.

    • Take a relational versus transactional approach with your peers.

    • Collaboration over competition makes everyone a better scholar. Everything will eventually sort itself out (even if it doesn’t feel that way right now).

    • Engage with senior students who have helpful tips and advice on navigating the program.

  • External Relationships:

    • Talk to people in business, academia, and tech to gain new insights. Keep up with social media thought leaders (e.g., via Twitter, Facebook, TikTok).

    • Find a life partner who is your true cheerleader; having an unsupportive partner can make navigating academia much harder.

    • Leverage connections with employees, leaders, and experts to access data for research projects.​

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Go to:

Developing Your Research Skills Along

The Research roadmap

Advice & Resources for Each Step of the Research Process

Developed by Chris Winchester & Beth Campbell with the help of 100+ wonderful colleagues in the field

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PhD

© 2025 The PhD GPS. All rights reserved. We do not own the rights to any of the work shared on this site. The advice/resources do not represent any institution, university, and/or person.

THE PhD GPS

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