Professors - Preparing For Egress and Ingress

By Meggin McIntosh

No matter what kind of job or life you have, sometimes your day-to-day situation changes. As a professor, your work involves numerous travel opportunities, research collaborations, conferences, sabbaticals, and the like--all of which affect YOU and those around you. Is that an understatement, or what?!

This article is about wisely considering and preparing for those "planned" changes, such as when you know:

1. You are going to be out for surgery (your own or a family member's);
2. You are going to attend and/or present at a conference;
3. You are going to be out on vacation/annual leave.

Keep the following in mind as you planfully prepare for your egress (absence) and ingress (return).

Egress: Preparing for an absence:

• Consider the wear and tear on your body, mind, and soul when preparing to travel, getting ready to present at a conference, being out for surgery, etc. Don't head out the door already worn down to a nub. If you need to get extra sleep, go to the chiropractor, take a little bit of extra time with your family, or anything else that gets you ready to be 'out,' then plan to do so.
  
  
• Acknowledge the fact that your mail and email will continue to arrive while you aren't in your office to handle it. Set up structures for retrieving the email and mail so that it's "contained" when you return. If you are able to access email and voice mail while you're out, then do so to reduce the amount that's there when you get back. However, if you're out for surgery, then just make sure that someone else is monitoring and keeping everything 'handled' so you can focus on recuperating.

• Know that the way you plan for your final day before being out makes a huge difference to you and to others. Running around like a chicken with your head cut off is neither productive nor positive for you or anyone else. Notice the word PLAN in this suggestion. That's the key. It's not just another day--it's a unique day because of the extra preparation it takes right before you're out of the office for several days.
• Be thoughtful of yourself and of the people who will handle things in your absence. Give others as much information as they need to be able to assist while you're gone. People want to help you and will do so if you've provided the information and clear direction they need so that they can.
• Determine what, if any, access others will have to you when you are absent. Are you available or not? Decide and let others know.

Now, Ingress: Planning for returning after an absence:

• Recognize and acknowledge the wear and tear on your body, mind, and soul due to travel, interaction at a conference, presenting, being out sick, etc. Be wise about how you try to return. If you think you'll be able to be at full steam right away, it's unlikely you will. Give yourself the time you need to recover. Put a placeholder into your planner that says "Recover." It's the right term to use when you've been in the hospital or attending a conference for several days. You need to recover.
  
  
• Consider the fact that your mail and email have continued to arrive while you weren't in your office to keep up with it. The best of all worlds is if you can dedicate an entire day (your "recover" day) to moving through the email and mail that have come while you were out, but when that isn't realistic, given you life and work, then at least spend an additional 30" - 1 hour each day until you clear it out. Leaving it stacked up (literally or figuratively is not productive and feels quite "weighty").
  
  
• How you approach your first day on return can make a big difference to your time management-for a week or more, depending on how long you have been out. Avoid scheduling something first thing on the morning you return. It's nice to "ease" back into the routine and is actually far more productive.
  
  
• Know that others have been going along (and managing) while you were out. Give them recognition where it's needed and be respectful of others, e.g., not expecting anyone to drop what s/he is doing to try to get you back in the groove.
  
  
• Now, do what is reasonable to get back into the flow. Depending on how much time you were out, it may take an hour of extra time or it may take days. Notice the patterns so that you can plan even better in the future.

Consider these ideas so you can inject more sense (and less chaos) into the various egress and ingress scenarios that the 21st century professor experiences.

Keep moving forward on your goals for more peaceful productivity. Join others (worldwide) who receive Meggin's weekly emails (and see what is available for download at no cost at the following websites): **Top Ten Productivity Tips (http://www.TopTenProductivityTips.com) **Keys to Keeping Chaos at Bay (http://www.KeepingChaosatBay.com) (c) 2008 by Meggin McIntosh, Ph.D., "The Productivity Professor"(tm). Through her company, Emphasis on Excellence, Inc., Meggin McIntosh changes what people know, feel, dream, and do. Sound interesting? It is!