Feeling overwhelmed by competing demands, an overflowing to-do list, or the sense that you're constantly reacting rather than making progress on what matters most? This session will help you step back and examine how you're spending your time. You’ll be introduced to evidence-informed approaches to prioritisation, planning and motivation that can help you make more intentional use of your time. Through reflection and practical exercises, you'll identify opportunities to create space for activities that contribute to your longer-term goals whilst managing day-to-day responsibilities. We'll challenge the idea that being busy is the same as being productive and consider how to spend more time on activities that support your goals, aspirations and wellbeing.

By the end of this session, you'll be able to

1. Review how your current use of time reflects your priorities.
2. Use practical techniques to estimate, prioritise and schedule work more effectively.
3. Protect your time by making intentional decisions about new commitments.
4. Estimate and schedule work more realistically.
5. Clarify your priorities and align your activities accordingly.

Audience

This session is designed for anyone involved in research or supporting research or research staff development. This includes:

• Research Assistants
• Postdocs
• Research Fellows
• Teaching Fellows
• Academic Education Pathway (AEP)
• Technicians
• Research Associates
• PIs/Managers of Research Staff
• Researcher Developers
• Careers Advisors
• HR specialists

The Festival

This session is part of the National 10 Development Days Festival 2026. Created by King's College London in partnership with 14 UK higher education institutions, this national festival celebrates the minimum 10 professional development days available to research staff under the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers. Join the conversation using #10DevDaysFest.

Accessibility

The Festival aims to provide an inclusive environment for everyone who attends our events to enable participation for all. If you have any special requirements such as alternative communication/ presentation access needs, please let us know at the point of registration.