Discussion Thread

  • 1.  Work-Life Alignment

    Posted 08-14-2020 01:36 PM
    During these challenging times, balancing work and life has been especially challenging. We've put together these resources to help you. Please use this space to ask any questions you have about aligning your work with your life.

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    Tirza Austin
    Manager, Online Community
    American Society of Civil Engineers
    1801 Alexander Bell Drive
    Reston, VA 20191
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  • 2.  RE: Work-Life Alignment

    Posted 08-19-2020 07:55 PM
    @Kenneth Mika ​wrote the following tip in his blog post: "Try to learn early on what tasks do require immediate attention and what tasks don't. Create a matrix to determine tasks that need to be done first (important tasks to be done the same day); scheduled tasks (important but not urgent); tasks that can be delegated (those that are urgent but which others can do – great for coaching and mentoring younger professionals); and tasks that are neither urgent nor important (if the task is not urgent or important, why do it?)." 

    Ken - can you expand upon how you have kept track of your living document of tasks? And for anyone else reading this - What do you use to keep track of your tasks? Is it digital or paper or a mix of both? 



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    Danielle Schroeder EIT, A.M.ASCE (She/her)
    Associate Engineer
    Pennoni Associates
    Philadelphia PA
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  • 3.  RE: Work-Life Alignment

    Posted 08-20-2020 12:21 PM
    @Danielle Schroeder,  ​I use Microsoft OneNote so I can easily take my notes with me home or when I am traveling. I have set up a Section and Page called "To Do." I try to update this at a minimum of once per week or during busy weeks, once per day to set the day's tasks. On the "To Do" page, I set up a quadrant area with two columns as "Urgent" and "Not Urgent" and two rows as "Important" and "Less Important". Then I label the following squares "Urgent-Important" as Do First, "Not Urgent-Important" as Scheduled Activity, "Urgent-Less Important" as Delegate, and then "Not Urgent-Less Important" as Do Not Do. Activities can move throughout the quadrant as their dynamics change.

    Below is an example of what I am using.


    I would happy to discuss this approach more with anyone who is interested.

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    Kenneth Mika, PE M.ASCE

    Geosyntec Consultants, Inc.
    (920) 393-8484
    kmika@...
    Green Bay, WI
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  • 4.  RE: Work-Life Alignment

    Posted 09-22-2020 08:24 AM
    Thanks @Kenneth Mika! This is a great and practical example of the  Eisenhower Matrix in action in the engineering field!

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    Danielle Schroeder EIT, A.M.ASCE (She/her)
    Associate Engineer
    Pennoni Associates
    Philadelphia PA
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