Mastering Time Without Losing Your Mind - Smart Strategies for Energy, Focus and Digital Productivity

This presentation, “Mastering Time Without Losing Your Mind: Smart Strategies for Energy, Focus, and Digital Productivity,” was delivered at the IV International PhD Student Conference (University of Málaga, 2025). Drawing on 25 years of academic experience, the session challenges the conventional notion of time management, arguing that true productivity depends on managing attention, energy, and willpower—not time itself.

The presentation offers a practical framework for PhD students and academics to align their daily practices with their values and long-term goals, with a focus on sustainable achievement and personal well-being.

Key topics include:

• Why attention and energy management are more important than managing time for researchers.

• The dangers of multitasking and the importance of deep work and flow states.

• How to build atomic habits and systems that support sustained progress in research.

• Prioritization techniques, including the 80/20 principle, the Eisenhower Matrix, and the creation of “Not To Do” lists.

• Tools and strategies to automate repetitive tasks, eliminate digital friction, and optimize the physical and digital environment for focused work.

• The critical role of well-being, rest, exercise, and community in sustaining long-term productivity.

• Evidence-based methods for overcoming procrastination and burnout.