ABSTRACT
Organizing experts advise people with overflowing closets that they cannot buy any new clothes without finding an equal number of items to discard. Language and tone make an important difference when saying “no” to requests. Academia is full of conscientious people who got through undergraduate and graduate programs by giving their all to everything that they did. Teaching can easily expand to fill the time available. The most common solution is to do all the teaching prep and office hours on the days that we teach, with other days designated for writing, research, and meetings. Research on multitasking confirms that people accomplish more when people do one task at a time. A mission is a very large achievement that has a long-term timeline and encompasses first-order goals. This chapter outlines a number of approaches for how to have more time.
