Qaecologist Posts

Senior Editor role at Journal of Ecology

Wed, 07 Apr 2021 17:08:16 +0000

I’m super excited to be joining the Senior Editor team at Journal of Ecology this month!

I absolutely love the journal (and the British Ecological Society more generally), so delighted to have the opportunity to contribute to the journal, our science and our wonderful community of plant ecologists in this way. Let the fun begin!

Journal of Ecology is very excited to announce that Jane Catford will be joining our Senior Editor team! Jane has been an Associate Editor with our journal since 2016 and we’re thrilled to see her take on this new role.

Here we interview Jane about her current research, favourite plant species, ideal fictional lab partner & dream superpower!

My top easy ways to use a to-do list or task manager

Mon, 15 Mar 2021 01:18:40 +0000

Do you find that you always forget ‘all of the things’ you need to do? – and people are getting fed up with you because of it?

Are you finding yourself overwhelmed – just because you need to keep all these things in your head?

Well, hold on to your seat, because I’ll let you in on the top easy ways I use to-do lists and task managers for greater productivity!

Task managers in a nutshell

What is a task manager … you say?

Well, a task manager is a fancy way to say a ‘to-do list’.

It is a repository for all your tasks (big or small) that may also be ordered by category and/or date.

There are multiple options for your task manager, and I will go through the pros and cons of each super quick.

Paper to-do lists:

The ancestor of the task manager, probably around since the Bronze Age (or whenever organized people evolved). While it has that great tactile feel, the paper to-do list can easily become obsolete if you keep forgetting your notebook at home/work/at your boyfriend’s place.

It also has limited capacity for categorization by topic and/or dates, and limited capacity for updating (remember: any task manager is a living, breathing system).

Digital methods:

The app I use as a daily task manager is called Todoist.

What I love about is that you can use natural language to create a task. For example, ‘Decide on new kitchen benchtops #HomeReno by Monday’ is automatically filed to my Home Reno project and scheduled for Monday. Genius!

There are plenty of other tools out there, such as Asana, Trello, and even Google Keep.

What I would recommend is have a quick glance at which would suit you better, jump in, sign up, and stick to one.

An example of my marketing tasks in Todoist – note, at the top, the exact task I am doing right now!

Make it the repository for ALL the things

My top tip is to use your system for all (or nearly all) of your tasks.

The system is really here to prevent you from using your brain as a storage container (‘Oh I need to book my hairdresser appointment in 6 weeks! Oh this grant is due in a week!).

If you only use the system for 40% of your tasks (let’s say, your work tasks), your brain will be still be freaked out trying to remember the remaining 60%.

Your brain won’t trust the system as being complete, and so, will try to remember things on its own AND blame the system when things go awry.

Remember: a system’s value increases exponentially with the amount of stuff you put in it. A system with nothing in it has ZERO value.

Update your task manager regularly

The next most evil thing besides an empty task manager is …. An outdated task manager.

Like everything in your life, your task manager needs regular upkeep and loving.

Make time (every Sunday night or Monday morning) to clear the system of outdated tasks, moved deadlines, or irrelevant shit.

This is also a very good way to trick your brain into feeling ‘in control’ (i.e. if it is in the task manager, it will get done!).

Make your system clean-out a fun and relaxing routine, for example by putting some music on and sipping a delicious cup of coffee.

My current weekly reset routine in Todoist

Use your task manager daily

I use my Todoist daily.

It is the first thing I open on my computer in the morning (before emails). This means that my daily priorities are set by myself (I mean, yesterday’s Lucie), instead of other people. Try it, it will change your life!

What I see in the morning is a neat list of tasks I need to do that day. When I’m feeling fancy, I also put my meetings in it. Or you can use a calendar to remind yourself of your appointments.

This list becomes a mini time-blocking strategy (esp. if I add how long each task takes).

Using the ‘board’ function (for you visual thinkers out there), you can also visualize your whole week with time blocks.

If you need more inspiration to set up your day for maximum success, you can also watch this quick video I made.

Use your task manager for repeat tasks

To me, one of the most fantastic uses of a task manager is to put repeatable tasks on auto-pilot.

Think of it … how many truly unique things do you do each month?

Probably not that many!

I use my task manager to list on-repeat personal and professional tasks such as:

Watering my plants (every 10 days)

Doing my bookkeeping on the 1^st of each month

Keeping up to date with my studies (weekly)

Going through my weekly ‘Project360’ method for each project I manage

Booking my dentist appointments (annually)

Imagine how great life would be if you never forgot to book your hairdresser, car services, or getting that birthday present.

Your peers would love you a whole lot more (now that you’ve stopped forgetting about everything you promised). And you would be a lot more beautiful and well kept!

Setting repeatable systems

OK, this is for the ninjas of the task manager users …

I call this …. The SYSTEMATIZER.

Imagine if you could streamline all the processes you repeat regularly (such as uploading blog posts, writing grant reports, or processing your uni expenses).

How much more efficient and faster would you be? You wouldn’t have to Google how to do it every time, that’s for sure.

Well, create a mini checklist for it in your task manager!

Let’s take the example of my bookkeeping. Each month, I do the same tasks (outlined below) and review the same types of expenses (office rent, office supplies etc.).

If I had to remember each category every time, I would lose so many receipts, and the ATO would be all over me.

Next time you complete a project that requires multiple steps, take the extra 10 min to create a checklist. Bonus to you if you add links to Youtube videos and articles on how to do what you need to do.

Even though it seems boring (well … it’s not to me), entire industries were built on repeatable procedures (salient examples include the army, surgeons, and automotive industries). There is even a book about it called the Checklist Manifesto!

Your turn

DECIDE on a paper to-do list or online task manager. Sign up and use it daily for a week. See your life transform!

The post My top easy ways to use a to-do list or task manager appeared first on Dr Lucie Bland | Managing Editor.

My top tips and tricks for time tracking

Thu, 04 Mar 2021 03:56:10 +0000

Have you ever been curious about time tracking, but not sure where to start? (or why do it?)

Well, I’ve been religiously time tracking for going onto four years, so I can share a few tips and tricks with you (as well as the dark side of time tracking).

What is time tracking?

Time tracking is the simple practice of making note of how you spend your time.

For example, you could simply use a notebook (e.g. 9-11 am Monday: Writing ARC grant).

The difference between time tracking and time blocking is that time blocking is usually done in advance of a task (e.g., as you are planning your week, like in my weekly planning series).

Time tracking is what you have ACTUALLY done. And it could be very different to what you have planned!

I use Toggl for my time tracking, and have been on the free plan for years. I’d recommend it to anyone wanting to time track (as I explain in this blog on free productivity apps).

Why time track?

There are multiple good reasons to time track; some are more superficial, and some are kind of psychological and very cool!

Someone might start time tracking if it is a requirement of their job. For example, they have been engaged under a casual or consultant contract, and need to report back on the time they spent on that specific work.

The first advantage of time tracking is that it forces you to define what you are doing: in Toggl’s timer, you can write down the task (e.g. ‘blogging’) and the project to which is belongs (e.g. ‘marketing’).

My Toggl timer at the time of writing (PS: some projects are confidential and were blacked out, soz!).

This first step is very valuable in itself, as it forces you to define ‘work’ more specifically. If you are browsing Twitter, then you have to admit you are doing this and write ‘social media’. If you are processing emails, then write ‘emails’.

This forces you to be intentional and more than once has prevented me from wasting my time (i.e. I could not bring myself to write ‘internet shopping’ in my Toggl!!!).

Using reports to plan your time

The second huge value in time tracking is that you can review and monitor how you’ve spent your time. At the end of the week, a beautiful pie chart will unveil exactly how you’ve spent your week.

Is it different from your perception of how you spent your time? I know that for me, it usually is (and please let me know in the comments your results!).

This can be a wonderful opportunity to re-decide and improve your processes.

Want to spend less time on emails? Then generate creative ideas to do so, and look at your email time decrease each week. Isn’t it motivating?

Want to spend more time writing? Then challenge yourself to spend X more hours next week on it.

You’ll thank your time tracker for being your best boss!

My time tracking journey

When I was working part-time as a postdoc and continued my editing gig, I used time tracking to make sure I was giving sufficient attention to each job. If you hold multiple jobs, I would always recommend to try and do them on different days, but if you can’t, time tracking is a great way to be accountable for your time.

This is when I realized the power of time tracking for keeping ‘naughty’ tasks in check. I got a very good idea of how much of my postdoc time was dedicated to ‘emails’ (20%) and ‘meetings’ (20%). This put me in a very good position to negotiate a reduction in my responsibilities with my boss, as it was clear my research time was being cannibalized (despite my best efforts to be productive).

With the help of a timer (or the Pomodoro function in Toggl), I also realized the power of time tracking to tackle ‘important but difficult’ tasks (i.e. the ones you procrastinate on).

For example, I used to struggle dedicating time to writing my email newsletter. Thanks to time tracking, I could get to work on that specific task AND feel proud when I saw I had clocked the hours I needed (YAY to the sense of completion!).

The dark side of time tracking

I then ramped up my time tracking to epic proportions when I launched my business full time. I would track every single editing project to get an idea of my editing speed for each job type (e.g. paper editing vs. grant editing). This was a fabulous resource as I could quote very accurately (i.e. I knew exactly how long a 100,000-word book edit would take me).

However, I was also getting to face the dark side of time tracking, in that it can make you feel rushed all the time (like the clock is ticking).

It can also make you feel resentful of ‘waste of time’ tasks, such as re-booting your computer, updating your software, or writing a delicate email.

Indeed, it’s a slim margin between being productive versus obsessive.

After 3 years of tracking, I got into a conversation with my business coach, where I let her know how overwhelmed and rushed I felt constantly.

She had a look at my system, and thought it was more of a hindrance than help. She challenged me to stop time tracking for two weeks.

It was a weird change of habits, but I immediately felt immense relief. I didn’t need to monitor each second of my day and billed my clients for half-day blocks of work.

While I’ve kept some aspects of this system, I went back to ‘light’ tracking, because of the advantages explored above.

But this venture in the dark side of time tracking definitely helped me get a full perspective on it!

The advantages of time tracking

Time tracking forces you to define your tasks specifically (e.g. ‘email’, ‘admin’, ‘meeting’, ‘writing’, ‘project A’).

Time tracking gives you an accurate measure of how you ACTUALLY spend your time (rather than how you plan your time or wished/perceived your time)

Time tracking is great to help you monitor, learn, and improve on your work habits.

You get an accurate idea of how long tasks REALLY take, helping you with accurate weekly planning.

Time tracking can get you out of spending too much time on ‘naughty tasks’ (e.g. emails, admin).

Along with Pomodoro timers, time tracking can create motivation for difficult tasks.

Your time track reports are great evidence for discussions with your boss on your work tasks, responsibilities, performance evaluation etc.

You can link your time tracking with the results of specific projects, linking your time inputs to work outputs.

As you can see, all the above advantages are related to planning your time intentionally and having evidence (rather than unfounded beliefs) on how you spend your time.

The cons of time tracking

Tracking your whole life can lead you to feel under pressure or ‘rushed’ for all tasks.

Top tip: think about the specific tasks you would like to time track, and don’t track the rest. For example, I no longer track emails as I have those under control.

Tracking is only as good as the categories you use to track your time.

Top tip: spend 10 min thinking about the categories that would serve your particular life. For example, you might need to separate ‘finances’ from ‘admin’ to get the information you need.

Tracking can underestimate your true work time.

Top tip: keep the timer running if you find yourself thinking about work tasks during your lunch or coffee breaks. If you only track time at your desk, make sure you understand this is a LOW estimate of the true effort expanded (and round up your time if needed).

I hope you found this blog post useful. I can’t wait to share more tracking tips with you!

The post My top tips and tricks for time tracking appeared first on Dr Lucie Bland | Managing Editor.

Predicting impacts of alien plant invasions on community diversity

Fri, 22 Jan 2021 20:19:55 +0000

In some very un-2020-like news (?!), I found out in December that my grant proposal to the European Research Council was successful. The words “ecstatic”, “ridiculously excited”, “over the moon” don’t begin to cover it. Safe to say, I didn’t sleep for several days (or was it weeks?) after hearing the news.

My project, Predicting impacts of alien plant invasions on community diversity (AlienImpacts), aims to develop an approach for accurately predicting impacts of alien plants on floristic diversity, and to identify the circumstances under which negative impacts will occur, using temperate grasslands as a model system. The project combines experimental, observational, theoretical and quantitative approaches, and will enable us to undertake some incredibly exciting and important research.

Funded through the ERC Consolidator Grant scheme, the project will run for five years, officially kicking off in April 2021, and will support a team of researchers – including four postdocs (the ads of which will come out soon, so please watch this space!).

I’m incredibly grateful to the ERC for supporting this important work, to friends, colleagues and 2019 reviewers* who helped me hone the proposal, and to collaborators who will be involved in the research.

Project summary: The Anthropocene, the current geological epoch, is characterised by human-induced ecological changes, which have prompted a global biodiversity crisis. Human-introduced alien plants could help to offset native species loss, augmenting diversity and maintaining the services and capital that humans derive from nature. However, alien species that become invasive are themselves a key threat to biodiversity. Alien species thus presents a huge challenge for biodiversity conservation in the Anthropocene: should their arrival and establishment be inhibited or disregarded as they can potentially both exacerbate and ameliorate biodiversity loss? Coupling empirical and theoretical approaches, AlienImpacts will directly address this challenge by developing an approach for accurately predicting impacts of alien plant invasions on plant community diversity and identifying the circumstances under which negative impacts will occur. Using temperate grasslands as a model system, AlienImpacts will use innovative field experiments and global observations to systematically quantify – for the first time – how often, for how long, to what extent, under what conditions and in what ways alien plants can impact plant community diversity. AlienImpacts will develop mechanistic niche models, validated with empirical data from grasslands in North America, Europe and Australia, that will enable realistic scenarios of invasion biodiversity impacts to be forecast, now and in the future. Developing empirically accurate mechanistic models that predict invasions and their biodiversity impact is a highly ambitious goal. Its achievement will mark a step-change in ecological theory and understanding, will inform environmental policy and management, and address a critical research challenge of the Anthropocene: how to conserve the biodiversity of plants – the dominant life form on earth – under global environmental change.

[*2020 was my second attempt after falling short in 2019. Reviewer and panel comments from 2019 were incredibly helpful, and enabled me to strengthen my 2020 proposal –> so I owe them many thanks for their excellent feedback – thank you!]

Linking species distribution models with structured expert elicitation for prediction of management effects

Wed, 11 Nov 2020 02:17:21 +0000

Another chapter of my PhD has been completed with a peer-reviewed publication in the pipelines. It is a collaboration with Dr Victoria Hemming, Dr Yung En Chee, Dr Anca Hanea and Professor Brendan Wintle. It is about how we can predict effects of management actions on biodiversity, in a spatially explicit way, when key habitat variables are not spatially explicit. Outputs from this approach can inform decision-makers about which actions (or action-sets) are likely to be best for individual species at a site and regional scale, and can serve as an important preliminary step to a regional spatial prioritisation for planning and strategy development.

Effective biodiversity conservation requires robust and transparent methods for cost-effective prioritisation of management actions. However, such prioritisations are often hampered by a lack of empirical data on the effect of management actions and spatially-explicit data on habitat variables. Approaches exist that integrate structured expert elicitation (SEE) with species distribution models (SDMs) to predict species responses across habitat gradients. However, difficulties remain in predicting region-wide management outcomes when key habitat covariates are not spatially explicit. Yet, SDMs built with species occurrence and environmental data (albeit, lacking key habitat variables) are often readily available. Therefore, we developed an approach to integrate SDMs with SEE to a) improve understanding of likely outcomes of management actions for frogs; and b) enable spatial prediction of management effects for multiple species when data is incomplete.

We demonstrate our approach across approximately 4000 wetlands in greater Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. As a measure of management effectiveness, we used the difference in predicted probability of occupancy of seven frog species at wetlands 10 years after conservation actions are implemented (or not implemented). Management effect was elicited from experts under do-nothing and five alternative action scenarios. Individual expert estimates were aggregated using generalised linear models that were used to spatially predict expected management effects, and a measure of uncertainty in the prediction, at all wetlands.

Analyses showed that predicted action effect was influenced by species initial occupancy. In our case, enhancing aquatic vegetation, along with surrounding vegetation, was a key action for most species. We demonstrate a straightforward approach to predicting management effects over large spatial areas when data is incomplete by augmenting information from SDMs with SEE. This approach offers insight for decision-makers on how to understand and maximise benefit across species on a wetland and regional scale while minimising risks of negative effects.