We had 2 primary goals for this session:
- project management options
- Zotero mini-workshop
Project Management: Lindsey started with Lifehacker’s list of 5 top project management tools. We then talked about Google Calendar as a means of projecting out long-term deadlines. This, in combination with Laura’s current to-do list practices, seems to make the most sense at this point.
Zotero: We downloaded the standalone Zotero app for use on Laura’s Macbook, and discussed the benefits of the app versus the browser extension. We covered how you can use Zotero to take notes, how you can edit citations, Zotero for PDF management, and how to use it with Word when you are integrating your source material into your draft. Lindsey recommended making several Zotero folders (and/or tags) for sources: Sources I Have Read, Sources I Have Found, Sources I Have Yet To Find. She also recommended using Zotero’s “Notes” and “tags” functions for note-taking and file sorting.
Productivity Applications: We discussed the “pomodoro” technique (25 minutes of work followed by a 5 minute break), for which Lindsey recommends something like focus booster, and free apps like SelfControl, which shut off the more tempting parts of the Internet while you are working. We also talked about a goal of doing a little bit of work daily.
