With all the demands on lab managers and their employees, it can be difficult to have a life outside of the laboratory. Science writer and PhD Sophie Domingues has some solid advice on how to best organize your time so that you can still meet your work commitments while also being able to meet your obligations at home and have some downtime.

Domingues’ advice, from her blog article “Seven Time Management Tips to Combine Life with Working in a Lab” is as follows:

• Organize your time with a schedule and stick to it.
• Define your tasks and prioritize
• Multitask
• Use time efficiently
• Deliver
• Learn when it is acceptable to mix professional and personal activities
• Don’t be afraid to say, “No”

Following these tips should help you stay on top of things so that you can keep both your lab and your life in order, while having some time to relax.