I think that might be a contradiction in terms. I'm trying to manage my time in the lab (and outside the lab) appropriately. I seem to have these bursts of productivity and then I just stop.
Usually these bursts of productivity occur after seeing Dr. Man over the weekend. I think this is because I'm away from the lab for at least two full days and am ready to get back to work. The stopping of productivity usually occurs on the 8th day of working in the lab straight. [An aside about my schedule. Dr. Man lives 6 hours away. So, I work 10 days straight then take about 3.8 days off-- I go into the lab the evening I get back to start things for the following day.] And that productivity declines from day 8-10. Then the cycle starts over again.
As I write this I'm powering through day 10 (this cycle has 11 days). I'm trying to get motivated to run a simple experiment to test an enzyme. However, I also have work to do on Tricky Vector Construction and Project That I Unfortunately Fell Into and Interesting Experiment That Is Central To Thesis. However, I'm only working (currently) on the first two projects. The last one has stalled momentarily until the core facilities get back to me. That means that I have time to work on the simple experiment, but I don't want to do it.
I think about going home and then returning to complete said experiments. However, I'm not sure that I would make it back. There's something that's a tad bit depressing about going to the lab late in the evening when everyone else is gone. It makes me feel really isolated.
I need to figure out a way to sustain my level of productiveness. (Read: waste time on the internet “researching” this. That may be the reason why I struggle with my “time.”)