Workload requirements
Once you've clarified the goals, objectives and scope of your research project (see topic development), you can develop a concrete plan of action. To devise one that really helps you get the job done, you need to recognise and articulate all the various tasks your project is likely to involve, and which of those you may need assistance with. You will no doubt find that stress is minimised when you break your project down into manageable chunks of work, and, once your tasks are clearly defined, they can be discussed, aligned with your aims, sequenced and then actually completed.
Your project may involve field-based data collection, lab-based experiments and analyses; it will certainly involve extensive and critical reading, and hopefully discussion of results and arguments. Often the most challenging and time-consuming aspect of a research project is writing the thesis. To manage the full range of tasks, and their time and training implications, you will benefit from having a work plan that accounts for ALL the major tasks.
In managing your workload, you may find it helpful to create a work breakdown structure (WBS). This is a diagram, or a list, of the project's tasks. Analysing and visualising the workload will help you time and sequence activities, and translating the information into weekly action plans can also make the difference between successfully completing a project and losing the plot.
Before you can complete some of your tasks, you may find that you need to advance some of your skills.
Print out the checklist, then start analysing and mapping out your workload, and its support and training implications, into your own WBS:
Next: Scheduling tasks 
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