Managing Time

Myths about Time Management
Time management is nothing but common sense. I do well in school, so I must be managing my time effectively.
Time management? I work better under pressure.
It takes all the fun out of life!!!
No matter what I do, I won’t have enough time!

The Truth!
Yes!
As college students, you are very busy people, and to make those 168 hours effective, you have to do some planning.
The Benefits of Time Management
You are more productive.
You reduce your stress.
You improve your self-esteem.
You achieve balance in your life.
You avoid meltdowns.
You feel more confident in your ability to
get things done.
You reach your goals.
What is Time Management?
Simply, making the most of your time and energy!

A Word about ENERGY
The most overlooked aspect of time management is your energy level.
Evaluate your energy level at different times of day.
Schedule tasks when you have the energy level to match.
If you are a “morning person,” seize the early hours
to study and do assignments that require focus.
If you are an “evening person,” make sure that you
are being productive and not sacrificing sleep for extra
hours to socialize.
Losing sleep is the easiest way to sabotage your energy level!
Don’t let this be you!

Steps to Managing Your Time
Set goals
Make a schedule
Revisit and revise your plan

Make your goals specific and concrete. Don’t be vague.
Set both long-term goals and short-term ones to support them.
Set a deadline for your goals.
Integrate your goals: school, personal and career.
Realize that goals change, but know which goals to stick to!
Go for the goal!
Where to start?
1. Set Goals!

Set Goals! continued
What’s important and what isn’t?
What order do things need to be done in?
Once you know what your priorities are, you need to plan out a schedule for the semester, the week and the day.
Planning may seem hard at first, but the more you do it, the easier and more natural it gets.
1
2
3
From your goals, set priorities.

2. Make a Schedule
Set Up Your Semester Calendar
Look at the syllabus for the class schedule.
Begin with blocking all class and lab times.
Block all other set time obligations:
Work, meetings and so on…
Highlight all exams and project due dates.
Identify routine homework days.
Work backwards from exams and papers and map out study/writing time.
Don’t forget to take a break once in a while.
All work and no play will drive you nuts!
(to annoy or irritate )

Make a Schedule continued
Set Up Your Weekly Plan
Spend 30 minutes or so mapping out the week.
Ask yourself these questions about the week:
What do I expect to accomplish?
What will I have to do to reach these goals?
What tasks are more important than others?
How much time will each activity take?
When will I do each activity?
How flexible do I have to be to allow for unexpected things?
Remember to Expect the Unexpected...
Where does the time go?

Derek’s Schedule
With everything that I’m juggling, I need to use some major time management skills!

A Week in Derek’s Semester
How effective is Derek’s schedule?
Does he allow enough time to accomplish what he schedules?
Is he paying attention to his energy level?
Does it look like Derek will accomplish everything he plans?
How well will he be able to accomplish certain tasks?

Do you have a schedule?
Organizing Your Day:
“Work smarter, not harder.”- Alan Lakein
Set realistic goals, there are only 24 hours in a day.
Use spare time to review.
Study at the same time each day: make it a habit
Divide study time into 50-minute blocks.
Don’t forget to reward yourself when you do something right!
Take it one day at a time…

Do you use a Daily Planner?
Complete a term assignment preview.
Use a “week at a glance” organizer.
Enter in due dates and social events as soon as you can.
Review your calendar daily for the current week and upcoming week.
It just takes a moment to review your calendar and it relieves stress to know you are on top of things.

Derek’s Scheduled Day

Derek’s Scheduled Day
ruined
Derek, I need your report by 1 pm. It might cut into your lunch hour, but it’s a top priority.
Derek, I might be late getting home from work. We might not eat til later.

Derek’s Scheduled Day
SAVED
If I have to work through lunch can I leave early? I have an important class assignment that I need to work on.
That should be alright.
Okay, I’ll plan to be home at 6:00.
If I feel tired at the library, I’ll just take a walk.

Derek’s Scheduled Day
revisED
^

3. Revisit and Revise Your Plan
Are you making progress?
Now that you’ve been paying attention to your schedule, how are you actually using your time?
Which tasks were you able to do? What didn’t get done?
Was your energy level appropriate? Your stress level?
What changes need to be made to your weekly schedule?
What are persistent time wasters?
Could better communication have helped you stick to your plan?
Was procrastination an issue?
Be tough with your time!

Procrastination:
“Never do today what you can put off ‘till tomorrow!”
Forms of procrastination:
Ignoring the task, hoping it will go away
Underestimating how long it will take
Overestimating your abilities and resources
Telling yourself that poor performance is okay
Doing something else that isn’t very important
Believing that repeated “minor” delays won’t hurt you
Talking about a hard job rather than doing it
Putting all your work on only one part of the task
Becoming paralyzed when having to make choices

How to Overcome Procrastination
Win the mental battle by committing to being on time.
Set and keep deadlines.
Organize, schedule & plan.
Divide a big job into smaller ones.
Find a way to make a game of your work or make it fun.
Reward yourself when you’re done.
Tell your friends and room mates to remind you of
priorities and deadlines.
Learn to say “no” to time wasters.
Use lots
of
Stickies

Tackle Time Wasters
First, learn to recognize when you’re wasting time.
Decide what you need to do and can realistically do.
Learn how to say “NO” when you don’t have time.
Use an answering machine and return calls at your convenience. The telephone is a major time killer.
Learn to say “I can’t talk right now. I’ll get back to you.”
Wasting time is often linked to a lack of self-discipline.
Ask yourself, “Do I really need to do this or not?”

Learn to say “No!”
Avoid the temptation to socialize when you’ve scheduled work.
If friends ask you to join them last minute, decline outright, but ask if you could get together later in the week.
Socializing is important when you don’t have other things to worry about!
Study somewhere you won’t be tempted to chat, watch movies or YouTube, or use social utilities like Facebook.
Don’t let distractions sap your time!
I have a study group tonight. Are you free on Thursday?

Revisit Your Values
Knowing what is most valuable to you gives direction to your life.
Your energy should be oriented first toward things that reflect the values that are most important.
Examine your values to help you make time management decisions.
Time is a very valuable resource.

Time Management Techniques
The Set Time Method
Block out a specific time to accomplish a task.
Examples:
Monday 1:00—2:00 Work physics problems
Saturday 9:00—11:30 Go to the gym
The Swiss Cheese Approach
Whenever you find yourself with some free time, do a small part of a larger task
Examples:
Arrive to class 10 minutes early and brainstorm research ideas while waiting for your friend to arrive for lunch, review notes from today’s History lecture.

REVISE and PREVIEW:
Staying on top of things…
Immediately note all changes.
Exam/Paper due date revisions
Meeting additions/cancellations
Work schedule changes
Upcoming visitors, etc., etc…
Preview the upcoming week making any necessary adjustments.
Preview each day to see what might happen…
Be Prepared!

If you commute to school, you can…
Listen to audiotape lectures or podcasts.
Go over what you learned in class on your way to or from work.
If you carpool with others from your class, use the time to discuss class material.
Exchange phone numbers with other students early in the semester.
Create a personal commuter telephone directory.