Time
Management
Strategies to keep you
on track and ahead of
the game.
Session Goals
To share time
management skills and
concepts that we know
will help you to
successfully manage
your time.
Some thoughts on time…
Š Time management guru Hyrum Smith:
– We think we are going to have more time at
some unspecified future date than we do now.
– We think that somehow we can save time,
when in fact we have all the time there is right
now.
Some thoughts on time…
Š Steven Covey
– The key is not to prioritize your
schedule, but to schedule your priorities.
The Basics
Š Articulated goals or objectives
Š Time management is “self-management”
A Systems Approach
Goal Setting
Time Shifting
and Adjusting
Taking Action
Time
Management
Cycle
Time Awareness
and Tracking
Planning
What are your priorities?
Š Draft a mission statement by answering the
following questions:
– What gives my life meaning?
– Who do I want to be?
– What do I want to do?
Š Determine which tasks will help you get
there and which will not
Knowing where you are
going determines the
route you will take to
get there.
What are your goals?
Š Ask yourself: what is the most important thing I
could do in order to be more effective in my life?
– Today
– This Week
– This Month
– This Year
Š Schedule these important tasks and work to
achieve them.
Time Awareness
Š How do you use each of the 168 hours
available to you each week?
Time Shifting
Š How can you use your awareness of the ways
you use your time to shift it?
Š Based on how you use time, how could you
reallocate it to improve your use of time?
Š In which areas do you want to cut down on your
use of time? In which others do you wish to
increase it?
Procrastination
Š Definition of procrastination:
– Intentionally engaging in a task of lower
importance to avoid a task of relatively higher
importance.
Š Procrastination has little to do with laziness.
Š In fact, most procrastinators busy themselves
with many, many (unimportant) tasks in the
process of avoiding bigger tasks.
Overcoming Procrastination
Š The following tasks may help you prevent
procrastination
–
–
–
–
–
Reward yourself for completed work
Set limits on work time
Remind yourself of your goals
Focus on what you can do
Inform others of your goals
Big Picture Planning
Š Use the End of Semester Crunch Grid to map out your
study schedule for finals
End of Semester Crunch Grid
Week of:
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
3/22
3/29
5/5
4/12
4/19
4/26
5/3
5/10
Rev. 01/28/2004
Big Picture Planning
Semester on a Page
Š Use a monthly calendar
to track major deadlines
and to inform yourself
when the peaks of the
year are
Š Use a one page semester
calendar to see the big
picture and help you plan
ahead
WEEK
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Planning
Š Write a list of to-dos or a weekly plan to ensure
that you do tasks essential to your goal set.
Create a Daily To-do List
Š Three characteristics of effective listing
1. Making a new list every day
2. Breaking items down into smaller pieces
3. Prioritizing items on the list
1. Creating a Daily List
Š Begin every day by writing down everything you
hope to accomplish
Š Include items like:
–
–
–
–
–
Studying
Exercise
Email
Errands
Recreation
2. Every Little Thing
Š If an item feels too big, break it down into
smaller pieces
– Instead of “study Chemistry”, write
“Chemistry - study Chapter 3”
– Instead of “work on research paper”, write
“spend 1 hour researching” or “write
introduction
Managing Large Projects
Š Set interim deadlines
to emphasize the need
to complete phases of
work and to give
yourself an ongoing
sense of progress
CJ Research Paper – Due. Dec. 5
Topic Selection
Oct. 31
Research Completed
Nov. 12
Rough Outline
Nov. 15
First Rough Draft
Nov. 20
First Revised Draft
Nov. 25
Appt. w/ Learning Center
for paper review
Dec. 1
3. Prioritizing
Š A – Highest priority, must be done today
Š B – Medium priority, need to be done but
can wait if time runs out
Š C – Lowest priority, not important to get
them done today
To Do List
Item
Priority
Write Intro to Psych paper
A
Spend 1hour in the library
researching for COM paper
B
Call eye doctor
A
Send check for phone bill
C
Do Survey of Math homework
A
Do laundry
C
Effective Scheduling
Š Estimate the time
required for tasks
in accordance to
their value or
importance
Š Add a buffer of
50% to counteract
effects of
unforeseen time
troubles
Task
ET
AT
Priority
Shopping
2
hours
3
hours
C
Study Ch 1-4 of 2
Biology
hours
1.5
hours
A
Write Lab
Report
1
hours
2.5
hours
A
Organize notes
for research
paper
30 min
B
Wrap-up Reminders
Š Learn to get value from using small blocks
of time effectively
– Just half an hour a day can add up to weeks of
productivity a year
Š Take on fewer goals or tasks than you
think you have time for because tasks tend
to expand beyond the limits planned
Wrap-up Reminders
Š Think: how long does it take me to
complete this kind of task? How long will
I spend doing this task? How important is
this task to me?
Š Aim to keep a balance of school, work,
social life, exercise, and personal time
And finally…
Š Manage your own time: compare you with
you
Š Being decisive about what YOU want will
help you manage your time around others
“The secret of
the future is
hidden in your
daily routine.”
- Mike Murdock