Time Management Time management is paying attention to how you are

Time Management Time management is paying attention to how you are spending your most valuable resource (time) and devising a plan to use it more effectively.

Goals for Today’s Lesson: Assess/examine how you are currently allocating your time Understand the importance of managing your time Understand different strategies on how to use your time efficiently

Goal Setting In order to know what you should be doing with your time, it is important to know what you are working towards Long term goals Life-long goals (usually take a year or more to accomplish) Short-term goals Stepping stones (less than a year to accomplish)

Goal Setting, Give it a shot! Write a short-term and long-term goal Your short-term goal should be a ‘stepping stone’ on the path to achieving your long-term goal Make sure both goals are: – Specific – Measurable Volunteers?

Where does the time go? Make a list of 10-15 observable activities you have participated in during the past 24 hours. Estimate how much time you spent on each activity.

It is all connected- Goal Setting & Time Management If your goal is to increase your GPA you will need to be well organized to allocate sufficient time for study or visit your professors office hours Knowing ahead of time what your main priorities are can help you attend to those tasks first Are you allocating the necessary time in achieving the short-term and long-term goals you set earlier?

Why is Time Management Important? Prioritize your tasks Accomplish short-term and long-term goals Increases productivity Experience the success of accomplishment (fulfillment) Feeling of self-control Balance Aids in money management Reduces stress Prepares you for the “real world”

Consider your Values You will put more time and energy towards what you value, enjoy and love. How much do you value your education? How important is it that you succeed in college and get your degree? If success in college is a high value for your life, you will make more time for your studies, your classes and projects. We all spend time on what we value!

What is Time Management? Not just about managing your time, it’s about managing your attention Attention Management ability to focus on a designated activity Without attention management, time management is pointless “To manage your time you must manage yourself: your energy, your behavior, your attitudes, you”--- Constance Staley

Get Your Priorities Straight! Covey, Stephen R. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1989.

Which Quadrant Are You In? Go back to your list of Observable Activities: – Write each activity into the appropriate Quadrant on your graph. – Using the time estimates you wrote for each activity, circle the Quadrant in which you spent the most time (you may have a tie!).

Priorities Are Personal Sleep may be Quadrant IV for one person and Quadrant I for another. In which Quadrant did you spend the majority of your time? Which quadrant is the best? (for studying?) What happens if you spend the majority of your time in Quadrant I activities?

Performance, health & happiness are grounded in the skillful management of energy” Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz, from the Power of Full Engagement

How to use time wisely Electronic or hard copy day planner or calendar Schedule Fixed Blocks of Time First – Start with class time, work schedule, child care Schedule DO & DUE dates Work Backwards Use syllabus! Schedule study time every day--- at least 2 hours (if you have breaks between your classes, use it!) – Some classes require more study time than others – 10 minute study breaks after studying for 1 hour

How to use time wisely Hours you should be spending studying: Units for less demanding classes: x 2 hours hours Units for typical/average classes: X 3 hours hours Units for typical/average classes: X 4 hours hours hours Expected total study time per week:

How to use time wisely Set aside time for the day to day tasks that will bring you a step closer to reaching your goals Update your schedule everyday Break larger assignments into smaller tasks (exp: final term papers) Avoid scheduling marathon study sessions – Three 3-hour sessions are more productive than 910 hour sessions

How to use time wisely Schedule time to study for tests and to review notes (set a regular place to study & a specific subject) Schedule time for errands Plan for the unplanned Double your time estimates (tasks can take longer than expected) Take time for you! Don’t forget yourself and your needs (sleeping, nutrition, exercise)

How to use time wisely Set priorities Be realistic Allow for flexibility in your schedule Schedule time for fun! The final step is to act on the schedule you wrote down

When you say “I don’t have time, what you are really saying is “I have other priorities.”

Summary Managing Time balance Allows you put energy towards things you value Short-term and long-term goals Reduces stress “Performance, health and happiness are grounded in the skillful management of energy” Jim Loehr & Tony Schwartz