Time ManagementAn Essential College Readiness Skill

How Much Time Is There?

Did you know that there are… Only 60 seconds in a minute Only 60 minutes in an hour Only 24 hours in a day Only 168 hours in a week Only 720 hours per month Only 8,760 hours in a year Only 525,600 minutes in a year Only 31,536,000 seconds in a year

Time Management 2

Make Every Second Count

What you accomplish during a 24-hour period depends on your own motivation, your energy, your skills and abilities, and other resources.

Since there are always demands on your time, it may be helpful to think about what you will do with your time and to consider some strategies for more effective time management.

Time management is not a way to make you work harder and longer, but a means to help you work smarter to accomplish your work more easily and rapidly.

Benefits of Managing Time Effectively

If you manage your time effectively, you will be rewarded in a variety of ways:Efficient – you will be more productiveSuccessful – you will achieve goals

and great accomplishments Healthier – you will feel more

energetic and less stressedTime Management 4

3 Steps to Managing Your Time

1. Set Goals

2. Prioritize, Organize, and Make a Schedule

3. Revisit and Revise Your Plan

1. Set Goals

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!

2. Prioritize

From your goals, set priorities. 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.

Time Management 7

2. Prioritize

After you have ordered your tasks, you must:

• Address the urgent – Take care of things with short-term consequences as soon as possible.

• Accomplish what you can early – Assignments, homework and projects that can be handled early should come next. Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today.

• Attach deadlines to things you delay – When you have determined that something can definitely wait, don’t just toss it aside until later. Establish a deadline for the task in your schedule, and make a note to remind you to begin working on it.

Time Management 8

2. Organize

As you prioritize tasks and set deadlines, you will want to organize your plans and actions. Planners: Use a planner with a calendar and plenty of

space to make notes. Many planners contain space for daily activities and “to do” lists.

Computer Organizers: Use a computer to help you organize your time. Computers come equipped with software programs that include calendars, task lists, and reminders.

Calendar/Planner Apps: Many smart phones have calendar and planner applications. Use these apps to keep you organized. Because you always have your phone with you, you will also carry your planner with you.

2. Organize

Time Management 10

2. Make a Schedule

Creating a daily schedule activity is a great way of keeping track of your time and is essential for time management.

While planning out your week, ask yourself: 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?

Daily Schedule Activity We are going to keep track of your time, scheduled events,

appointments, and other responsibilities. Using a sheet of paper, separate into 8 vertical columns

and name each column (Time, Monday, Tuesday, etc.) Create rows with times in hours. See below the example.

Daily Schedule Activity Now we are going to fill in your daily schedule.

First of all, block out time for sleep. You should get at least 8 hours of sleep each night to be properly rested for the next day.

Now, block out time for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Next, block out the time you use to shower/bathe. Next, block out the time you spend getting to and from school. Next, fill in your class schedule. Now, fill in regularly scheduled activities such as practices and

tutoring. Next, fill in any church activities or chores that you must do. Next, block out time for homework and study. Finally, analyze how much time you have left. Write down free-

time activities that you enjoy.

Now What? After completing the activity, think about the following

questions and answer them on the back of your handout: How was this activity helpful? What did you find out? How much time did you have left to fill in extra activities? How might keeping track of our time help you manage it

better? Why is managing our time important? In what other ways, can you keep track of your time?

As it was previously stated, you can keep track of your time through cell phone calendar/planner apps, paper planners, and through computer-based calendars/planners (ex. Microsoft Outlook).

3. Revisit and Revise Your Plan After you have used your weekly plan, revisit

it and think about the following questions. If necessary, revise it so that it works. 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?

How canI fix it?

Procrastination Procrastination is when you put things off for a

later time. Forms of procrastination include: 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 are done. Tell your friends and parents to remind

you of priorities and deadlines. Learn to say “no” to time wasters.

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.

Turn off your cell phone when working. It 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?”

Avoid Distractions

Avoid the temptation to socialize (texting, hanging out, chatting) 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.

Learn to Say “NO”Learn to say “No” when you have too much to do and

cannot handle more commitments.To be able to say “NO” you will have to accept that:

1. I realize that I can’t do everything2. I won’t agree to undertake a task or project that I know I

will not be able to complete in the timeframe required3. I will not make commitments that are not consistent with

the goals and objectives I have set for myself If you keep these principles in mind, you will find it

easier to justify (and explain) why some requests must be turned down. You will also find that you are better able to accomplish the things that you have prioritized as “must do.”

Review

• Set Goals• Prioritize, Organize, and Make

Schedule• Revisit and Revise Schedule• Avoid Procrastination• Tackle Time Wasters• Avoid Distractions• Learn When to Say “NO”

Time Management 21

Time Management Expert

If you follow all the strategies of effective time management, you will be able to meet your goals, be successful, and become a time management expert.

Time Management 23

Video: The Big Rocks of Life

Video: How to Manage Your Time

Howcast Video: How to Manage Your Time