Time Management

Time Management

What we’ll be covering: advantages to good time management

assess your time management skills create your ultimate schedule

making to-do lists

Time Management Why is time management important? one of the most important skills for

college students in being able to accomplish your goals depends, in part, on your ability to make the most efficient use of the time that you have good time management skills can actually save you time

In class assignment: Assess your time management skills

Complete the ‘Are You Using Your Time Wisely’ assessment

Check to see what your answers to the assessment should be.

Time Management Tips Monitor your time If you feel like you don’t have enough

time, spend a few days monitoring your time to see exactly how it is spent.

Time Management Tips Make a daily to-do list

Steps to making to-do lists Write a list of activities that you want

or need to accomplish today Remember to prioritize and list the

most important tasks first Check to see if there are any

activities that you can accomplish at the same time

Steps to making to-do lists Write down how long you anticipate

it will take you to get the task done Write down when you will start each

activity

Making to-do lists: Know your options

Use a planner a planner can be an effective and easy way to

help you organize your time look at a number of different kinds of planners

before you select one- some will help you more than others

choose one that is easy to carry with you commit to checking/updating it daily try to include your daily to-do list in your

planner

Practice making a to-do list Think of the things that you would

like to accomplish for tomorrow Use the steps we discussed as a

guide in creating your list

Time Management Tips Use a planner a planner can be an effective and easy

way to help you organize your time look at a number of different kinds of

planners before you select one- some will help you more than others

choose one that is easy to carry with you

commit to checking/updating it daily try to include your daily to-do list in your

plan

Time Management Tips Make a long-term calendar

Make a long-term calendar write in important dates like exams and

due dates post it where you can see it, like by the

phone or on the refrigerator

Time Management Tips be flexible Always leave some free-time for

some last-minute additions

Time Management Tips Avoid marathon study sessions a couple of hours each day will help you

to remember more than eight hours at once

scheduling study time will help you to avoid procrastination and reduce stress

schedule study time over 5-7 days instead of packing it all into one or two days

Time Management Tips Use waiting time Waiting time is any time you spend

between meetings, classes, events, etc.

How to effectively use ‘wait time’

One of the best ways to get more out of your day is to use ‘waiting’ time

Create a list of 5 things that you can do in 10 minutes

Create a list of 5 things that you can do in 20 minutes

Time Management Tips Learn to say ‘no’ Examples of good ways to say “no” Instead of: “I really should study”, say

“You caught me in the middle of something important, I’ll call you later.”

“I can’t go the movies tonight, but I can go on Saturday.”

“Before I say yes, let me check my planner and get back to you.”

Understanding procrastination

When do you procrastinate? low interest or motivation

large tasks What happens when you procrastinate increase stress poorer performance

Reducing procrastination Break tasks into smaller, more manageable

tasks for example, writing a paper can be broken

down into getting references, reading reference, writing an outline, creating a rough draft and completing the final copy

When given an assignment, do some work on it right away

Spend some time studying each day Reward yourself along the way

The Ultimate Schedule First, block off time for your FIXED

activities class work meetings

The Ultimate Schedule Second, block off time for your

RITUAL activities meals travel/commute sleep grooming

The Ultimate Schedule Third, block off time for your

PRIORITY activities studying

try to schedule 2 hours of study time for each hour spent in class

exercising

The Ultimate Schedule Your FREE time is the time that

remains, use it for: watching television shopping Socializing

Summary As time management skills develop,

your stress and anxiety levels will go down and productivity will go up Time management tools which include day planners, to-do lists, weekly and long-term calendars will increase organization and help eliminate procrastination

Apply what you’ve learned Using the steps for creating the Ultimate

Schedule, design your ultimate schedule

University Learning Center University of Arizona