Time Management Involves

 Knowing what your goals are

 Deciding where your priorities lie
 Anticipating future needs and possible
changes
 Controlling your life by controlling your time
 Making a commitment to being punctual
 Not procrastinating
 Carrying out your plans
Time Management Tips
 Time Management
Techniques
 The Set Time Method
– Block out specific times to
accomplish particular
tasks
– Example:
 Monday 1:00—2:00 Work
physics problems
 Saturday 9:00—11:30 Go
to the gym
Time Management
Techniques
 The Swiss Cheese
Approach – Example:
– Whenever you find  Arrive to class 10
minutes early and
yourself with some
brainstorm research
free time, do a small ideas
part of a larger task  While waiting for
your friend to arrive
for lunch, review
notes from today’s
History lecture
Strategies for Setting Goals
 Make your goals specific and
concrete.
 Set a completion date for your
goals.
 Set both long-term and short-
term goals.
 Develop a plan of action.
 Be consistent and persistent.
 Monitor your progress.
The Weekly Plan: Questions
to Ask Yourself
 What needs to be done?
 What will I have to do to reach the goals?
 Which 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?
Effective Ways for Commuters
to Use Their Time
 Audiotape lectures.
 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.
 Forms of Procrastination
 Ignoring the task, hoping it
will go away
 Underestimating the work
involved in the task
 Overestimating your abilities
and resources
 Deceiving yourself that
mediocre performance or less
is acceptable
 Substituting a worthy but
lower-priority nonacademic
activity
Slide 1 of 2
Forms of Procrastination
 Believing that repeated “minor” delays
won’t hurt you
 Dramatizing a commitment to a task rather
than doing it
 Persevering on only one part of the task
 Becoming paralyzed when having to choose
between two alternatives

Slide 2 of 2
How to Overcome
Procrastination
 Set a deadline and
put it on your calendar.
 Become better
organized.
 Make a game of it.
 Divide the task into smaller jobs.
 Build in a reward for yourself.
Time Management Misconceptions

 Time management is nothing but

common sense. I do well in school
and I’m happy, so I must be
managing my time effectively.
 I work better under pressure and
time management would take away
that edge.
 People take time management too
seriously and that takes all the fun
out of life.
 The stuff they teach you in time
management is a lot of work. I
don’t have time for that.
 Tackle Time Wasters
 Many students don’t say “no” to a request
for their time.
 Decide what you need to do and can
realistically do. Say “no” to everything else.
 Screen calls limit texting, Facebook, etc.
 Learn to say “I can’t talk right now.”
 Time wasters are often linked to a lack of
self-discipline.
 Reap the Benefits of Managing
Time Effectively
 You are more productive.
 You reduce your stress.
 You improve your self-esteem.
 You achieve balance in your life.
 You conquer multitasking.
 You establish an important career skill.
 You reach your goals.
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.
 Creating Your Semester
Calendar
 Begin with blocking all class and lab times.
 Block all other set time obligations.
 Work
 Church
 Club/Organization Meetings
 Highlight all exams and project due dates.
 Identify routine homework days.
 Work backwards from exams and papers and
map out study/writing time.
 Include regular breaks and leisure activities.
Create and Monitor a
Weekly Plan
 Spend just 30 minutes mapping out the upcoming
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?
Using a Daily Planner
 Complete a term  Review your
assignment calendar daily for
preview. the current week
 Use a “week at a and upcoming
glance” organizer. week.
 Enter in due dates  It just takes a
and social events moment to review
as soon as you can. your calendar and it
can help relieve
stress.
REVISE and PREVIEW

 Immediately note all changes.

Exam/Paper due date revisions
Meeting additions/cancellations
Work schedule changes
Upcoming visitors
 Preview the upcoming week making any
adjustments.
 Preview each day to further specify plans.
Organizing Your Day

“Work smarter, not harder.”- Alan Lakein

 Set realistic goals.

 Use waiting time to review.
 Study at the same time each day.
 Divide study time into 50-minute blocks.
 Don’t forget to reward yourself!
Making Your Time
Management Plan Work
 Reduce
Distractions
 Beat
Procrastination
 Protect your
time—learn how
to say no!