2. WHAT KIND OF TIME MANAGER ARE YOU?
Time management quiz:
Do you think about your peak energy time when you plan your studying?
Do you make a weekly schedule or “to do” lists?
Do you begin working on semester long projects early in the semester?
Do you prioritize your goals?
Do you study your most difficult subjects first?
Do you meet all of your assignment deadlines?
Do you prevent social activities from interfering with your study time?
Do you work fewer that 10 hours a week?
Do you use the time before and after class to study?
Do you think that being a full-time student is like having a full-time job?
Now Score: Add up one point for each question that you answered “yes”. If you
have a high total score (10 is the maximum score possible) then you are using
effective time management techniques. If your total score is low, it may be helpful
to learn some techniques for using your time more effectively.
3. THE TRUTH ABOUT TIME
Time stays consistent.
(You don’t REALLY manage time.)
You manage yourself and how you spend your time.
The key is how to use your time in a way that
helps you reach YOUR GOALS.
Q. Ask yourself …
What is most important to YOU?
What is your goal?
Do you spend enough time in activities that help
you reach that goal?
4. 168 HOURS IN A WEEK
24 Hours in a day
x 7 Days in a week
168 Hours to use in a week
HOW MUCH TIME DO YOU SPEND ON YOUR IMPORTANT GOALS?
How do you spend your 168 hours?
You may be surprised at how many hours are used in daily
activities. How many hours do you spend sleeping, eating,
in class, grooming, at work, driving, working out, relaxing?
How much time do you commit to your life goals?
Does anything need to be adjusted?
5. LET’S ADD IT ALL UP…
WHEN YOU ADD YOUR TIME UP ARE YOU UNDER THE 168 HOURS?
Hours spent: Example
Sleeping 56
Eating (breakfast, lunch, dinner) 17
Working 40
Getting ready 7
Travel time 5
In class 9
Studying 18
Exercising 3
Relaxing and having fun (friends, family) 7
Total 162
What are you doing with those extra hours?
ARE YOU SPENDING ENOUGH TIME ON THE THINGS THAT ARE YOUR PRIORITIES (LIKE
STUDYING)
6. TIME NEEDED FOR CLASS
Most experts agree
that in order to be
successful in a college
class, you need to
3=6
Credit Hours
spend two hours of Hours of Outside
study time outside Study
class for each hour of
classroom time.
Being a full time
student is much like
being a full time
15 + 30 = 45
Credit Hours Total
employee! Hours of Outside Hours
Study
Are you committing enough time?
7. TIME MANAGEMENT SCHEDULE
Use a weekly schedule worksheet and fill in all time commitments.
Don’t forget class time, work, eating, grooming, commuting, family
time and personal time.
What is left for study time?
8. PLAN YOUR STUDY TIME WISELY
AS YOU COMPLETE YOUR SCHEDULE CONSIDER USING THIS RECOMMENDED PLAN FOR
WHEN TO SCHEDULE YOUR STUDY TIME.
o Study Before – Take time before class to look over your syllabus to
see what you will be covering in class that day or even better, pre-read
the chapter being discussed.
o Study During – Be an active learner in class. Pay attention, take
good notes, and think about what is being discussed.
o Study After – Look back over your notes. Rewrite your notes neatly
and in your own words (summarize).
Write down any questions you may have for your instructor.
o Study Ongoing – Build study time into your schedule each week.
Some classes will require more time and some less. Begin by using
the rule of 2 hours study for every 1 hour of class time.
(Don’t forget to schedule long-term projects!!)
When is your best time?
Study when you are not tired or distracted. It’s not just about how
much time you spend studying. Quality time is best.
9. SAMPLE
NOTICE HOW SOME STUDY TIME IS SCHEDULED
BEFORE AND AFTER CLASS!
= study time
class class class
class class class
class class
class class
lab
10. GETTING THE BIG PICTURE
(PLAN AHEAD!)
Don’t get overwhelmed by big projects or surprised by busy weeks.
Don’t let poor time management result in a poorly written paper or an
ineffective study session.
Use a Monthly Planner
Monthly Planner
The GOLDEN Syllabus.
During the first week of
school take each of your
syllabi and record all
quiz/test dates, and
project deadlines on a
monthly planner. Do not
ignore the syllabus. It is
a valuable tool!
11. TIME MANAGEMENT TIPS
1. Study difficult or boring subjects first.
Tackle your hardest topic first while you are fresh and more patient with
yourself. (Think about how relieved you will feel once it’s finished!)
2. Be aware of your best time of day.
Everyone is different and have peak energy at different times of the day.
When do you feel at your best? Use this time as study time.
3. Use your Waiting Time Wisely.
Do you have some time between classes, while riding the bus, or while
waiting in line? Pick up those flash cards and review!
4. Stick to your schedule BUT be flexible
Schedules are great but we all know things come up.
It’s OK to be flexible with your time when unexpected things happen.
Just get back on task as soon as you can.
12. MORE TIME MANAGEMENT TIPS
5. Find a regular study place/routine.
Just like exercise, a routine will become a habit and good study habits will
lead to success.
6. Avoid Distractions.
What are your time wasters? Turn off that TV, put down that cell phone.
Learn to avoid whatever pulls you from what you need to do.
7. Learn to say “no”.
If you have a hard time saying “no” to requests from your friends/family
here is what you can try. Nicely explain that you can’t do all you could
with them before because of your school commitments. Let them know
how important school is to you. They love and care about you and will
want you to be successful. Do build some time into your schedule for
friends and family.
8. Schedule some down time
Avoid getting over stressed. Make sure that you schedule some time for
yourself each week just to relax.
13. PROCRASTINATION – THE TIME THIEF
If any of the following statements sound like
you, chances are you are procrastinating.
"One more day won't make any difference”
"It won't matter if I'm a few minutes late”
"I can't start on this paper until I know just how I
want the first paragraph to read.”
"I'll watch just 15 more minutes of TV.“
Fill in the blank:"____________________."
14. PROCRASTINATION…
Everyone puts things off once in awhile but
if it becomes a habit then…
o Your goals will be doomed to failure.
o It is very stressful.
o You can become overwhelmed by your
to do list.
WHY ARE YOU PROCRASTINATING?
o I don’t really understand the assignment
o I afraid that I will fail
o The job is so big I don’t know where to begin.
o This subject is required but I hate it. I just don’t like spending any time
on it.
o Fill in the blank:"____________________."
15. NO MORE PROCRASTINATING…
Ask for Help.
Sometimes we put off doing something
because we don’t know where to begin. DON’T WAIT
AROUND BECAUSE YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO. THERE
ARE MANY PEOPLE ON CAMPUS THAT CAN GIVE YOU
ADVICE ON HOW TO GET GOING.
For example, if you didn’t start that English paper
because you are not sure how to begin, ask your
instructor for further guidance or visit the Learning
Resource Center and ask someone in the Writing Lab.
16. NO MORE PROCRASTINATING…
Face your fear.
Fear of failure is one of the main reasons people
procrastinate.
Some worry about this so much that they never really try.
Do you put off taking a particular class or can’t seem to start
studying for your final? Maybe it’s because you are just
afraid that you won’t do well.
THE BEST THING TO DO IS TO JUST GET GOING AND DO THE
BEST JOB YOU POSSIBLY CAN. GET PREPARED.
TALK TO PEOPLE WHO CAN HELP YOU.
THE BIGGEST FAILURE IS THE FAILURE TO TRY.
17. NO MORE PROCRASTINATING…
Break large goals into smaller ones.
We often procrastinate because we don’t
know where to begin. The project is so large
and there’s so much work to do that we feel
overwhelmed and avoid dealing with it until it
becomes too late to handle it successfully.
When you are faced with a large task,
break it down into smaller, manageable tasks.
Making this plan you will feel more energized and motivated to complete
the project. You’ll begin to see how it can be done.
18. NO MORE PROCRASTINATING…
Successful students see when the due date is for a large
assignment and then set deadlines for themselves in their
planner to complete different parts of the task in advance.
REMEMBER: DON’T OVER-THINK
THE PROJECT. START DOING!
Planning is a good idea but too much
planning and thinking has the opposite
effect. Just get going. Don’t worry that all
the details are perfect or you are certain
you have everything right. If you are
waiting on a perfect plan, it will never
happen because, of course, a perfect plan
doesn’t exist.
19. Imagine this scene from Stephen Covey’s book,
“The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.”
You meet someone in the woods working feverishly to saw down a tree.
“You look exhausted,” you exclaim, “how long have you been at it?”
“Over five hours,” he returns, “and I’m beat! This is hard work.”
“Well, why don’t you take a break for a few minutes and sharpen that saw?
I’m sure it would go a lot faster.”
“I don’t have time to sharpen the saw,” the man says emphatically, “I’m
too busy sawing!”
Take time for you and
SHARPEN YOUR SAW!
20. Covey reminds us of the following important aspect of
time management:
1. You need to take care of you.
2. You are the greatest asset you have.
According to Covey, that means take care of
yourself physically, mentally, emotionally, and
spiritually.
Take the time for self renewal.
It will revive and energize you so that you can
accomplish all of your goals more efficiently
and effectively.
