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
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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
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Complete the ‘Are You Using Your Time
Wisely’ assessment
Check to see what your answers to the
assessment should be.

Time Management Tips
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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
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Make a daily to-do list

Steps to making to-do lists
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Make a long-term calendar

Make a long-term calendar
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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
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be flexible
Always leave some free-time for some
last-minute additions

Time Management Tips
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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
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Use waiting time
Waiting time is any time you spend between
meetings, classes, events, etc.

How to effectively use ‘wait time’
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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
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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
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When do you procrastinate?
low interest or motivation
large tasks
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What happens when you procrastinate
increase stress
poorer performance

Reducing procrastination
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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
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First, block off time for your FIXED
activities
class
work
meetings

The Ultimate Schedule
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Second, block off time for your RITUAL
activities
meals
travel/commute
sleep
grooming

The Ultimate Schedule
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Third, block off time for your PRIORITY
activities
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studying
try to schedule 2 hours of study time for
each hour spent in class
exercising

The Ultimate Schedule
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Your FREE time is the time that remains,
use it for:
watching television
shopping
Socializing

Summary
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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
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Using the steps for creating the Ultimate
Schedule, design your ultimate schedule
University Learning Center University of Arizona