1.
Time Management & Productivity Workshop
Jeremy McCleery, LCSWA
CSL Health & Wellness Counselor

2.
CSL Health & Wellness Center:
Services Provided
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Coaching / Counseling
Short-term problem solving solutions
Empowerment
Educational workshops
Referral information
Resources
Here is the link to our LibGuide:
http://cslguides.charlottelaw.edu/healthandwellness
Here is the link to make an online appointment:
http://charlottelawwellness.setster.com/

3.
Procrastination
• According to The New Yorker, 65% of students faced with
writing a term paper said they would like to avoid
procrastinating because they knew the delay would make
them unhappy.
• The essence of procrastination lies in not doing what you
think you should be doing.
– Knowingly delaying because you think that’s the most efficient
use of your time doesn’t count (i.e. eating, drinking, and being
merry).
The New Yorker:
http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/books/2010/10/11/101011crbo_boo
ks_surowiecki

4.
Procrastination: Theories
• Hyperbolic Discounting (fancy economics term)
– Short-term considerations overwhelm long-term goals.
• Instant gratification (i.e. Facebook, Candy Crush, etc)
• $100 today? or $110 tomorrow? In one study, most people chose
$100 today.
• Planning Fallacy
– Underestimating the time it will take to complete a given
task and relying only on smooth scenarios.
• Self-handicappers
– Rather than risking failure, we prefer to create conditions
that make success impossible. Read about General George
McClellan.

5.
Assess your avoidance
• What is holding you back from completing a task?
– Fear of failure
– Get to the root of the problem.
– Chart your common avoidances and find out which are
leading you to procrastinate the most.
– Check out Unstuck for the iPad which will help you access
the problem.

6.
Eliminate distractions
• Avoid mindless web browsing, stop checking social
media, get out of your inbox.
– Schedule times during the day for social media and checking
email
• Get radical.
– Check out Stay Focused for Chrome that blocks distracting
websites.
– Put your mobile device on airplane mode while focusing on
your task.
– Turn off your Wi-Fi on your laptop.
• Find your best workspace (i.e. home, school, coffee
shop, etc).

7.
Set goals & strengthen your willpower
• Develop a keystone habit (exercise, study, budget)
– Keystone habits will “spill over” into in other
areas of life.
– Think of willpower as a muscle.
• Create and track goals:
– Pick one goal.
– Start small.
 (SMART)
Habit List (ios)
Everest (ios)
Goal Tracker
(Android)

8.
Reframe the task in front of you
• Procrastination is driven by the gap between effort
(now) and reward (future).
• Narrow the gap.
– Divide projects into smaller, defined sections.
• Stop chasing perfection.
– Go with your gut when it comes to being finished with a
task.

9.
Break tasks down & prioritize
1. Brainstorming and initial
project planning.
2. Break down into
smaller, actionable steps.
3. Prioritize and sort. Find
the “next action” item.
4. Review weekly.
Android alternatives
• Any.do
• Wunderlist
• Remember the milk
• Todoist
Don’t forget low
tech options:
- Paper & pen
- Be creative with
different color pens
and markers
“MY workflow”
Clear (ios)

10.
Set Deadlines & Create Routines
• Give yourself deadlines for projects using your
mobile calendar.
• Don’t forget to set a reminder!
• You can also use your calendar to schedule
routines (i.e. studying, exercising, relaxing, etc).
– Your brain loves routines and it will help habits
become automatic.

11.
Create an early morning routine
• Eat That Frog! (first thing in the
morning, before you check your email).
– Do the big, shoulder-sagging stuff first.
– Mark Twain said that if you eat a live frog first
thing in the morning, you’ve got it behind you for
the rest of the day, and nothing else looks so bad.
1. Choose your frog.
2. Write it down and gather what you need
to work on the task.

12.
Stay Focused: the Pomodoro Technique
1. Choose a task you’d like to get
done.
2. Set the pomodoro for 25 minutes.
3. Work on the task until the
pomodoro rings.
4. When the pomodoro rings, put a
checkmark on your paper.
5. Take a short break (5 minutes).
6. Every 4 pomodoros, take a longer
break (15).
Apps (ios)
Focus Time
Pomodoro
Pomodroido
(Android)

13.
Get Mindful!
Mindfulness:
Paying attention, on
purpose, in the
present, moment by
moment, non-judgmentally.
Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D.
A simple way to manage
stress and improve test
scores.
Guided Meditation
Apps:
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Mindfulness meditation
We have a simple
meditation on our
Libguide for beginners

14.
Questions?
Feel free to email me at
wellness@charlottelaw.edu
or visit me in Office 792 of the
Health & Wellness Center (Suite 789).