Time Management

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Time Management
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WHAT IS TIME MANAGEMENT?

• A good time manager is someone who is
• Organized Productive
  Competent
• Happy Calm
• Students need to find a system that helps them
  gain control over their 24-hour day so as to
  balance all roles (student, sibling, boy or
  girlfriend, part-time worker, studying, going to
  class, writing essays, etc.).

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The Benefits of Time Management

• Most daily stress is related to the time crunch.
  (Too much to do in too little time).
• Structuring your time will help relieve Chronic
  Stress
• Over weeks, months, and years it can become a
  slippery slope toward burnout and depression.
• Reduce your stress and anxiety by including some
  relaxation in your schedule.

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• Start by doing what is necessary then do what
  is possible and suddenly you are doing the
  impossible.
• ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI
• (1181/2-1226)

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Whats stopping you?

• Obstacles to efficient time management
• Procrastination
• Perfectionism
• Fear of failure
• 4) Fear of success

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Overcoming Perfectionism

• People need to understand that making mistakes is
  a human trait.
• People learn more about themselves through
  failures.
• Students should be striving for excellence
  instead of perfection.
• Block out the time required, do the preparation,
  get the job done in
• the time allotted, and feel good about it.

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Overcoming Perfection

• Give yourself a reasonable schedule and stick
  with it.
• Use a timing device to remind you when time is
  up.
• Force yourself to move on to the next task.
• Be patient with yourself as you practice being
  imperfect.

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Fear of Failure

• Ask yourself what you are afraid of.
• Being judged? Looking silly?
• Is there any evidence to support these fears?
• Once we have accepted what the worst outcome
  could be, our fears lessen and we feel more
  positive about trying.
• Try not to let your emotions control what you are
  going to do when you are attempting to do it.
• Take action first and the good feelings will
  follow.

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Fear of Failure

• Develop persistence
• Stick to one thing until you get it done.
• Everyone experiences failure at some time or
  another. It doesnt reflect on your value as a
  person.
• Watch your thoughts. Beware of your internal
  dialogue when things go wrong.

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Fear of Success

• Those who fear success are masters of
  self-sabotage. They set things up to fail.
• Perhaps being successful does not fit with their
  self-concept. They view themselves as undeserving
  of success.
• Ask yourself what would be different in your life
  if you stopped sabotaging yourself and became
  successful.
• What are the pros and cons of success?

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Fear of success

• Once you pinpoint why you are sabotaging
  yourself, you can start addressing the problem.
• Push past your fears to success by defining your
  goals, both long- and short-term.
• While the fear of success is in the present, your
  goals are future-oriented.

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Choosing and Using Your Planner

• The next step is to find the right time
  management tool (keeping track of your goals,
  scheduling appointments, and providing you with
  easy access to important information.
• The biggest dilemma when choosing a time
  management tool is which format to use
• Paper
• Computer
• Handheld

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Guidelines When Selecting and Using Your Planner

• Choose one planner and use it for everything that
  needs scheduling. Store all contacts, phone
  numbers, and schedules in one place.
• Keep your planner in the same place for easy
  access. For example, Near the phone or on your
  desk.

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Guidelines When Selecting and Using Your Planner

• Dont become a slave to your time management
  system. This will take the joy out of life and
  will be counterproductive.
• Make sure that there is a good fit between the
  way you work and your time management system.

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How to Schedule

• Schedule your priority tasks at the beginning of
  the week.
• Be aware of deadlines. Schedule tasks to be
  completed ahead of the deadline date.
• This will give you a comfortable time cushion in
  which to deal with emergencies or unforeseen
  events.
• Overestimate rather than underestimate how long
  it will take you to complete a project.

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How to Schedule cont

• Schedule your work as an appointment with
  yourself.
• If you must interrupt your scheduled task to take
  care of an emergency, be sure to reschedule your
  task for as soon as possible.
• Once you have scheduled your priorities you can
  fill in some of your schedule with other, less
  important activities.

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Managing Email

• How often should I check my email?
• Once daily is recommended
• Do not respond to email as it comes in. Try not
  to use the message alert feature that tells you
  when new mail has arrived. (You will then be
  tempted to respond right away)

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Managing Email

• When is it counterproductive to use email?
• Email is not the best option if you are dealing
  with an urgent matter.
• If you can reach the recipient on their cell
  phone or landline, you have a better chance of
  resolving the issue quickly.

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Dealing with Interruptions

• Strategies to handle or minimize interruptions
• Tell people not to interrupt you
• Record a voicemail message telling people that
  you are available to take and return calls
  between specific times only.
• You can do the same with your emails.

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Dealing with interruptions

• If people know when you are available, they are
  less likely to interrupt you while you are busy.
• Turn it off turn off the technology that allows
  people to contact you.
• Closed-door policy Post a schedule listing your
  open-door time slots.
• Conversation-enders Dont let people monopolize
  your time? Be diplomatic yet honest. Try this
• I honestly dont have time to talk right now.
  or I will be available at 4pm for ten minutes.
  Is that a good time for you?

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How to Say No

• The ability to say no at the right time not
  only saves you time, but can preserve
  relationships.
• Time is a commodity and often people ask us for
  our time because they dont have enough of their
  own.
• Example if someone asks you to be a committee
  member, tell them youd like to help but you can
  not, and offer a brief explanation, such as
  Right now my schedule wont allow me to take on
  anything new.

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How to Say No

• What if your boss at your part-time job asks you
  to take on more work? You can handle it
  diplomatically by asking him/her to decide which
  project he/she would like you to stop working on
  in order to fulfill their request.
• This puts the boss in a position of making the
  decision and makes it clear what will and will
  not get done.
• Never allow yourself to be pressured into giving
  a response on the spot. Be assertive and ask
  for time to think it over.

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Time Management for Students

• The higher the level of education, the greater
  investment of time required.
• As a general rule, at university level you
  should spend two hours studying for every hour
  you are in the classroom.
• If you spend 12 hours per week in class you
  should schedule 24 hours of preparation and
  study. Thats a total of 36 hours of your week
  dedicated to school.

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References

• MacDonald, L. (2006). Learn to Manage Your Time.
  San Francisco Chronicle Books LLC.