Time Management Skills

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Time Management Skills

• Created by
• Ida Hoelscher
• Title III Academic Skills Coordinator
• Sul Ross State University

2
Is Time Management Important?

• Yes!!!
• You dont want to feel like youre walking a
  tightrope.
• You never had to worry about it before!
• Before you had study hall or your parents saying
  do your homework first.

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College versus High School

• In High School, you went to class from early in
  the morning till mid-afternoon.
• In college you go the hours you want.
• In High School you had time in class to complete
  projects.
• In College you do most of your work out of class.

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Responsibility

• Now, as youre probably figuring out, you have
  to decide when to go to school, when to study,
  when to go to work, and when to have fun.
• If you do a poor job you can often feel like this
  guy!
• If you do a good job you will find you have time
  for all these things and feel good about yourself
  too!

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First, What do you do now?

• For a week keep track of what you do now
• when you sleep,
• when you eat,
• when you work,
• when you go to class,
• when you study,
• when you have fun,
• and anything else.

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Evaluate Decide on Change

• Figure out how much time each week you spend on
  each task .
• Are you spending it where you need to?
• What do you need to spend more time on?
• What do you need to spend less time on?

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Time you cant change

• 56 hours for sleep,
• 8 hours are usually adequate.
• 21 hours to eat,
• Dont try to rush your eating or skip meals.
• 20 hours for classes and labs,
• Dont try to skip one class to get work done in
  another.

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Other committed time

• Next, fill in other fixed commitments .
• Work - unless hours vary from week to week.
• Meeting times, or practice times of clubs,
  organizations, or sports.
• Social time that doesnt change.
• Time where you sleep in on Saturday or Sunday
  mornings.

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Principles of Time Use

• Plan your day at the same time each day.
• Allow more time for learning new material,
  drafting a paper, grasping concepts, etc.
• As you begin work on each part , jot down the
  time you expect to finish give yourself a
  mini-reward when you finish on time.
• Review for only 15 to 45 minutes ,
• especially before and after class.

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Principles - cont.

• Do something daily - dont procrastinate.
• Schedule harder study tasks when you are most
  alert.
• Plan to learn the first time so the other times
  you are just reviewing , making up test
  questions, etc.
• Dont try to allocate ALL your time just make
  sure you schedule what you have to get done.

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When to study.

• Plan to study two hours for every hour you spend
  in class.
• Study your difficult subjects first.
• Avoid marathon study sessions.
• Study during the time you are most alert each day.

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Where to study.

• Find a regular study place
• It should be somewhere that you dont eat or
  sleep.
• Train your body that you study there.
• Dont get too comfortable.
• Dont study on the bed.
• Easy chairs sofas are unsafe too.
• Use a library.

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Handling the Rest of the World

• Pay attention to your mind wandering.
• Set rules times with roommates, spouses,
  kids.
• Avoid noise distractions.
• Talk to people who routinely interrupt.
• Avoid the phone!
• Learn to say NO!
• Hang a do not disturb sign.

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3 Rules of Time Management

• Dont create impossible situations.
• Define priorities.
• Avoid distractions and lack of focus.

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Dont Create Impossible Situations

• Dont try to do too much
• work full time,
• school full time,
• too many lab classes,
• single parent,
• or too many extracurriculars.
• Plan to study 2 hours for every 1 hour of class.
• Decide which class you have to finish.

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Define Priorities

• Create lists to set priorities
• Weekly Calendar - this is your basic time
  budgeting guide - list courses, work , study
  time, meals, recreation.
• Daily Calendar - this is what you want to do
  today - homework, tests, housework, shopping,
  recreation.
• Goal List - this is a list of things you have to
  do - list commitments, goals, etc.

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Avoid Distractions Lack of Focus

• Procrastination!
• Crisis management.
• Switching and floundering.
• Television, telephone
• Friends
• Emotional blocks
• Sickness

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Good Time Management Strategies

• Planning is important but just planning doesnt
  make it so.
• Study in 50-60 minute increments.
• Take breaks.
• Switch subjects.
• Tackle difficult assignments first.
• Plan rewards.
• Work until you finish scheduled tasks.
• Work ahead.

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Procrastination

• Causes
• low self-esteem,
• low frustration tolerance,
• hostility,
• protection from feelings of inadequacy,
• poor time management,
• or habit.

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Overcoming Procrastination

• Set realistic goals.
• Use good time management skills.
• Long term planning.
• Break down large tasks.
• Some tasks are not fun.
• Plan rewards.
• Learn to see the relevance.
• Take action!

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Being Realistic

• Monitor how well your schedule is working.
• Evaluate if you have enough study time.
• Admit when the schedule you have created is not
  working.
• Then reevaluate and start over, and over, and
  over.