GET AHEAD UNDERGRADUATE SUMMER PROGRAMME 2014 Start Organised, Stay Organised Sara Steinke s.steinke@bbk.ac.uk

Aims of the session Importance of starting and staying organised in your studies What is meant by time management, including time management techniques How to prioritise tasks Importance of establishing a study timetable How to use a diary effectively

Why start organised? Poor organisational skills prevents students from achieving their best Related to other study skills - study space/resources, essay writing, presentation, exams, revision, reading for academic purposes, note-making Helps you to achieve your goals - S.M.A.R.T. (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound) Link to employability

Harold Lloyd, Safety Last, 1923 Time management Importance of time management What is time management Where does the time go How well do you use your time Establishing a dedicated study space Harold Lloyd, Safety Last, 1923

Importance of time management "Time management is the skill which above all others can make the difference between graduating and drop out.” Ruth Pickford and Sally Brown, Assessing Skills and Practice (London: Routledge, 2006), page 47 Expected of you in Higher Education Transferable skill to the workplace

Cottrell, S. The Study Skills Handbook chapter 4 C - Creative have the confidence to use your individual strategies and styles, apply imagination to your learning R - Reflective sit with your experience, analyse and evaluate your own performance and draw lessons from it E - Effective organise your space, time, priorities, state of mind and resources to the maximum benefit A - Active be personally involved, do things, physically and mentally in order to make sense of what you learn M - Motivated be aware of your desired outcomes using short and long-term 'goals'

What is time management? Time management is about organising your competing priorities in the limited time available Time management often has very little to do with time It is about organising your life around what is important to you, dealing with and confronting more emotional issues like fear, inadequacy and other people’s demands on you

Studying lectures, What current pressures are there on your time? Have you thought about how you are going to fit studying into your wider schedule? Can you foresee any problems which may arise? Studying lectures, reading, writing sleeping/ eating exercise/ relaxation home/ personnel work travel socialising

How well do I use my time? Yes No I use small pockets of time effectively. I am well motivated to start work quickly. I do enough rather than aiming at perfection. 4. I say ‘NO’ when I lack time. I use a diary to prioritise my activities.

1. Small pockets of time - around 45 minutes - are more productive; short portions of time soon add up; take frequent breaks 2. Recognise and deal with procrastination; set goals; identify your time wasters (self-inflicted and given) 3. Pareto Principle - roughly 80% of results/effects come from 20% of effort/causes; 20% effort delivers an acceptable result, not perfect, but good enough 4. L’Oreal principal - ‘because you’re worth it’; educate your family, friends and colleagues to respect your study space/time 5. Use one diary to create a ‘to-do list’; prioritise tasks; note deadlines; write down dates you must begin working towards the deadlines, establish study timetable

Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Sat Sun am 8-12 Gym/ Work House work and errands pm 12-6 Study Family/ Friends/Fun Eve 6-9 BBK Gym TV Night 9-12 Library Key reading

Use one diary, carry with you at all times Enter deadlines, lectures, appointments, including extra time needed to complete these tasks Check diary everyday Do not schedule 100% of your time, allow for emergencies/the unexpected Plan time for family, friends, eating, shopping Create to-do list, using prioritisation Record follow up tasks

Think about the following Have you created a dedicated study space? Are you comfortable? Have you enough space to work in? Do you have all the equipment that you need? How are you going to organise your notes/books?

The 3 Ps Importance of prioritisation What is prioritisation How to prioritise Goal setting

The 3 Ps Avoid PROCRASTINATION No such thing as PERFECTIONISM Learn how to PRIORITISE

time wasters apply to you? Procrastination Perfectionism Lack of self discipline Worrying Personal disorganisation Lack of priorities Inability to say ‘no’ Indecisiveness Socialising (too much) Intrusions (visitors, calls) Not finding resources Excessive family demands Not able to contact people Facebook/Twitter/internet Which of these time wasters apply to you? How are you going to deal with these time wasters?

Importance of prioritisation Adult learners have many, often competing, demands on their time; work, family, friends and studying Helps you to achieve your short, medium and long term goals Expected of you in Higher Education Transferable skill to the workplace

What is prioritisation

Quadrant 1 - Urgent and Important The Quadrant of Necessities - reactive tasks that need to be done, often at the last minute. Crises, 'fire-fighting' and looming deadlines are typical examples. Quadrant 2 - Important but not Urgent The Quadrant of Quality - proactive tasks, often habitual, that maintain or improve the quality of your work and life. The more you expand this quadrant, the more you reduce the other three, particularly 'pseudo-emergencies' that should never have been allowed to become so. Quadrant 3 - Urgent but not Important The Quadrant of Deception - plenty of people have gone home in the evening wondering where all the time went. Well, it was here! It's so easy to get sucked into doing things that are the wrong side of the 80-20 rule. Quadrant 4 - Neither Urgent or Important The Quadrant of Waste - you know what it is and you know when you've been in it. The trick is to know when you're in it. Often, it starts out as restful time (which is Quadrant 2).

List of things to do A B C D Importance Need to do scale 6 (unimportant) to 10 (essential) B Urgency Do now scale 1 (must be done at once) 5 (it can wait) C Subtract the score in column B from column A. The higher scores in column C are priorities. D Order of priority/ When to do Number the order of priorities 1. Print/submit essay for today’s deadline 2. Start to prepare presentation for next week’s seminar 3. Sick child requiring urgent doctor’s appt. 4. Plan for work meeting taking place tomorrow 5. Book holiday for next summer

List of things to do A B C D Importance Need to do scale 6 (unimportant) to 10 (essential) B Urgency Do now scale 1 (must be done at once) 5 (it can wait) C Subtract the score in column B from column A. The higher scores in column C are priorities. D Order of priority/ When to do Number the order of priorities 1. Print/submit essay for today’s deadline 10 1 9 2. Start to prepare presentation for next week’s seminar 8 3 5 3. Sick child requiring urgent doctor’s appt. 4. Plan for work meeting taking place tomorrow 2 7 5. Book holiday for next summer 6

How to stay organised 1. Which three organisational skills do you think will be the most useful for your studies? 2. Why are they important to you? 3. How are you going to use these organisation skills to start organised and stay organised?

New (academic) year resolutions Psychologists (at the University of Hertfordshire) have identified 5 success factors for individuals who managed to achieve their New Years’ Resolutions. Breaking down goals into small steps Rewarding achievement Telling other people what you are trying to achieve Focussing on the benefits of success Keeping a progress diary

Recap of the session Importance of starting and staying organised in your studies What is meant by time management, including time management techniques How to prioritise tasks Importance of establishing a study timetable How to use a diary effectively

Skills Handbook, 3rd Edition (London, Palgrave) chapter 4 Cottrell, S. (2008) The Study Skills Handbook, 3rd Edition (London, Palgrave) chapter 4 ‘The C.R.E.A.M. Strategy for learning’ pp.70-79 http://www.palgrave.com/skills4 study/studyskills/learning/time. asp helpful information on organisational skills on the Skills4Study website http://www.bbk.ac.uk/mybirkbeck/ studyskills/course timetable academic skills workshops which deal with organisational skills - and other study skills - in greater detail http://www.bbk.ac.uk/mybirkbeck/ services/facilities/support/time- management online resources on organisational skills available on the Birkbeck Library website get-ahead-stay ahead/skills/organisational-skills 20 minute interactive tutorial supporting this Student Orientation programme