Time Management Skills and Defeating Procrastination Workshop Presented By The New Student Advisement and Retention Services (STARS) center

Time Management Failing to plan is planning to fail Plan Each Day, Each Week, Each Semester You can always change your plan, but only once you have one ! It is a Life Skill not a Study Skill !!

The Rule Many people spend their days in a frenzy of activities that produce few results because they are not concentrating on the right things. 80% of unfocussed effort generates only 20% of results. The remaining 80% of results are achieved with only 20% of the effort.

Four(4) Steps for Effective Time Management Step1-Setting goals  Divide goals into time frames  short-term, medium-term, and long-term  Most urgent assignments first Step 2-Track how you use your time. What’s the purpose of tracking your time?  Discovering how you actually spent my time  Assessing if you’re using your time efficiently  Helps in the process of creating a better time management plan Step 3- Planning a. Types of Planning Tools  Monthly Planner  Weekly Planner  “To Do” Lists  PDA or other electronic device

Four(4) Steps for Effective Time Management Step 3b. Planning your time Make time for errands Make time for fun Set realistic time goals Allow flexibility in schedule…“flex time”, “open time ” Set aside study time…2hrs for every hr in class Step 4. Evaluation and Adjusting Once you have completed your plan  Evaluate how closely you were able to follow your plan  Reflect back on any problem areas  Ask yourself what went right or wrong  Adjust your plan accordingly

Advantages of good time management Increased effectiveness and efficiency. Reduces stress and anxiety. Reduces avoidance. Leads to more balance. Eliminates cramming. Allows more time for review.

The Roadblock to Time Management

“How do I put things off? Let me count the ways.” 1.If I ignore it, it will go away. 2.I underestimate the time something will take and then not be able to complete it. 3. Mediocrity is just fine with me – I just need enough not to fail. 4. I can’t study until my room is clean, I have washed my car, and feed the hungry masses. 5. Just watching 5 more minutes of TV won’t hurt. 6. I took my books with me…I just never had time to look at them… 7. If I just get this one part of the assignment perfect, the rest of the work will be really easy. 8. I can’t decide which is more important to do first, so I don’t do either.

Reasons to Procrastinate 1. Lack of Relevance Things that aren’t personally important to you are often harder to want to do. 2. Working On Someone Else’s Goals Goals that others set for your are harder to want to pursue and lead to mediocre performance at best.

Reasons to Procrastinate 3. Perfectionism Believing that the only good task is a perfectly done task will make it hard to finish anything. 4. Evaluation Anxiety A cousin to perfectionism. Worrying about how you or your project will be judged creates anxiety and makes it harder to work.

Reasons to Procrastinate 5. Ambiguity about the task If I don’t know exactly what I need to do, I can’t start. I’ll wait ‘till I know more. 6. Fear of the Unknown Ambiguity’s cousin. If this is new, I don’t have any way of telling how well I can do or if I can do it at all. I’ll wait ‘till I know more.

Reasons to Procrastinate 7. Lack of Skills to do the Job I can’t do this, so I won’t try. 8. Add your own reason to this list:

Procrastination Solutions  Start Something – Anything “In creating, the hardest part is to begin.” - Anonymous  Reward yourself for starting  Break it up  Exercise: Make a list of 101 things you’ve been meaning to do and start doing them  Learn to say “no” appropriately  Learn value of delayed gratification

The Rock Keeps Moving Think of the college as a big rock, rolling slowly along with nothing to stop it. Whether you study today or not Whether you have a good day or bad day Whether you broke up with your partner or not Whether your sick or healthy

Please complete the evaluation handout... Thank you for attending!!! New STARS Center Savoy Building Room101D Telephone: Or visit us at: