BALANCE & Keys to a successful year! TIME MANAGEMENT 101

This presentation will cover: ◦ Importance of having a balance in the area of work, academic, personal, and social life. ◦ Insight and tools on how to maintain organization, balance, and good time management. ◦ Share tips and insights on how to have a successful year. ◦ ALSO, Have fun during this presentation with memes and buzzfeed articles!

Quote to ponder “Instead of saying "I don't have time" try saying "it's not a priority," and see how that feels. Often, that's a perfectly adequate explanation. I have time to iron my sheets, I just don't want to. But other things are harder. Try it: "I'm not going to edit your résumé, sweetie, because it's not a priority." "I don't go to the doctor because my health is not a priority." If these phrases don't sit well, that's the point. Changing our language reminds us that time is a choice. If we don't like how we're spending an hour, we can choose differently.” ~ Laura Vanderkam ◦ How does this quote relate to your role as a student staff leader?

Our questions for you today! Read the following article and ask yourself what does it really mean to find balance?

Common myths about work-life balance & time management ◦ Myth # 1: Work life balance means spending 50% of time at work and 50% of your time at home. ◦ Myth # 2: Work life balance means getting to do everything you want to do in a given day or week, or month. ◦ Myth # 3: You should try to do the most in the least amount of time. ◦ Myth # 4: You aren’t suppose to enjoy work. ◦ Myth # 5: The longer or harder you work the more you accomplish.

Reality: Work Life balance & Time ◦ Number of hours in a day: 24 ◦ Number of hours in a work day: 24 ◦ Number of hours in a weekend day: 24 ◦ Number of hours in a day when you have a program: 24 ◦ Number of hours in a day you have class: 24 * No matter what, the number of hours we have to spend doing something stays the same!!

Time and Demands for Student Staff Leaders could include:

Even thought it might feel like this..

Activity time! ◦ Let’s find out how you use your time during the week. ◦ Please go to this link to complete the “My daily Schedule worksheet” at ◦ Next complete the weekly schedule. Use your fall schedule as one of your tools. For the “other” line item use that for your student leader position: ◦ Please go to this link to complete the “My weekly schedule worksheet” at ◦ Enjoy this article! ◦ ◦

8 Tips to a great year of balance Let’s discuss why these would be our top tips! ◦ Know your priorities : Make a list of all activities you need to do or possibly delegate. Mark what should be considered high priority versus low priority. You may want to try numbering them. ◦ Work time : Assess how long each task will take and how much energy. For highest priority tasks requiring the most energy, you’ll want to schedule that activity when you do your best work. Know yourself. ◦ Be healthy : Paying attention to your health may seem basic, but you really do want to give your body and mind its best chance at top performance. Healthy activities include regular exercise. Exercise, among its many health benefits, can help reduce stress. Stress reduces performance, as does lack of sleep. Make sure to keep a good night’s sleep a priority. Rest allows your brain to perform at its peak. Lack of sleep can make the day seem longer and tasks more difficult. ◦ Build in flexibility : No matter what position you are (RA/PM), flexibility also means building in extra time to manage unforeseen obstacles (i.e. pipe burst) on your time into your schedule. RA/PM stuff will happen. Plan accordingly. ◦ Let the little things add up : For the college student, there will always be small tasks that need to be done on a daily basis. Don’t wait for those big chunks of time to get everything done. Doing the small things on a regular basis now and developing good study habits can help keep the momentum going and you feeling good about all that you are accomplishing rather than focusing on all that you have yet to do. ◦ Know when it’s survival time : Exam time is when a planned imbalance is essential. Non-essentials need to fall to the wayside as you prepare yourself for these important tests but this should NOT be an excuse to not fulfill your RA/PM duties. ◦ Know when it’s celebration time : Be sure to celebrate milestones. Acknowledge a job well done. These could include a successful exam, the submission of a paper, getting a good grade in a college course or the completion of a semester. Give yourself and others permission to be proud of your hard work -- and mark the progression towards your degree. ◦ Compromise : Sometimes, there’s just not enough time to get things done exactly the way you want it done. Sometimes, you need to trade in excellence for efficiency. Sometimes, you need to know when good enough is good enough. You are in school for the long haul; you want to graduate. Remember, you won’t be judged by one project alone. Learning is a cumulative process.

Things to remember: ◦ "the 7 Ps“: Proper Planning and Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance ◦ Make the best use of your time ◦ Timing is everything! ◦ Knowing when not to work is a important as knowing when to work. ◦ Save the easiest tasks for the end of the day. Know when to say NOOOOOOOO! Be flexible Be both effective and efficient Take time for yourself! Have fun! Make everything a positive experience!

Final Thoughts? Good luck this year!! Enjoy this video!