Time Management For College Students DeLandra Hunter, Associate Director EXCEL: Center for Academic Success University of West Georgia

You will learn Time Wasters Personal and Study Time Goals and Priorities Planning The Schedules Procrastination

Why Time Management is Important Bad time management = stress Your are able to accomplish more daily This is life advice

Time Wasters Ask the students to name 5 things that they waste their time on Hand out the Time Management Quiz

The Problem is Severe By some estimates, people waste about 2 hours per day. Signs of time wasting: Can’t find things Miss appointments/unprepared for class/late for class Tired/unable to concentrate Messy desk/dorm room

Hear me now, Believe me Later… Being successful doesn’t make you manage your time well. Managing your time well makes you successful.

Think About it Do you estimate how many hours you will need to study each week? Do you meet assignment deadlines? Do you begin working on semester long projects early in the semester? Do you write a daily “to do” list? Do you prevent social activities from interfering with your study time? When you have answered all questions, click the Add Button to determine your Time Management Quiz score. If you have a high total score (10 is the maximum score possible), this indicates that you are using effective time management techniques.  If your total score is low, it may be helpful to learn some techniques for using your study time more effectively.

Think About It Con’t 6) Do you have a job that requires more than 10 hours a week? Do you set specific goals for each study period? Do you begin your study time with your most difficult assignment? Do you complete most of your studying during your most productive hours each day? Do you think of being a full-time student as you would a full time job?

Goals and Priorities Why am I doing this? What is the goal? Why will I succeed? What happens if I choose not to do it?

Inspiration “If you can dream it, you can do it” Walt Disney Disneyland was built in 366 days, from ground-breaking to first day open to the public.

Planning 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!

Create a Semester Schedule Record known class assignments, including quizzes, tests, and papers Record co-curricular activities including work hours, meetings, social commitments, and out of town weekends

Create a Weekly Schedule Make a list of what you have to accomplish during the coming week, including class assignments and class attendance. Include co-curricular activities, work hours, errands, exercise, meals and time with friends on your list of things to do for the week. Estimate how long each task will take. Identify the day on which you will accomplish each task, keeping in mind the amount of time the task will take and other things you must also do that day. Point one: Being inclusive in your list of school work that must be done for the week is essential for making your schedule work.  Everything takes take time, whether it's reading a chapter, working problems, or writing an outline for a research paper. Point 2: Daily living activities and co-curricular activities are important and provide balance in your schedule but take time away from study time.  Preparing dinner and cleaning up afterwards or attending a student organization meeting can take as much time as reading a chapter in a textbook. Point 3: This is an essential, but often overlooked step in the time scheduling process.   Activities take different amounts of time so to effectively use your time, it is important to estimate how long a task will take and allow that amount of time for the task.  It's better to estimate conservatively if you don't know how long something will take.  If you finish 30 minutes or an hour early, you can use that time however you would like but if you haven't allowed enough time, you'll have to take time away from another task to complete the one that is taking longer than planned. Make a point about planning reading time Point 4: This facilitates the next step of this process, making a daily schedule.  By looking at your whole week and realizing everything you need to accomplish during that week, you are more likely to avoid missing deadlines. You can make adjustments throughout the week instead of finding that you have a 6 hour task with only three hours remaining before the deadline.  Making your schedule for the next week is a good activity for Friday afternoon or evening, before beginning your weekend.  Weekends provide the largest blocks of time for study so if you will have a very full week ahead, it may be helpful to complete some of the tasks on the weekend to decrease the time crunch during the coming week.  

ADJUST YOUR SCHEDULE EVERYDAY Use an index card or a daily planner.  As you write out your daily schedule, assess your priorities. Write out a daily schedule at the beginning of each day.  Include uncompleted tasks from the previous day as well as new tasks.This should only take a few minutes because you can use your weekly schedule to create it quickly.  Use an index card or a daily planner.  Carry your schedule with you so you can refer to it as needed and cross items off once they are completed.  This last step provides a sense of accomplishment.As you write out your daily schedule, assess your priorities.Some activities must be done on a particular day while others may be optional for that day.   You can use the A, B, C system of prioritizing your tasks.  A's must be done that day and C's are optional.  B's are important but not as important as A's.   Try to accomplish all your A tasks before moving on to the B tasks and finally the C tasks.  This can reduce your stress level.

TO DO Lists Break things down into small steps Like a child cleaning his/her room Do the ugliest thing first

Procrastination “Procrastination is the thief of time” Edward Young Nights Thoughts, 1972

Balancing Act “Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion” Parkinson’s Law Cyril Parkinson, 1957

Avoiding Procrastination Doing things at the last minute is much more expensive than just before the last minute Deadlines are really important: establish them yourself!

EVALUATE YOUR SCHEDULE Evaluate your schedule in the morning Evaluate your schedule in the evening. Ask yourself whether the schedule for the day is realistic, given the amount of time each of the tasks will take.  If it's not, remove some of the B and C priority items from your schedule so the schedule is manageable. Did you accomplish everything on your list?  If not, why not?  Was the schedule unrealistic or was your time management ineffective?  What adjustments can you make in the future to make your schedule work better for you?

MAKING YOUR SCHEDULE WORK Identify your best time of the day Study difficult or boring subjects first Use the same place to study every time Use the library Avoid distractions Use waiting time Treat school as a full-time job

Review Avoid Time Wasters Balance Personal and Study Time Set Goals and Rank Priorities Planning: It’s a Must Prepare Your Schedules Be Aware of Procrastination Many times college students have not had to manage their time efficiently  prior to college because they are bright and weren't really challenged in high school.  The situation often changes in college because everyone who goes to college did well in high school but the full range of grades are assigned.  Some students who received A's and B's in high school are now receiving C's and D's in college.  Those receiving lower grades are probably no less capable than those receiving higher grades but often their study skills, including time management, are less effective. 

Resources If you additional assistance, contact The EXCEL Center for Academic Success 678-839-6280