PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT

Time Management

Remember - time is like energy, it should not be wasted!

As you enter a year when there will be many demands on your time, it may be helpful to think about the obstacles you face in managing your time and to consider some strategies for more effective time management.

What you accomplish during a 24-hour period depends on your own motivation, your energy, your skills and abilities, and other resources. The idea of time management is not a way to make you work harder and longer, but a means to help you work smarter to accomplish your work more easily and rapidly.

Many people see schedules as an inflexible method of organizing time. An inflexible schedule, however, is both useless and destructive. Instead, create a schedule to suit your individual needs and personality, one that will help you study at the best possible time. If used correctly, schedules will give you more freedom.

A schedule is a tool that helps you plan your time and work. Think of it as a time map with every task spread out in plain sight. You are in control. You can move the tasks around and change the amount of time you wish to allot. When the schedule is finally set up, it will work well since everything is planned and accounted for the way you want it to be.

Since it is your schedule, you can decide how flexible or rigid the schedule needs to be to get tasks done. An effective schedule reflects your personality. Match your personality - rigid, flexible, or a combination of both - with your schedule.

Decide how effective you want to be in scheduling your tasks. You may wish to jot a few things down, now and then, and live with it. Or you may decide to get actively involved in your life and meet the three requirements for good time management:

1. Be aware and sensitive to your unique life's rhythm.
2. Be aware of how you value your time by knowing how and on what you spend it
3. Match the appropriate task with the appropriate energy level time, keeping in mind that subdividing tasks will help all energy times to be used more effectively.

Study Time - how much time should you allot for studying and how should it be distributed? In general, plan on two to three hours of study per week for every academic unit. However, if you're spending more than four hours per unit, you may be studying ineffectively. Only you can determine how much time you need. The following techniques and examples can help you organize your time.




Assess Your USE of Time

Track Your Time

Do this if you have no idea where your time goes. Once an hour, write down in 15-minute segments how you used the previous hour. Do this for seven days during waking hours. At the end of a week, you'll know how you spent your time. Study the results and make adjustments. Perhaps you've learned that you spend more time in meetings and recreation than you realized.

Establish Base Rates

Determine approximately how long different tasks will take. The amount of time needed to do a task is called a base rate. The actual time will vary with the energy you have. For example, reading fifty pages of physics may take you one hour of high energy time, two hours of medium time, or three hours of low energy time. The best way to establish a base rate is to observe how long it takes to do something and when you did it. Write this information down.


Time Savers and Wasters
How many times have you thought to yourself, “This (meeting, activity, email, telephone message, fax, etc. etc) is the biggest waste of time.”? But what is a time waster, really? Don Clark talks about the following ways in which we waste time.

· Indecision- Not knowing which course of action is best

· Inefficiency- Taking the long way around, working harder and not smarter, not utilizing tools at hand

· Interruptions that do not pay off- Sometimes, interruptions can be a good thing; they can spark creativity.

· Procrastination- putting things off

· Unrealistic time estimates- Thinking something will take up more or less time than it actually will

· Unnecessary errors- Not double checking your work

· Crisis management - Spending more time than needed on problem solving or relationship management

· Poor organization- Nothing in order

· Ineffective meetings- Lack of procedures that everyone can follow

· Micro-management- Spending too much time worrying about everyone else

· Doing urgent rather than important tasks- Follows procrastination

· Poor planning and lack of contingency plans- Poor planning leads to time spent on what to do next, or instead of the first plan we came up with

· Failure to delegate or delegation of responsibility without authority- Trying to do too much yourself

· Lack of priorities, standards, policies or procedures- Not knowing really where you want to spend your time


Time Savers

Don’t we all want to save time? But how, when we have so many things on our plates? Here are some ideas from Don Clark…

Time Savers Include:
· Manage the decision making process not the decisions

· Do one task at a time

· Establish daily, short term, mid-term, and long-term priorities

· Make memos, letters, and emails short and do them quickly

· Get rid of unneeded things

· Make yourself personal deadlines and deadlines for your groups

· Do not waste other people’s time

· Make sure all meetings have a purpose, a time limit, and include only the necessary people

· Get rid of busy work

· Keep accurate calendars; and stick to them

· Know when to stop a task, policy or procedure

· Delegate everything possible and encourage teammates to take on responsibilities
· Keep things simple

· Ensure time is set aside to get high priority tasks completed

· Reflect

· Use checklists and to do lists

· Change time priorities when you get new tasks


Avoid Wasting Time

Ever had one of those times where you knew you had things to get done, but you just couldn’t quite get there? Sometimes you need tips on how to avoid wasting time. Butler and Hope (1996), in their work Managing Your Mind, describe nine rules to follow when managing time, getting tasks done, and avoid wasting time

1. Get started- Get down to work quickly

2. Get into a routine- Plan a time every day to get certain tasks done (emails, paper work, etc) and stick to it. Use a day planner to help keep your schedule.

3. Do not say yes to too many things- Saying yes to too many things spreads us too thin, makes us live others’ priorities rather than our own. With only so many hours in a day, every time you say yes will mean something else doesn’t get done.

4. Do not commit yourself to unimportant activities- No matter how far ahead a commitment is, it is still a commitment, and it will still take up the same amount of our time.

5. Divide large tasks- By having small, manageable goals and tasks, you can eventually complete the larger project. Also, smaller projects will be more easily fit into an already tight schedule.

6. Do not put unneeded effort into a project-Learn to recognize each situation and put the attention to detail only in those situations that really need it.

7. Deal with it for once and for all- Deal with a task only once. Schedule the appropriate amount of time for it and get it done. Don’t continually start and stop a task.

8. Set start and stop times- By setting start and stop times you improve your scheduling. As you get better at start and stop times, see if you can’t take away times from your deadlines, working more efficiently.

9. Plan your activities- Schedule a time to schedule your activities. This will help you focus on your time management and make time for it.

Nine Rules to Avoid Wasting Time
1. Get started- Don’t waste time getting started on a project. Get down working quickly and efficiently.

2.Get into a routine- While it may suppress your creativity, if used appropriately, a routine may release time and energy. Plan a time every day to accomplish certain tasks (emails, paper work, etc) and stick to it. Use a day planner to help keep your schedule.

3.Do not say yes to too many things- Saying yes to too many things over-extends energies, forces us to live to others’ priorities rather than focus on our own. With only so many hours in a day, each time you say yes will mean something else doesn’t get done.

4. Do not commit yourself to unimportant activities, no matter how far ahead they are- No matter how far ahead a commitment is, it is still a commitment, and it will still take up the same amount of our time.

5. Divide large tasks- By having small, manageable goals and tasks, you can eventually complete the larger project. Also, smaller projects will be more easily fit into an already tight schedule.

6. Do not put unneeded effort into a project- There is a place for perfectionism, but there also comes a point when there is not much to be gained from putting in the extra effort. Learn to recognize each situation and put the attention to detail only in those situations that really need it.

7. Deal with it for once and for all- Deal with a task only once. Schedule the appropriate amount of time for it and get it done. Don’t continually start and stop a task.

8. Set start and stop times- By setting start and stop times you improve your scheduling. As you continually get better at setting start and stop times, see if you can’t shave off time from your deadlines, striving to work for more efficiency.

9. Plan your activities- Schedule a regular time to schedule your activities. This will help you focus on your time management and devote the necessary time for it.

Obstacles to Effective Time Management

Before you can begin to implement any strategies to manage your time, you should be aware of the most common obstacles that stand in the way of using your time effectively. Look at the list below and see how many of the obstacles apply to you.

Unclear objectives and priorities

Desk management and personal disorganization

Inability to say "No"

Interruptions - telephone

Interruptions - personal visitors

Periods of inactivity - delays and pauses

Too many things at once

BENEFITS OF EFFECTIVE TIME MANAGEMENT

Doing the same work in less time

Accomplishing more in the same number of hours.

Increasing personal productivity and achievement.

Getting more positive recognition.

Earning more money.

Decreasing frustration and anxiety.

Having more time for evaluation and planning.

Devoting more time to your family and friends.

Spending more time with recreation.

Improving you health by reducing stress.

Experiencing increased joy and satisfaction.

An awareness and feeling of effectiveness.

Time Scheduling

Being successful at the university level will probably require a more careful and effective utilization of time than the student has ever achieved before. He is typically scheduled for fifteen or more hours of classroom work per week, in addition, he is expected to average about two hours of preparation for each hour in the classroom. This means that he has at least a forty-five hour work week and is consequently involved in a full-time occupation! Many students find that this full-time job must be supplemented by other part-time jobs and/or family and social responsibilities which add a great deal more time. A common student complaint, therefore, is that there is just not enough time to go around.

The job of being a university student, like most other jobs, can be carried out either efficiently or inefficiently. The way we use time (or waste it) is largely a matter of habit patterns. One of the best techniques for developing more efficient habits of time use is to prepare a time schedule. Research psychologist and efficiency experts can produce impressive statistics demonstrating the efficiency of a well-organized time schedule. The work habits of people who have achieved outstanding success invariably show a well-designed pattern or schedule. When a person has several duties confronting him simultaneously he often will fail to do any of them. The purpose of scheduling is not to make a slave of the student, but to free him from the scholastic inefficiency and anxiety that is, at least partially, a function of wasted time, inadequate planning, hasty, last minute study, etc.

The most successful system for most students is to combine long-range and short-range planning. thus, a student can make a general schedule for an entire quarter and then prepare a more specific plan for two or three days a week at a time.
LONG-RANGE SCHEDULE: Some suggestions for developing a long-range strategy - i.e., a quarter schedule.

1. PLAN ENOUGH TIME FOR STUDY.

The University expects a student to average about two hours in studying (including library work, term papers, themes, etc.) for each hour spent in the classroom. This is an appropriate and realistic guideline. A genuinely high ability student may get by adequately with less. However, many students would do well to plan for somewhat more than the two-for-one ratio.

2. STUDY AT THE SAME TIME EVERY DAY.

In so far as possible, a student should schedule certain hours which are used for studying almost every day in a habitual, systematic way. Having regular hours at least five days a week will make it easier to habitually follow the schedule and to maintain an active approach to study.

3. MAKE USE OF THE FREE HOURS DURING THE SCHOOL DAY.

The hours between classes are perhaps a student's most valuable study time yet, ironically, the most frequently misused. A student may effectively utilize these hours reviewing the material and editing the notes of the preceding class and/or studying the material to be discussed in the following class.

4. PLAN STUDY PERIODS TO FOLLOW CLASS PERIODS.

This should be done whenever possible. The next best procedure is to schedule the period for study immediately preceding the class. A student should specify the particular course he will study rather than just marking "study" on his schedule.

5. SPACE STUDY PERIODS.

Fifty to ninety minutes of study at a time for each course works best. Relaxation periods of ten or fifteen minutes should be scheduled between study periods. It is more efficient to study hard for a definite period of time, and then stop for a few minutes, than attempt to study on indefinitely.

6. PLAN FOR WEEKLY REVIEWS.

At least one hour each week for each class (distinct from study time) should be scheduled. The weekend is a good time for review.

7. LEAVE SOME UNSCHEDULED TIME FOR FLEXIBILITY.

This is important! Lack of flexibility is the major reason why schedules fail. Students tend to over-schedule themselves.

8. ALLOT TIME FOR PLANNED RECREATION, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES. etc.

When a student plans his schedule, he should begin by listing the activities that come at fixed hours and cannot be changed. Classes and laboratories, eating in the dorm dining hall, sleep, and work for money are examples of time uses which the student typically cannot alter. Next, he can schedule his flexible time commitments. these hours can be interchanged with other hours if he finds that his schedule must be changed during the week. Recreational activities are planned last.
When forced to deviate from his planned schedule (and that will invariably occur), the student should trade time rather than steal it from his schedule. Thus, if he has an unexpected visitor at a time he has reserved for study, he can substitute an equal amount of study time for the period he had set aside for recreation.

TIME SCHEDULING SUGGESTIONS

Time scheduling will not make you a perfectly efficient person. Very few people can rigorously keep a detailed schedule day after day over a long period of time. In fact, many students who draw up a study schedule and find themselves unable to stick to it become impatient and often give up the scheduling idea completely.
The following method of organizing time has been helpful to many students and does not take much time. It is more flexible than many methods and helps the student to establish long term, intermediate and short term time goals.

1. Long Term Schedule

Construct a schedule of your fixed commitments only. These include only obligations you are required to meet every week, e.g., job hours, classes, organization meetings, etc.

2. Intermediate Schedule - One per week

Now make a short list of MAJOR EVENTS and AMOUNT OF WORK to be accomplished in each subject this week. This may include non-study activities. For example:

· Quiz Wednesday

· Paper Tuesday

· Ball game Tuesday night

· Finish 40 pages in English by Friday

· Finish 150 pages in History by Friday

These events will change from week to week and it is important to make a NEW LIST FOR EACH WEEK.

3. Short Term Schedule - One per day

On a small note card each evening before retiring or early in the morning make out a specific daily schedule. Write down specifically WHAT is to be accomplished. Such a schedule might include:
Wednesday
· 8:00 - 8:30 Review History

· 9:30 - 10:30 Preview Math and prepare for Quiz

· 4:45 Pick up cleaning on way home

· 7:00 - 10:15 Chpt. 5, 6 (History)

· 10:30 Phone calls

CARRY THIS CARD WITH YOU and cross out each item as you accomplish it. Writing down things in this manner not only forces you to plan your time but in effect causes you to make a promise to yourself to do what you have written down.


SIX PRINCIPLES FOR MANAGING TIME

There are countless techniques for managing time, accompanied by as many good intentions. Most of us have had the experience of starting a new system only to abandon it within a few weeks. The lists get made, and then ignored. The time gets planned, and then we do what we want to do despite the plan. Some of us even buy fancy planners and use them only partially or occasionally. All of this can leave us feeling discouraged, adrift, behind, and ineffective.

This time, let’s start with a set of principles before we play with techniques. Effective managers of time and work choose principles they will honor and then align their methods to support those principles.

The six principles listed below, and the six steps or actions to match them, allow students to approach their studies effectively.



BE THOROUGH To do any assignment correctly, you must assure yourself
you have understood the instructions and expectations.

BE ORDERLY Every task has a beginning and an end. Think strategically.
figure out the logical sequence for getting the job done.

BE REALISTIC You already know a lot about how you do things. Use that
knowledge to choose when, where, and how long to spend
on the task. Exercise your ability to make realistic
estimates.

BE RELIABLE Be where you say you will be. Others will trust you, and so
will you.

BE KIND ….. to yourself, that is. Plan to mix play with work.

BE ACCOUNTABLE The act of planning is an act of promising, especially to
yourself. Fulfill those promises and your self-esteem rises.

Tips to help you manage your time

When you have identified your obstacles you can begin to overcome them. Here are some strategies for overcoming the obstacles listed on the previous page.

Set Goals

Make sure your goals are:

· Specific

· Measurable

· Achievable

· Realistic

· Time-based


Prioritize

Decide which of your tasks you should:
· Do

· Delegate to someone else

· Delay until another time

· Delete from your list

For those tasks you have chosen:

· Address the tasks that have short-term consequences

· Accomplish what you can early

· Attach deadlines to tasks that have to be delayed

Organize

Use a planner, software program on your computer, or a PDA to keep track of your tasks and appointments.



Learn when to say “NO”

Realize that you can’t do everything.

Avoid agreeing to do things you do not have time to complete.

Make sure your commitments are consistent with your goals and objectives.

Use your waiting time

Accomplish small tasks like reading correspondence or writing letters while you wait.

Look at time you spend waiting as a “gift of time” rather than a “waste of time.”

Concentrate on one thing at a time

Put your energy into the task at hand.

Tune out interruptions. Set aside time when you will not answer the phone or schedule visitors.

Don’t waste time thinking about all of the other things that need to be done.


Consider your personal prime time

Know what time of day you are at your best – morning?, evening?, late night?

Concentrate on completing your most challenging tasks at your own prime time.


Celebrate success

Celebrate the achievement of your objectives to maintain a healthy balance in life between work and play.

Reward yourself when you complete a task or finish a project.

TIME MANAGEMENT TIPS FOR YOUTH AT SCHOOL

• 
  
  Time management is probably one of the most important keys to your college success
  Have to learn how to set priorities


• 
  
  
  Time is an unusual commodity. It cannot be saved and it cannot be stockpile for occasions when you need more.


• 
  
  
  24 hours in each day = 168 hours for the week
  RULE OF THUMB: ADD 2 HOURS OF STUDY TIME OUTSIDE OF CLASS FOR EVERY 1 HOUR SPENT IN CLASS
  16 CREDITS = 16 HOURS OF CLASS + 32 HOURS STUDY/PREP
  OR A TOTAL OF 48 HOURS FOR SCHOOL


• 
  
  
  The first step in taking control is to work on a timetable and master plan. (refer to planning schedules)


• 
  
  
  Be realistic in your time management plan


• 
  Don’t be a “Blockhead”. Some students think that block scheduling (running all our classes together without any breaks so they only have to attend 2 days each week) will make things easier. This has its drawbacks!
  

fatigue can kill your enthusiasm and productivity
you may tend to forget lecture material because you don’t have enough time bet classes to digest information
you may feel compelled to skip on class to prepare for another
if you are on a two-day schedule, you will find it difficult to finish assignments between one class meeting and the next
if you are on a one-day schedule and you miss classes, you have actually missed a whole week of classes

• 
  
  
  Follow a routine. Listen to your biological clock. Establish a rhythm and routine. You can’t follow one routine during the week and expect to sleep or play the entire weekend. Monday will hit you like a load of bricks. Try to establish a routine of several shorter study sessions during the weekend.


• 
  
  
  Reduce distractions
  
  
  
  Especially for students
  
  Consider the following suggestions — or habits — that can help you balance your semester and your workload effectively.
  
  Habit 1: Be Proactive
  
  Being proactive means taking initiative, rather than waiting for others to act first or to make decisions for you. The opposite of proactive is reactive; reactive people tend to react to whatever is going on around them. Proactive people, on the other hand, act based on principles and purpose.
  
  Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind
  
  Remember the carpenter’s rule: “Measure twice, cut once.” Applied to a student’s life, this means thinking things through, planning your work, and setting realistic goals.
  
  Habit 3: Put First Things First
  
  Make sure to distinguish the goals that are truly important (e.g. completing a research project) from those that may seem urgent but are really not important (e.g. organizing a softball game with your friends). Don’t spend too much time doing busy work, or work that appears productive but in reality only keeps you occupied.
  
  Habit 4: Look Ahead
  
  An essential part of being proactive — as opposed to reactive — is looking ahead. One way to effectively accomplish this goal is to keep a calendar for each month of the semester. Fill out each calendar carefully and make note of the times of the semester that will likely be difficult for you.
  
  Keeping a weekly schedule can also be very helpful. First, enter all your fixed activities. This means classes, labs, meetings, meals, chores, and sleep. Also be sure to read your class syllabi carefully and enter all test dates, deadlines, due dates, etc. Use this as a master schedule, and make a copy for each week of the semester.