Time Management

1
Time Management

• Denise A. Pani, LPC, LMFT, NCC
• The ULM Counseling Center

2
What concerns do you have about college?

• Not enough time to do everything expected
• Difficult courses
• Too much material to cover in the time allowed
• No time for self

3
You can accomplish what you need toeven a tight
and difficult schedulewith time management.
4
In a study of 249 midwestern full-time college
students, implementation of time management
behaviors reduced stress more than their
satisfaction with their leisure activities did
(Mesha McLean, 2000, 48).
5
Time Management is multi-dimensional.

• Knowledge of oneself. (Time is on your side,
  2008-2010, 14).
• Goals
• Priorities
• Mechanical
• Scheduling
• Organizing tasks and work environment
• Using lists or other devices for keeping track of
  completed and uncompleted goals
• Perceived control of time
• (Misra McKeen, 2000, 43)

6
1. Knowledge of self is one of the most
important elements of time management . . .
7
. . . because it affects and is affected by

• What you decide to work on (goals)
• How much work you have to do to accomplish your
  goalsit may be more or less than others have to
  do.
• How you set up your study and work areas and
  schedules.

8
Take into consideration

• Personal strengths and weaknesses
• Learning style(s)
• Awareness of how you spend your time, focusing on
  how and when you tend to be productive and how
  and when you tend to waste time.

9
. . . and

• What attitudes and behaviors--like
  procrastination or improving motivationthat may
  be interfering with your ability to successfully
  complete your goals
• Preferences in work and study style
• Physical, mental, and emotional barriers and
  considerations.

10
One of the more important things you can do it
time management is not to compare yourself to
others.
11
Everyone is differentin

• goals
• amount of self-discipline
• knowledge base prior to class
• study methods
• presence or absence of learning disabilities

• preferences in study time
• attitudes toward study and rest
• family background (which often has a huge
  influence on how and why we do things)

12

• You will encounter people who can read something
  once and have it, when it may take you two or
  three times to read difficult material. That
  difference does not affect WHO YOU ARE. It does
  affect HOW you manage your time.
• You will also encounter people who cannot grasp
  concepts that you find easy to grasp. Again,
  that does not matter. What matters is what works
  for you.

13
Comparing ourselves to others only creates
depression and/or anxiety, both detrimental to
our ability to concentrate.
14
Accepting yourself as you are will enable you to
determine what is best for you and help you to
succeed.
15
2. Establish Clear Goals
16
Goals give us

• Purpose
• Direction
• Energy
• Focus

17
Have a clear understanding of your goalsboth
long-term and short-term.
Whenever possible, celebrate or reward yourself
when you accomplish each goal.
18
Long-term Goals

• Require multiple steps and often multiple years
  to acquire.
• Take more energy.

19
Short-term Goals

• Can be steps required to accomplish long-term
  goals.
• Can be relatively simple tasks that require a
  short amount of time.
• May have multiple steps themselves, i.e., a
  short-paper for a class still needs prewriting,
  sometimes research, writing, rewriting, sometimes
  additional research, editing, and submission.

20
Goals are often based on our value systems.

• When our goals match our value systems, then we
  are generally happier, work harder to accomplish,
  and enjoy reaching those goals.
• Examples
• Creating a savings account (value of self-care)
• Getting a job that helps others (value of caring
  for others)

21
Examples Long- and Short-term Goals

• Long-term Goals
• Work on good health
• Finish degree
• Find enjoyable, fulfilling work
• Have a family
• Buy a home
• Have financial security
• Have a secure retirement
• Buy a car

• Short-term Goals
• Exercise weekly
• Eat healthy each day
• Pass classes (for each semester)
• Begin term paper
• Attend organization meeting
• Complete minutes for organization
• Meet with advisor
• Create a financial buffer of 1000

22
Post your long-term goals on notes around your
home or apartment.

• To remind you of why you are doing the short-term
  goals that are steps in accomplishing the
  long-term goals.
• To encourage you to continue when you are
  discouraged or tired.
• To gain a sense of accomplishment.
• One woman wrote her goals on a large sheet of
  paper. After she had accomplished each one, she
  marked it off with a large red marker (Ramsey,
  2007).

23
Reward Self for Accomplishing Goals

• Long-term Goal Rewards
• Long vacation after end of academic year or
  graduation
• Purchase of a car after getting a new job
• Purchase of a reminder of your hard work (piece
  of jewelry, something you have wanted)
• Create something that celebrates your
  accomplishment (i.e., art work)

• Short-term Goal Rewards
• Sleeping in after successfully studying for a
  test
• Going to a movie at the end of a hard week of
  study
• Spoiling self for an entire day after a
  particularly difficult task (i.e., completing
  mid-term exams)

24
3. Create schedules.

• How many of you already create a study/work
  schedule?
• What do you include in your schedule?
• At the beginning of each semester, create a
  master schedule.
• Then create daily or weekly schedules referring
  to the master schedule and updating any changes.

25
When creating a schedule, take into consideration

• When you have the most energy put your most
  difficult tasks there.
• When you have the least energy put your most
  enjoyable tasks or your rest periods there.
• For difficult subjects, allow more time.
• For subjects you find easy, allow less time.

26
Things to include in a master schedule
(recurring events)

• Classes
• Work
• Study time
• Group, committee, or organization meetings
• Sleeping
• Eating
• Commuting
• Relaxation
• Exercise

• Laundry
• Time with family and friends
• Favorite activities (TV programs, hobbies)time
  for these will be greatly reduced, but
  eliminating them completely can affect your
  attitude.
• Short and longer breaks
• Time for self
• A few blank hours for emergency rearranging.

27
Include time for self in your schedule.

• Allowing time for selfrelaxation, spiritual
  renewal, funis essential to time management.
• The dividends of including these will be worth
  more than the time you spend on them.
• Fun may need to be reduced, but should not be
  eliminated.

28
See sample of a week of a master schedule at the
end of the handouts.

• It may seem overwhelming when looking at this
  example schedule, but by including everything
  that you know you have to do in a master
  schedule, will help you manage your time.
• Not including some of the other things (laundry,
  grocery store, etc.) will end up causing
  frustration because you will have to take time
  from something else to fit them in.

29
Multi-task when possible, but not always.

• When doing laundry, even driving (record notes
  into a recorder and then create a CD of the most
  basic information play while driving to or from
  school or job or play while doing dishes,
  laundry, walking).
• If you have more than one research paper, do
  research for all classes during each library
  visit.
• Dont multi-task if you really need to
  concentrate or when resting.
• When youre off, be completely off. Give your
  brain permission to rest.

30
Use your unconscious!

• If you need to remember something, say it to
  yourself before falling asleep.
• Use self-hypnosis to help yourself remember
  important information and to calm self. Training
  is required to do self-hypnosis.
• Trust that when you are off, your unconscious is
  processing. If you put information in, the
  unconscious will remember. You can practice
  retrieving it.

31
Next, create task-oriented schedules, like a
weekly or daily list (due dates for assignments,
one-time events, plus recurring events from
Master schedule).

• Reports
• Term-papers
• Studying for mid-term or final exams

• Special Events
• Meetings
• Errands

32
Using Outlook or another electronic calendar with
task list capabilities

• Allows for easy repetition of time slots for
  recurring tasks
• Makes changes to schedules very easy
• Allows for creation of reminders with alarms
• Combines the master schedule with the daily and
  weekly schedules or task lists.

33
4. Prioritize Tasks

• Develop your own system of prioritizing your
  tasks. There are many different ways of
  prioritizing
• Arranging in order of importance.
• Listing and then numbering in order of importance
• Color coding
• Others

34
5. Break larger tasks into smaller ones.

• On the first week of a semester, note when major
  assignments and tests are due. Then break the
  work or study time for each major assignment or
  task into smaller units and put them into a
  weekly schedule.

35
Example Stages of a Research Paper with
Presentation

• Select topic and get it approved, if necessary.
• Do preliminary research.
• Narrow topic.
• Do further research on narrowed topic.
• Create an outline.

• Write a draft.
• Revise until content, style, tone, arrangement
  are professional.
• Create new outline and use as foundation for
  PowerPoint.
• Rehearse presentation.
• Submit paper and give presentation.

36
6. Organize your study area and keep it organized.

• Separate your study area from other areas. Doing
  so prepares the mind for the work or allows the
  mind to relax more when resting.
• Clutter wastes time and energy.
• Eliminate clutter during small breaks. Do just a
  little at a time.
• Ideally, handle papers, mail, etc., only once.

37
7. Perception of Time

• Time does not change.
• We do.
• There are only 24-hours in a dayevery day.
• What you do with that 24-hours is up to you.
• Your attitude about time and your efficient use
  of it will determine how you use each 24-hour
  period.

38
8. If you find yourself running out of time,
the first thing to do is to reduce stress through
relaxation techniques.

• Deep breathing, counting and breathing.
• Muscle relaxation.
• Focusing on your senses.
• Mindfulness.

39
Attached is a progressive muscle relaxation
exercise.

• Relaxing your muscles will help you
• Sleep better.
• Study more efficiently.
• Calm anxiety.
• Increase a sense of well-being.
• If you study when relaxed, you will retain more
  information. Anxiety interferes with cognitive
  retention.

40
The second step is to reassess your master and
weekly schedules.

• Perhaps you underestimated how difficult a course
  is. If so, then rewrite your schedule and make
  adjustments.
• If something changes during the semester for
  example, an illness or a death in the family, a
  financial crisis, then reassess your goals and
  master schedule. Make changes accordingly.

41
When we have major losses or crises in our lives,
we usually do not function at as high a level as
we do when not in crises.

• Fight-Flight-Freeze-Faint
• The cognitive part of the brain takes a back
  seat, and the survival mode takes the lead.

42
If you have a major loss or crisis in your life
during a academic year, make changes to your
schedule so that you can grieve, heal, or take
care of yourself/family, etc.

• Allow yourself to let go of some things when in a
  crisis.

43
9. Allow some flexibility in your schedule.

• Life happens.
• Allow for some empty spaces for unforeseen
  events.
• When they take up more than you have time for,
  reassess goals and priorities.

44
10. Establish good boundaries with friends and
families.

• Inform them of your free times and stick to them
  unless it is truly an emergency. Those who have
  your best interests in mind will respect your
  boundaries.
• Learn to say No to temptations to break from
  your schedule.

45
11. Have good boundaries with self.

• When you are off be off. Dont think about
  classes, work, problems.
• When you are working, work.
• If you have difficulty doing either of these,
  make an appointment with us and we can help you
  understand why you are not being good to self and
  balanced in your work and rest.

46
12. Listen to and respect your body, spirit, and
unconscious.

• Your body is not a mechanical instrument. It
  fluctuates with emotions, hormones,
  relationships, and so forth.
• If your body or mind are signaling that you need
  to do something--i.e., work on another subject
  instead of the one planned rest a little longer
  be quiet for a few minutes reflect on
  somethingthen do that and readjust the schedule
  as necessary.
• When we honor our body, spirit, and unconscious,
  the dividends are far greater than what we have
  had to rearrange or give up.

47
13. Other ways to improve time management.

• Maximize study times Use the PQ4R or PQRST study
  methods.
• Incorporate short study times during breaks
  between classes, while driving somewhere, while
  waiting on others, while exercising. Use this
  time to reflect upon your study material and to
  sort out relationships between ideas or to review
  to determine what you need to study.

48
The PQR4 Study Method

• Preview
• Question
• Read
• Reflect
• Recite
• Review
• Provides you an opportunity to view key material
  2-3 times.
• See PQ4R sheet at back of your handout for a more
  detailed explanation.

49
The PQRST Study Method

• Preview the material before reading it.
• Title
• Subtitles
• Introduction
• Material between the title and introduction
• Key Words and Concepts
• Conclusion

50

• Question
• Form your own questions about the material
  (convert subtitles into questions).
• The more you are trying to find the answer to
  good, intelligent questions as you study, the
  more effective your learning is likely to be
  (Staton, 1977, p. 18).
• Read
• React to the material.
• Work to understand it.

51

• State
• After reading a short section, close the book and
  try to restate the key concepts. If you cant,
  go back to the part you dont understand, ask
  questions, and restate.
• Try creating an outline of the major and
  supporting ideas without looking at the text.
• Test your memory of it a few hours and days
  later.
• Think of it as testing how much you remember and
  then repairing the weaknesses (p. 25).
• Focus your studying from this point on only on
  material you dont understand.

52
If you need to study, but are a little tired

• Try doing 25 jumping jacks or move/dance to one
  or two songs.
• Walking up and down the stairs 2-3 times.
• Walking around the building.
• Getting into your senses colors, sights,
  sounds.
• Use imagery to imagine a place in which you would
  feel refreshed and relaxed.

53
When we have many things to do and do not take
care of self, we hurt our body, mind, and spirit.
54
If you find yourself avoiding work, becoming too
anxious, or not sleeping or eating, stop and
write down what you are thinking and feeling.
55

• Your body and mind are trying to tell you
  something. Take time to understand what it is.
• If procrastination or avoidance becomes a
  significant problem, speak with a trusted advisor
  or friend or make an appointment with the
  Counseling Center.

56
If you find you cant do it all, you may have
to let something go.

• First, take time to prioritize based on your
  values and goals.
• Second, see if there are times that could be
  better used or times that are misused.
• Third, think through what is truly the issue and
  decide what you can and do not want to let go of.
  Then make changes accordingly.

57
What you tell yourself and how you say it affect
your performance and behavior.

• Positive statements are crucial
• I am remembering the material I am studying.
• I recall the material I studied this past week.
• NOT I think I can remember.
• NOT I hope I can recall.

58
Avoid negative statements about yourself or your
performance completely!

• I cant do this! or I never have been able to
  memorize! you wont be able to do it.
• This is too much It will be too much.

59
State what you want to be true as if it has
already or is presently occurring.

• The brain receives the positive message and
  begins to work toward that goal.
• I cant do this ? I can do this, one step at a
  time, one part at a time.
• This is too much! ? I can do this. I will
  focus on one step at a time, one part at a time.

60
When your schedule is packed too much,
somethings got to give.

• Dont let it be you.

61
If you have tried time management and are still
having difficulty, come in and visit with us.

• Together we can figure out what is hindering you
  and together we can find solutions.

62
The ULM Counseling Center318-342-52201140
University Avenue (in the Student Health Center
Building)
63
References

• Dembro, M. H. (2004). Motivation and learning
  strategies for college success A self-management
  approach. Mahwah, NJ Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
• Misra, R., McKean, M. (2000). College students
  academic stress and its relation to their
  anxiety, time management, and leisure
  satisfaction. American Journal of Health Studies,
  16.1, 41-51.
• Ramsey, D. (2007). The Total Money Makeover A
  proven plan for financial fitness.
• Staton, T. F. (1977). How to study. 6th ed.
  Nashville, TN Emma D. Staton.
• Time is on your side. (2008-2010). Colleges and
  Careers, 28.2, 14. Retrieved on July 24, 2009,
  from MAS-Ultra School Edition.