Time Management: Making the Most of Your Time

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Time Management Making the Most of Your Time

• Created by
• Angela S. Shores, M.A., LPC-BE
• Interim Director of Academic Advising
• Meredith College

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Module Instructions

• You are encouraged to write down the answers to
  the questions you see throughout the workshop.
• Complete the included inventories and
  assessments.
• Contact our office to schedule an appointment if
  you need to discuss anything further with a staff
  member.

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Objectives

• To define why time management is important
• To define what time management is and involves
• To identify what makes time management difficult
• To identify useful strategies for managing your
  time

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Why is Time Management Important?

• Why is it important to you to manage or have
  control over your time? What do you hope to
  accomplish by managing your time? In what
  situations or areas of your life is it important
  to be able to manage your time?

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Importance of Time Management

• Time management is important to different
  individuals for different reasons.
• Make sure you have time for all your important
  activities
• Give structure to your days and weeks
• Assist in setting goals
• Assist in planning for the semester
• Assist in determining priorities

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What is Time Management?

• Awareness of your time
• Awareness of your time wasters
• Use of priorities
• Self-management or the management of your
  personal resources
• Goal setting achievement
• Planning

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Personal Time Management

• Time management is different for everyone.
• How do you define time management?
• If you are managing your time well, what does
  that look like for you? What does that mean?
• What skills are required for you to manage your
  time well?

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What makes time management difficult?

• Managing our time is not always easy.
• There are a variety of things that make
• time management difficult. Below are
• some of the things that often make it
• challenging for us to manage our time.
• Review the following list of common time
• wasters and identify which ones are
• challenges for you.

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Time Wasters

• Stress
• Anxiety
• Burnout
• Procrastination
• Perfectionism
• Lack of planning
• Unexpected events (such as phone calls or drop-in
  visitors)

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Additional Time Wasters

• Depression
• Being unorganized
• Working against your natural tendencies
• Bad habits
• Email or IM
• Loosing track of time
• Television
• Ineffective studying (have to repeat what you
  studied or re-read material)

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Lets get personal

• Take a few moments to complete the following
  assessments
• Self-Evaluation of Time Management
• My Time Wasters
• What did you learn about the way you manage your
  time?
• What did you learn about your time wasters?

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Take a 10 minute break
Study Tip Take a short break each hour to
refresh your mind and body. Youll do
better. Set an alarm clock or timer and come
back!
exit
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Knowing is Half the Battle

• Understanding what time management
• is and what your time management
• strengths and challenges are can
• assist you in determining what
• strategies will be most useful as you
• develop your time management skills.
• The following slides offer some time
• management tips and strategies that
• you may find useful.

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Strategies Define your values and determine
your priorities.

• Knowing what is important to you (what
• you value) and what your priorities are
• allows you to put those things first as
• you schedule your time, therefore
• guiding the way you manage your time.

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Values

• Complete the attached Values Assessment to
  identify your values.

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Priorities

• Prioritizing, or determining your priorities, is
  a process of deciding which of several options or
  tasks is most important.
• Prioritizing involves deciding that Activity A is
  more important than Activity B.
• Priorities change over time.
• Priorities are influenced by your values and your
  goals.
• Your priorities may not be the same as important
  others (family or friends) in your life.

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Guiding questions for determining priorities

• What are the costs vs. the benefits of doing this
  activity?
• How well does this activity fit into my goals?
• Does this activity have a deadline for
  completion?
• How much do I enjoy doing this activity?
• Have I promised or agreed to do this activity?
• What needs of mine will be satisfied by doing
  this activity?
• How much time does this activity require?

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Determining Your Priorities

• Priority activities can include studying,
  attending class, worship, meditation, exercising,
  spending one day a week with family, or other
  activities important to you.
• With this in mind, take a few minutes and write
  down your answers to the questions on the
  previous slide.
• What are your priorities?

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Strategies Set goals make action plans

• Use the system SMART when setting your goals
• S Specific
• M Measurable
• A Action-oriented
• R Realistic or Reasonable
• T Time Phased
• It is okay, and often helpful, to re-evaluate
  your goals periodically and change or update them
  or re-set them

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• Action plans are step by step plans of how you
  are going to accomplish your goal what are you
  going to do to reach your goal
• Action plans allow you to break the goal down
  into smaller, more manageable portions and give
  you the chance to make and record progress
  towards your goals

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Your Turn

• Using the Course Goal Setting Worksheet, create
  goals for yourself for each class you have this
  semester.
• Additional resources for goal setting can be
  helpful to you also.

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Additional Strategies for Time Management

• Use a system that works for you
• Learn to say no
• Plan to do the biggest projects during your most
  energized times
• Be proactive not reactive

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More Strategies Tips

• Tackle the big projects first, even if it is step
  by step (dont get lost in the little things)
• Use an A-B-C system to plan your day
• Handle papers only once
• Make use of waiting time
• Make want to do lists not have to do lists
  (have to do lists can often cause pressure and
  lead to guilt if items are left undone)

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Strategies Tips continued

• Focus on one thing at a time
• Assess the BIG PICTURE whats most important
  overall
• Get stayed organized
• Set time limits and mini-deadlines
• Practice positive self-talk
• Know your learning style use study techniques
  that fit that style

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References

• Academic Advising Office at Meredith College.
  Various printed materials and handouts.
• De Brand, R. (2003). Stress Management and Time
  Management handouts for Pastoral Leadership
  lecture (January 30, 2003).
• Deckro, G.R., Ballinger, K.M., Hoyt, M., Wilcher,
  M., Dusek, J., Myers, P., Greenberg, B.,
  Rosenthal, D.S., Benson, H. (2002). The
  evaluation of a mind/body intervention to reduce
  psychological distress and perceived stress in
  college students. Journal of American College
  Health, 50, 281 287.
• Helmstetter, S. (2003). Who Are You Really and
  What Do You Want? Park Avenue Press USA
• Kelly, W.E. Johnson, J.L. (2005). Time use
  efficiency and the five-factor model of
  personality. Education, 125, 511-515.
• Mental Health Association in Durham County
  (1996). How Do You Cope? (self-inventory).

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• Misra, R., McKean, M., West, S., Russo, T.
  (2000). Academic stress of college students
  Comparison of student and faculty perceptions.
  College Student Journal, 34, 236-245.
• Struthers, C.W., Perry, R.P., Menec, V.H.
  (2000). An examination of the relationship
  among academic stress, coping, motivation, and
  performance in college. Research in Higher
  Education, 41, 581-592.
• Tracy, B. (2002). Eat That Frog! 21 Great Ways
  to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in
  Less Time. Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.
  San Francisco, CA.
• Trockel, M.C., Barnes, M.D., Egget, D.L.
  (2000). Health-related variables and academic
  performance among first-year college students
  Implications for sleep and other behaviors.
  Journal of American College Health, 49, 125-131.
• Wellness Resource Center, Division of Student
  Affairs, UNC Chapel Hill printed resources
  (1996).