EFFECTIVE TIME MANAGEMENT

EFFECTIVE TIME MANAGEMENT

Spend time in Planning and Organizing:

•          Think and Plan

•          Organize in a way that makes sense to you

 Set Goals:

•          Decide what you want to do

•          Take a “SMART” approach

•          Goals give you required direction

Prioritize:

•          Prioritize and identify what you value

•          Flagging/Highlighting can be very helpful

•          Once prioritize, concentrate on those that would add value

Use a to do list:

•          Find out what is urgent and important

•          Put them in order of preferences

•          One completed delete them from your list

Be Flexible:

•          Allow time of interruptions and distractions

•          Save larger block of time for priorities

•          Ask yourself questions and get back to your goal

Consider your Biological Time:

•          Find out which is the best time for you study

•          Are you a morning person?

•          A night owl?

•          Late Afternoon?

Do Right Things Right:

•          Doing things right is Effectiveness

•          Doing things right is Efficiency

•          Focus first for Effectiveness

•          Concentrate on Efficiency

Eliminate the Urgent:

•          Urgent tasks have short term Consequences

•          Important tasks are long term and goal related

•          Flagging and or highlighting items are important

•          Attach deadline to each of the items

Conquer Procrastination:

•          Learn to say “NO”

Reward Yourself

Steven R. Covey’s “Time Management Matrix”

•          Urgent: An activity that you or others feel requires immediate attention.

•          Important: An activity that you find valuable and that contributes to your mission, values, and high-priority goals.

                                        Urgent                                                                                 Not Urgent

THE PROCRASTINATOR • Study for tomorrow’s exam. • Pay overdue cell-phone bill • Work on project due today. • Visit a roommate or family member who has been in an accident.	THE PRIORITIZER • Go on a date with a friend • Work on an essay due in 30 days • Call home • Visit with academic advisor
THE YES MAN • Engage in idle conversations. • Respond to all instant messages. • Respond to all phone calls. • Spend time on trivial questions.	THE SLACKER • Engage in too much TV, web surfing, or video games. • Engage in time wasters. • Become absorbed in escape activities. • Procrastinate.

Completing the Daily, Weekly, and Quarterly Time Management Grids

Weekly Time Management Grid:

1. Current class schedule. Write the name of the class on the day it occurs, please include any lab times.

2. Current work schedule. Include any weekend hours, and also give a copy of your schedule to your employer, noting exam days so you can get off work and have adequate study time.

3. Write the times you eat breakfast, lunch and dinner.

4. Actual study times. Identify routing homework and study days. Make sure this is the best time for you to study. Be sure to include regular breaks.

5. Schedule social time. All work and no play can make college life pretty boring. While it is important that you schedule time to study and complete your assignments, it is equally important to have a balance of activities that are fun! (Church, Club, Organization meetings, leisure activities, etc.)

Quarterly Time Management Grid:

1. Date each box. Write the actual date for the current quarter in the upper right

hand corner of each box.

2. Holidays. Use a highlighter to mark the university wide recognized holidays.

3. Due dates of assignments. Using your syllabi for each class, write in the dates in

which every assignment is due. This also includes any tests and quizzes, as well

as final exams.

4. Lastly, color code each class with the corresponding assignment.

5. Work backwards from exams and papers to map out study/writing time.

Daily Time Management Grid & Things to Do List:

1. Current Day. There is a grid for each day of the week. Write the actual day.

2. Plan. What are you planning on doing today? Write it down. This is the same

information from your weekly planning grid.

3. Monitor. What did you actually did in those hours? Record and track!

4. Prioritize. On the reverse side is a “things to do list.” You should record everything else you need to do on this day, (phone calls, checking mailbox, going to the bank, meeting with a friend or professor). Decide what items is high, medium, or low priority

Other important tips:

• Remember that fall quarter usually has an additional week. This means you will have to write another line for the 11th week.

• Add special notes for each weekend’s tasks and study times.

• Consider enlarging this grid or using a large 3 month calendar to fully track your assignments.

• Remember your schedule will change during finals week. That’s why it is important to include this information with item #3 above.

Weekly Time Management Grid

Time	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
6:00
7:00
8:00
9:00
10:00
11:00
12:00
1:00
2:00
3:00
4:00
5:00
6:00
7:00
8:00
9:00
10:00
11:00
12:00

Quarterly Planning Grid

Date	Week	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
	1st
	2nd
	3rd
	4th
	5th
	6th
	7th
	8th
	9th
	10th
	Finals

Daily Time Management
Things to do list

Date: Monday __/__/__

1.________________________________

                                 Priority

□High    □Medium            □Low

2.________________________________

                                 Priority

□High    □Medium            □Low

3.________________________________

                                 Priority

□High    □Medium            □Low

4.________________________________

                                 Priority

□High    □Medium            □Low

5.________________________________

                                 Priority

□High    □Medium            □Low

6.________________________________

                                 Priority

□High    □Medium            □Low

Date: Tuesday __/__/__

1.________________________________

                                 Priority

□High    □Medium            □Low

2.________________________________

                                 Priority

□High    □Medium            □Low

3.________________________________

                                 Priority

□High    □Medium            □Low

4.________________________________

                                 Priority

□High    □Medium            □Low

5.________________________________

                                 Priority

□High    □Medium            □Low

6.________________________________

                                 Priority

□High    □Medium            □Low

Time Management Grid

Date: Day___/___/___ Plan                                                Monitor
7:00	7:00
7:15
7:30
7:45
8:00	8:00
8:15
8:30
8:45
9:00	9:00
9:15
9:30
9:45
10:00	10:00
10:15
10:30
10:45
11:00	11:00
11:15
11:30
11:45
12:00	12:00
12:15
12:30
12:45
1:00	1:00
1:15
1:30
1:45
2:00	2:00
2:15
2:30
2:45
3:00	3:00
3:15
3:30
3:45
4:00	4:00
4:15
4:30
4:45
5:00	5:00
5:15
5:30
5:45
6:00	6:00
6:15
6:30
6:45
7:00	7:00