Workbook Time Management

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Gerald Barnett
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1 Often Sometimes Rarely Workbook Time Management Aims: establish how you use your time explore barriers to being effective help you to manage you time more effectively. Activity 1: Fill in the personal time assessment below, putting a tick in the box which applies to you. Be as honest as possible, and add your totals at the bottom. 1. Do you write daily to do lists? 2. Do you prioritise your to do lists according to which items are most important? 3. Do you finish all the items on your to do list? 4. Do you regularly update writing your personal and professional goals? 5. Is your desk clean and organised? 6. Do you put everything in its place? 7. Do you deal effectively with interruptions? 8. Can you easily find items you have filed away? 9. Are you assertive? 10. Do you allow yourself a quiet time during the day when you can work undisturbed? 11. Do you focus on preventing problems rather than dealing with them? 12. Do you make the best use of your time? 13. Do you meet deadlines with time to spare? 14. Are you on time for meetings and classes? 15. When you re interrupted, can you go back to work without losing your momentum? 16. Can you relax during your free time without thinking Except where otherwise noted, this work is licensed under

2 about work? 17. Do you begin and finish projects on time? 18. Do you ignore texts on your mobile phone when you have committed to studying? 19. Do you do most of your work during your peak hours (i.e. when you are at your best)? Totals: Ones you have marked as often are the good habits you should see as real strengths. Which ones have you marked as rarely or sometimes? How might you address these to be more effective? Effective time management really just means: Getting more done in less time A good work-life balance Meeting deadlines Prioritising tasks Planning Being organising Being in control It is a set of positive habits that takes time to develop it isn t something that happens by accident, but it is a skill you can learn. Tip 1: Failing to plan is planning to fail Planning is about 3 things: 1) What do you need to do? 2) What steps do you need to take to achieve it? 3) When does it need to be done by? Once you know these things you can put a plan together i.e. organise your tasks and actions around a specific and known timeframe. This will not only allow you to complete your objective successfully and within the deadline, but also allow time for other (more social) things! Activity 2: What barriers do you find get in the way of your being effective? On the next page, jot them down along with possible ways they could be addressed.

3 Barrier Solution Example answers can be found at the back of the booklet. Tip 2: Be assertive! Take control don t be afraid to say no to some plans or to not reply to messages straight away. Your friends and family will understand. Avoid procrastination and self-sabotage. Keep a list of tasks, organise it by priority and work through them. Tip 3: Break down your task How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time! This might seem a strange analogy but it s a useful approach to big tasks. E.g. imagine the elephant below represents an assignment. Simply writing do essay on your task list may feel overwhelming or leave you wondering where to begin. But breaking this down its components, such as find sources (research), reading, taking

Some people work best in the library, away from distractions like TV, whereas others prefer working from the comfort of their own home. It s about knowing what works for you.

4 notes, writing etc. makes it far more manageable. Being specific on what you want to achieve by when also helps to keep you on track. Tip 4: Know yourself Knowing where and how you work best can help you to be effective. Some people work best in the library, away from distractions like TV, whereas others prefer working from the comfort of their own home. It s about knowing what works for you. If you re not sure, try a few different ways and keep a study journal to see which you prefer. Tip 5: Get a diary It doesn t matter whether this is a paper based one, or something on your phone or computer. Diaries are a great way to see what deadlines or commitments are approaching. You should mark in: Essay deadlines Exam dates Any presentation dates Life events e.g. appointments/interviews etc. The large wall planners available from the Student Union (free!) are also really useful to show what is coming up at a glance.

5 Activity 3 Use the time planner on the following page to track how you spend a normal week. First mark in all compulsory activities e.g. lectures and seminars. Next, fill in all the necessaries i.e. things that need to be done but have some flexibility as long as you fit them in. Finally, mark in protected time. These are things that important to you and your wellbeing e.g. going to the gym. Do you have more or less available time than you thought?

6 7am pm Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Except where otherwise noted, this work is licensed under

7 In each module handbook you will be able to find the number of hours each module expects you to study (usually this is called something like directed study ). This number will be in the hundreds, which can be daunting, but should be spread out over the 13 weeks of a semester. i.e. divide the number of directed study hours by 13 to see how many hours you should be doing each week. Between all your modules this would usually add up to a similar number of hours as a full time job. By doing one of these each week you should find it a lot easier to juggle all your commitments and plan around your deadlines. Blank copies can be found at Just remember to be specific and realistic when planning your time. e.g. don t just say I m going to work on x module. What particular topic? If you re going to read, what will you read? How long will it take you to read it? Summary Ensure your working in the best way/place/time for you Break your tasks down into manageable parts Plan in advance what you want to achieve Avoid postponing Avoid interruptions Prioritise tasks and review progress. Are you still on track to meet a deadline? If not, make a new plan to! References and further reading Cottrell, S. (2003) Skills for Success. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Chapter 3. Fleming, I. (2009) Time Management Pocketbook. 5 th Edition. Hampshire: Management Pocketbooks Ltd. Williams, K. (2011) Time Management. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Activity 2: Example answer Friends Social media Mobile phone Barrier Solution Make a regular time to see them or factor in a certain amount of social time each week or fortnight, but learn to say no. While you re working log out of social media, turn your mobile off and concentrate on your task. Your messages will still be there when you ve finished! Schedule in breaks where you can reply to any messages, check your newsfeed Except where otherwise noted, this work is licensed under

8 TV Resources Organisation Tiredness Illness Panic etc. but don t lose track of the time. With access to streaming and on demand TV it can be easy to binge watch your shows and waste away the hours. Be strict with yourself sometimes not turning it on in the first place can be easier than turning it off. Lack of resources can be a real barrier to being effective. E.g. if you leave an assignment until last minute, it s likely that a lot of the books from the recommended reading will already be on loan. Starting tasks like assignments early can give you better access to resources. Keep organised as you go along, e.g. have a file per module and use file dividers to separate the topics. That way when you come to working, it is all in one place. If not you will end up wasting time wading through piles of unorganised papers to try and find relevant notes. If you are tired, tasks will likely be more time consuming and less effective. E.g. if you have very little sleep and then try to revise, it not only likely to take you longer to read but also result in poor information recall. Getting into a routine can work best. Generally, it s good to stop studying for an hour before you plan to go to bed, so your brain has a chance to switch off and relax. Make sure you after your health (e.g. eating good food, drinking water and getting plenty of rest) but sometimes falling ill is unavoidable. Allow some contingency time by aiming to complete tasks earlier than their real deadline. That way if you become unwell, you still have plenty of time to finish your task effectively. Try to think about what is causing you to panic. Do you feel like you have too much to do? Are you unsure how to do it? Try to keep calm, keep things in

9 Uninterested Motivation Availability perspective and try to take control. It is normal to feel some level of panic about certain tasks, but generally that anxiety will subside the further into a task you become. E.g. you may feel panic about a presentation you have to do, but the more you practice it the more you will be able to reassure yourself that you know the content. If you feel like your panic or anxiety is becoming a real barrier, it could be worth speaking to the Counselling Service for further tips. Some tasks you will be excited about, some will feel like pulling teeth especially if it is a topic you are not best interested in. This can make you more likely to procrastinate but think of it this way: the sooner you do it, the sooner it is over with! Doing these tasks first gets them out the way as quickly as possible, so you can do something you do like! Work out what keeps you motivated and use it. Sometimes something as simple as ticking tasks off a daily to-do list can keep you feeling like your making progress and boost motivation. One of the things holding you back from good time management could be availability. Are you taking on too much? You can t manage your available time if you have none! Alternatively, people who have few contact hours and little other commitments may feel like they will always have enough time to complete tasks and constantly delay starting, then run out of time.

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! Be Realistic With Your Time. ! Plan Your Day The Night Before. ! Break Projects Down Into Tasks. ! Prioritise By Numbering Your First 3 To Do s

! Be Realistic With Your Time. ! Plan Your Day The Night Before. ! Break Projects Down Into Tasks. ! Prioritise By Numbering Your First 3 To Do s " Be Realistic With Your Time A sense of overwhelm can come from giving yourself far to much to do within a given period of time. Map out your week starting with the the things you have to do. Block the