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These notes have been prepared by © Keith Montgomery, Department of Geography and Geology.
 
 

Select a topic:

1. What exactly is time management?
2. A method of time management.
3. Another way of looking at it ....
4. Tips for time management.
5. How to avoid procrastination.

What exactly is time management?

This does not preclude extra-curricular activities. Rather, it allows for the appropriate balance among all activities and demands. For a part-time, non-traditional student this balance is crucial to your well-being, and likely that of others in your family! For a full-time student it generally means that school is well above all else in priority when it comes to scheduling demands.

Therefore, perhaps it would be best to start by reflecting on your reasons for being in school: what hopes will college help you fulfill? If you are uncertain of this right now then you might have some difficulty focussing your efforts. However, if you give school your best shot this semester you are more likely to discover something in the experience than if you just drift along hoping that something will come to you. Knowing what you want to be doing will enable you to mange yourself better and so have a more successful semester.

Finally, as with note-taking, time management is one of those skills that will help you in any career beyond university.
 
 

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A method of time management.

1. Create a semester calendar.

You can obtain a blank semester calendar by clicking here and printing one off.
Or,  you can supply one of your own liking.
2. Enter due dates, exam dates, registration dates etc.

Find these from class syllabi, UWMC Timetable, announcements etc. Enter them as you find out about them.
If there are any large projects (e.g. a term paper), immediately divide it into do-able chunks. That is, create your own due dates for each phase of the "project" -- these are now personal commitments.
Remember to add personal commitments too (e.g. weddings, dental appointments, birthdays etc.)
The idea here is to give yourself a view of the road ahead that will enable you to plan well ahead and so avoid frantic, last-minute jams and panics.
3. Create a weekly planner

You can obtain a blank weekly planner by clicking here and printing one off.
Or, you can supply one of your own liking or copy the one from the UWMC Timetable.
You will need a blank copy for each week of the semester.
• Enter your regular class schedule and other obligations that occur weekly (e.g. work, clubs, church etc.)
• Enter review and reading time before and following each lecture (see "Reading" and "Note-taking."). As a general rule, plan two hours of time for each hour of lecture.
• Plan regular time off, and also enter bed and wake-up times
• Leave slots blank (see next step) for project work and exam study, as well as occasional other commitments.
• As you enter times, don't be a "blockhead" (you can't realistically expect to study one subject for four hours straight -- break it up with other activities or subjects)
4. Every Friday night (or late afternoon) copy out your weekly planner above and use your semester planner to incorporate other work that you see needs to be done in the following week (e.g. exam this week, phase of term paper needing done etc.).

These can be accommodated into the blank time you have created on the weekly planner or existing study time can be used (but you'll have to make up the preparation).
Add other new items, such as shopping for a birthday present etc. in a specific time slot (try to block out time for other similar tasks, such as a visit to the mall for several items of shopping).
On a daily basis, you'll have to add things to your weekly planner as new items come up.
5. Every night create a daily "action list" for the following day.

You can obtain a  blank copy of daily "action list" here and print it off.
• Use your weekly calendar to derive it.
• Include new items that have arisen (e.g. gas for car).
• You can prioritize your list into three columns: "MUST DO", "COULD DO", "MIGHT DO".

Do NOT avoid the "must do" items -- remember, the "might do" are not essential today, and avoiding the items that must be done will get you trouble. OR, you can schedule the "must do" on the weekly planner (most of then are already there) and bring it along with you. The "could" and "might" can be put on a list to be done if you get through things faster than planned.

Another way of looking at it ....

1. Area 1: important but not urgent.

This is where you want to be -- this area keeps you in control of the work you have to do.
What is "important but not urgent" work? This includes regularly scheduled review of your notes or reading of course text (so that exam study is simply a review, not a last minute panic of finding notes, not fully understanding them, cramming to memorize them etc.); work on a part of a term paper that's due in eight weeks (not tomorrow); a regular work-out at the gym to keep you healthy; filling the gas tank regularly and before it gets near empty etc. This is where you want to be to be in control of things and produce your best work. However, as you can see, being here requires choices and careful planning.
2. Area 2: important and urgent.

This is where you don't want to be. This area includes exam preparation when you haven't being reviewing your notes regularly and not reading the text -- now the exam in tomorrow and you can't possibly cover all that's required (besides, you can't find all your notes and the text seems incomprehensible). This is where you start to feel overwhelmed by a what you have to do. Or, you have a term paper due at the end of the week and the material you need is not in library (it would have been six weeks ago) or your printer is broken and the paper is due tomorrow (this wouldn't have been a problem if you had discovered this last week because you would have had lots of time to fix the problem and still get the paper in on time). This is an area in which you produce work that is below your best because you did not practice the self-management required of successful students -- and yet you never have to find yourself in this area because it is entirely avoidable.
3. Area 3: not important and not urgent

This is where we find wasted time -- gossiping in the union or on the telephone; continuously organizing things but never getting down to work; watching the latest episode of a soap-opera; daydreaming; worrying; reading magazines; surfing the net etc. etc. Many of these activities are important in some ways (we all have to goof-off or relax), but they are never important enough to keep you from doing what you should be doing now. When we forget this, we end up doing less of what we should be doing doing (Area 1) and wind up in Area 2 before we know it. But you can see why this requires self-discipline -- we have to interrupt that "important" conversation to get to the library to review our notes from the class we just attended etc.
4. Area 4: not important, urgent

This is where we can be fooled, and again wind up doing things that keep us from what we should be doing. Such as? You forget about your sister's birthday which is this coming Saturday and you have to get something for her! Well, O.K. perhaps this is important -- but this is Monday night, so you don't have to drop your work and rush to the mall now -- schedule it for later in the week during some of that reserve time you have on your weekly schedule (and think about what you're going to buy on the drive to school tomorrow -- not now).
The telephone and e-mail are notorious for making us think something must be urgent. You don't need to answer the phone or return that call or e-mail immediately.

1. Define your long-term goals and plan around these.
2. Let Area 1 activities define what you do, and not pressures of the moment.
3. Question what your doing at any given time -- how does it fit in with your goals?
4. If you stopped doing something, what would happen? Are there activities you can drop, or reduce?
5. Schedule time each day to review your schedule and plan activities tomorrow.
6. Learn to say "No" to plans that don't fit in with yours.

Tips for time management.

1. Don't fall into the trap set by Parkinson's Law ("work expands to fit the time available for its completion").

Be sure to plan the length of time you need to complete a piece of work, but if you find yourself finishing ahead of time, then do so! Then move onto something else. 
2. Remember the Pareto Principle (the 80/20 rule): "You get 80% of the results from 20% of the work."

Use this rule to help you plan your work and get the most out of your time -- be sure to do the most important stuff first, and do not get stuck in trivia. Ask yourself what material counts for the most -- do this first.
3. Don't be a perfectionist: what do you have to do to get an "A"?

No instructor demands perfection, and after a while there are bound to be diminishing returns on time spent perfecting something -- so call it "finished," and move on to something else.
4. If you've labeled yourself a "night owl" then just once get up early.

You might discover that early morning is a good time to be up and working!
5. Money does buy time.

Ask whether you need to make those purchases (so maybe you can cut back on work time). Or, ask yourself how much you would pay yourself for what you're doing right now? Is there a good pay-off?
6. Get ready the night before.

Make lists, find keys, get packed etc. at night, then you're ready to get off fast in the morning.
7. Take time to plan your time.

Time spent planning will pay dividends in efficiency -- it is not wasted time, but be careful not to use it as a excuse for daydreaming or procrastination.
8. Attend class.

As we've stated elsewhere, this means less work later.
9. Schedule about two hours of regular review for each class hour.

Don't work only if you have been given a specific assignment or "homework" -- you have to work with those lecture notes and read the text (you have to assign this to yourself).
10. Schedule a place as well as a time to work

Generally, the library or an empty classroom is the best work environment.
11. Leave the easiest for last.

Do the tough assignment first, when you feel most alert.
12. Don't be a "blockhead."

This means two things: one, don't schedule all your classes in a limited amount of time (say, three classes in a row every morning) -- you just won't be able to take it! Two, don't schedule three or four hour blocks of time for library work -- you just will not be able to work well for that length of time -- break it up, spread it out and you will be refreshed and work better.
13. STOP!

Stop what you're doing at the scheduled time and move onto next item. Again, there are diminishing returns -- so plan each block of work in such a way as to cover the most important material. If you're stuck with a problem you can ask the instructor for help, or go to the tutoring lab, or ask a classmate for help -- just remember that other work still needs doing.
14. Immediately break up large projects into smaller assignments for yourself.

Spread the work out over the time available to you and aim to get finished ahead of time -- remember, the "due date" is just the last possible time you can hand the assignment in and not be penalized, but you can be early! Getting the job done with time to spare means that all the materials you need will be available to you (let the others fight over them the day before it's due) and you will do much better work without the pressure of a "deadline."
15. Some classes may require more (or less) work than others.

Not all classes will require equal time, or you may have different ambitions in each class, especially those in your major
16. Use your best time well.

Generally we are more alert during the day -- plan to get schoolwork done then rather than late at night.
17. "Check off" accomplishments.

If you have a daily "to do" list check off what you've done and feel good about your progress that day.
18. Make sure you plan time for exercise and relaxation

You need time "off" and this is one of the benefits of time management -- you can fit it all in and you will be better for it!
19. Be flexible, but learn to say "no" to ideas that do not fit with your needs.

Set priorities in your life and stick to them. Learn to negotiate with friends to find a suitable time for that get-together.
20. Use small pockets of time well.

Always take something with you to do while waiting for an appointment (flash cards, a small book etc.). Plan the start of that paper while you're driving. Quiz yourself or a friend on some material you've learned.

How to avoid procrastination.

If it's a particular project you've been avoiding .... then do it first in your study session and get it out of the way. If need be, break it up into smaller pieces and do it one step at a time.

Do a simple warm up to get you into it. For example the SQ3R reading technique includes a five minute "scan" of the material (what could be easier?).

Eliminate distractions. This includes clutter on your desktop, and keep only the material on which you are presently working on the desk (this eliminates the tendency to flip through other stuff and daydream if the going gets tough on your present job).

If you feel overwhelmed, remember to set a reasonable short-term goal for yourself (break the job down), so you can believe you are accomplishing something. Identify the "80/20" split (above) and feel you're getting the most done that's possible. Then plan to move on to other work. Cross off your successes on your "to do" list.

Can't concentrate? Daydreaming of results rather than doing the work required? Are you getting enough sleep? Relaxation? Do you need to talk to someone about personal problems? Or do you need to re-focus on your long-term goals?

If procrastination has become just a bad habit .... then remember to study regularly, according to your schedule. Get into the good habit of working at a set time and place.

Promise yourself and others you'll finish a piece work. Then give yourself a break when it's done!

If procrastination on one particular project is holding up all the other work you should be doing (i.e. you can't down to work at all because of this), then forget about it and get on with other things you should be doing. But bear in mind the consequences of not completing the task.
 
 

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