GET AHEADUNDERGRADUATE SUMMER PROGRAMME 2012

Time management

Sara Steinke

Aims of the session

• To identify how well you use your time at present

• To think about how to prioritise your tasks

• To explore how to make the best use of your time

Why consider time management?• Adult learners have many, often

competing/conflicting, demands on their time; particularly involving family and work

• Often it is not ability that prevents students from achieving their best, but poor time management

• Related to other study skills required at university – study space, essay writing process, revision, presentations, exams, reading for learning

Studying lectures, reading, writing

sleeping/

eating

exercise/relaxation

home/personnel

work

travel

socialising

These are the usual daily activities.

Think about how much time you spend on each activity at present.

How well do you use your time?

How well do I use my time? Yes No

1. I use small pockets of time effectively.

2. I am well motivated to start work quickly.3. I do enough rather than aiming at perfection.4. I say ‘NO’ when I lack time.

5. I use a diary to prioritise my activities.

1. Small pockets of time – around 45 minutes – are more productive. Short and frequent portions of time soon add up

2. Pareto Principle – 20% of our efforts deliver 80% of our results; 20% effort delivers an acceptable result, not perfect, but good enough

3. L’Oreal principal – ‘because you’re worth it’; educate your family, friends and colleagues to respect your study space/time

4. Use one diary to create a ‘to-do list’; prioritise tasks; note deadlines; write down dates you must begin working towards the deadlines

5. Recognise and deal with procrastination; set short, medium and long term goals; identify your time wasters (self-inflicted and given)

• Procrastination• Perfectionism• Lack of self discipline• Worrying• Personal disorganisation• Lack of priorities• Inability to say ‘no’• Indecisiveness• Socialising (too much)• Intrusions (visitors, calls)• Not finding resources• Excessive family demands• Not able to contact people

1. Which of these time wasters apply to you?

2. How are you going to deal with these time wasters?

List of things to do

AImportance

Need to do

scale 6 (unimportant)

to 10 (essential)

BUrgency

Do now

scale 1 (must be done at once)

to 5 (it can wait)

C

Subtract the score in

column B from column

A.

The higher scores in

column C are priorities.

D

Order of priority/

When to do

Number the order of priorities

1.

2.

Establish a study timetable

1. Identify the three most important time management skills that you have learnt /thought about in this session.Why are they important to you?

2. How are you going to use these time management skills to create – and stick to – a study timetable?

Recap of the session• We have identified how well you use your

time at present • You have become familiar with key time

management skills • You have considered how you can use these

time management skills to fit in studying with other aspects of your life

• We have thought about prioritising your tasks and establishing a study time table

Cottrell, S. (2008) The Study Skills Handbook, 3rd Edition (London, Palgrave)chapter 4 ‘The C.R.E.A.M.Strategy for learning’ pp.70-79

http://www.palgrave.com/skills4study/studyskills/learning/time.asp (relevant tips and activity related to the above book)

http://www.bbk.ac.uk/mybirkbeck/services/facilities/support/time-management (online resources available on the Birkbeck Library website)

http://www.bbk.ac.uk/mybirkbeck/get-ahead-stay-ahead/skills/organisational-skills (a 20 minute interactivetutorial supporting this Get Ahead Summer programme)