Time Management

Sara Steinke

GET AHEADPOSTGADUATE SUMMER PROGRAMME 2012

Aims of the session• Study skills audit of how well you use your

time

• Importance of identifying your long-term goals

• Think about how to prioritise your tasks

• Start to establish your study time table

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

demands on their time involving family and work and study

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

• Time management relates to other study skills – study space, essay writing, presentations, exams, revision, reading, note-taking

• Good time management helps you to achieve your long-term goals

Think about the following

• What are the current pressures on your time?

• Have you thought about how you are going to fit in studying? If so, what ideas have you had?

• Have you considered the difference between time management at under and postgraduate level?

Studying lectures, reading, writing

sleeping/

eating

exercise/relaxation

home/personnel

work

travel

socialising

How well do I use my time? Yes No

1. I use small pockets of time effectively.

2. I do enough rather than aiming at perfection.3. I say ‘NO’ when I lack time.

4. I use a diary to prioritise my activities.

5. I am able to work on my own, and set my own goals.

1. Small pockets of time – around 45 minutes – are more productive; short and frequent portions of time soon mount 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. Key difference between under and postgraduate study: self-direction, motivation, avoiding procrastination

• 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?

• Short, medium and long term goals

• Professional, academic, personal

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

Number the order of priorities

Use colour coding

1.

2.

Identify how are you going to use these ideas that we have thought about in this workshop to establish and stick to a study timetable.

1. Write down the three most important things about time management that you have learnt/thought about in this session? Why were they important to you?

2. What are your areas for improvement in your time management? What are you doing to do to improve this

aspect of your learning?

Recap of the session• Study skills audit of how well you use your time

What are you doing well? What action/s do you need to take to organise your time?

• Explored your long-term goals Are they S.M.A.R.T.? – do not set yourself up to fail

• Thought about techniques for prioritising your tasks Short and frequent periods of study, use a diary, self-direction and motivation

• Started to used the above skills to establish a study timetable

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 interactive tutorial supporting this Student Orientation programme)