Time Management Goals
1. explain the importance of setting goals and
planning rewards
a. short-term, intermediary, long-term goals
2. gain awareness of how you currently spend your
time
a. estimate the amount of time you spend each week on
different activities
b. actually track your time for a week and analyze where
your time went
c. compare your estimate to the actual time log
1) look for places where time is wasted or where you can add
additional study time
Time Management Goals
3. recognize how much time you need for
learning – rule of thumb for college
4. use a monthly calendar to schedule a term
a. major projects
b. tests
c. social events
5. use a weekly schedule to plan projects and
daily responsibilities
Time Management Goals
6. develop a daily to-do list
7. define procrastination and identify several
ways to overcome it
8. begin applying the information to effectively
manage your time and reach your goals
Goals are SMART
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S – specific, exact, clearly stated
M – measurable; how, when, where, …
A – achievable; attainable
R – realistic; can I see myself doing this?
T – timely; when …
Specific
NOT SPECIFIC:

learn computers

study more

eat healthy
SPECIFIC:

exercise aerobically
three times each week
for 45 minutes

study two hours every
day for every one hour
I am in class
Measurable
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measure your progress in numbers,
percentages, milestones, dates, etc.
how, when, where …
in present tense
not what you can do, but what you will do
have to be yours, not friend, parent, teacher
Achievable
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what obstacles might you encounter when working
on your objective?
what might come up that would prevent you from
obtaining it?
consider early in the process what could go wrong
 take action to put contingency plans into place
 resolve problems before they occur

if goal is perfect attendance, but car is unreliable and
do not live on metro bus route …
Realistic
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goals should challenge you
should not be a fantasy or daydream
 I will run three miles every day – when you
haven’t really run in years.
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do not set yourself up to fail
make them hard enough to stretch a bit
when you experience success, you gain more
confidence to set harder ones next time
Timely
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should have target dates
set time limits
define start and stop dates
multiple action steps – each has a target
date
Goals:
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need to be written down or else you’ll tend to edit in
your head as you go along
major accomplishments deserve a special treat
 should have a reward attached to them

either extrinsic
 attend special event, watch TV, socialize, a massage
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or intrinsic
 increased self-esteem, more confidence, the pleasure of a
job well done, etc.
Short-Term Goals
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something you want to achieve within the
next week to six months
may be broken into smaller steps or goals
 attending all my classes this week
 completing each course this term with a B grade
or better
 learning a new computer program
 planning a surprise party
Intermediary Goals
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something you want to achieve over a time period of a
year or more
achieved after the completion of a series of short-term
goals that serve as benchmarks, motivators
linked to a long-term goal
 decide on a major
» taken courses in interest areas
» finished some general education classes
» will lead to a long-term goal of graduation in field of
choice
Long-Term Goals
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usually measured in terms of years
achieved after the completion of a series of
intermediary goals
 getting a college degree
 planning a wedding
 buying a house
Schedules …
are tools that help you plan your time and work
 are time maps with every task spread out in
plain sight
 show you are in control
 allow you to move the tasks around and change
the amount of time you wish to allot
 will work well since everything is planned and
accounted for the way you want it to be

Schedules
Kinds
Purpose
semester schedule
keeps track of important events
and deadlines for the term
weekly schedule
creates a detailed plan to show
daily routines and requirements
for the seven days each week
a list of tasks to achieve
throughout the course of a day
daily schedule
Semester Schedule
SUN
MON
TUE
WED
THU
FRI
SAT
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
Filling in Your Semester Schedule
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make a separate calendar for every month of the term
fill in all school holidays and important school events
from the information provided in your syllabus
 fill in the dates for tests, quizzes, research paper, projects
 daily assignments should not be written on this form; they
will be included on the daily planner
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write the dates of any important social events you
already know about, such as family get-togethers,
parties, concerts, etc.
can be placed in daily planner as well
Month of October
SUN
MON
TUE
WED
THU
FRI
SAT
Research
proposal due
1
2
3
Reading Day –
no classes
4
Dance
5
Play auditions
6
7
8
Research Paper
topic selected
9
10
Math test
11
12
13
ENG test
14
15
Research paper
– library work
finished
16
A&P terms due
17
18
19
20
Game
21
22
Research
Project Draft
23
24
Math test
25
Concert
26
27
28
SOC test
29
Research paper
due
30
31
Establish Base Rates
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determine approximately how long different tasks
will take – their base rate
actual time on a task will vary with your energy
level and time of day
best way to establish a base rate is to observe how
long it takes to do something and when you do it
write this information down and use it to help
create your schedule
Sample Daily Log
6:00 am Get up and shower
6:30
Eat breakfast
7:00
Commute to work
7:30
‘’
8:00
Work
8:30
‘’
9:00
‘’
9:30
‘’
10:00
‘’
10:30
‘’
11:00
‘’
11:30
‘’
12:00 pm Lunch / Go to class
12:30
Class
1:00
‘’
1:30
‘’
2:00
‘’
2:30
‘’
3:00
Class
4:00
‘'
4:30
Commute home
5:00
Watch TV
5:30
Make dinner
6:00
Eat dinner
6:30
Clean up
7:00
Phone calls
7:30
Fix window
8:00
Check e-mail
8:30
Read newspaper
9:00
Study
9:30
‘’
10:00
Read in bed / Get snack
10:30
‘’
11:00
Watch TV
11:30
Go to sleep
12:00 a.m.
1:00
1:30
Assess Your Use of Time
Track your time — if you have no idea
where your time goes
 once an hour write down in 15 – 30 minute
segments how you used the previous hour
 do this for seven days during waking hours
 study the results and make adjustments
 you may learn that you spend more time in one
area or activity than you had anticipated
Allotted Study Time

plan on two to three hours of study per week
 for every academic credit hour
 spread out through the week, including weekends
 mostly during day light hours
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if you're spending more than four hours per
credit hour, you may be studying
ineffectively
only you can determine how much time you
truly need
Weekly Schedule
Create Your Weekly Schedule
FIXED
classes
meetings
work
appointments
meals
FIXED
STUDY
2:1 ratio
label each
class/block
FLEX
STUDY
two or
three
blocks
GOALS AND
RESPONSIBILITIES
LEISURE
goals
chores
exercise
errands
social
family
friends
recreation
personal time
A Weekly Schedule
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reflects a realistic life balance
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provides adequate time for study blocks
makes good use of all blocks of time
includes hours of employment
shows specific times for work and leisure
has strong, consistent patterns – can easily
become routine
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A Weekly Schedule
includes time for specific personal goals
 provides time for meals, exercise, and
adequate sleep
 remains more or less the same each week
 establishes a routine to go to sleep each
night
 provides for study on all seven days
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Daily Schedule – To Do list
Daily Schedule – To Do List
provides you with quick reference list of time
blocks and specific tasks for day
 helps you move through day efficiently
 use index card, daily planner, electronic
organizer
 do each night before you go to bed
 keep in a convenient place
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ABC Method with a To Do List
assign a priority letter A, B, C to all items on
your To Do List
 A items – the most important to you or the
ones you want or need to do first
 B items – not as high a priority as the A items
 C items – not of such immediate importance
 begin working on the A items
Procrastination
learned behavior
 involves putting off or postponing
something until a later time
 quite consistently choosing low-priority
tasks over high- priority tasks
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 doing C tasks before A or B tasks
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can be unlearned, reduced, or eliminated
Four Simple Reasons for Procrastination
1.
Difficult - the task seems hard to do
a. naturally tend to avoid difficult things in favor of those
which seem easy
2.
Time-consuming - the task will take large blocks of
time
a. large blocks of time are unavailable until the weekend
3.
Lack of knowledge or skills - no one wants to make
mistakes
a. so wait until you learn how before you start
4.
Fears - everyone will know how you screwed up
The cure …
do everything opposite
 tell yourself:
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this isn't so hard
it won't take long
I am sure that I know how to do it
I can learn while I'm doing it
no one else really cares because they are all so
busy with their own problems
Four Complex Reasons for Procrastination
1.
Perfectionism – unrealistically high expectations or standards
a. everything must go completely right
b. it may either be imposed or self-imposed
c. the perfectionist is long on criticism and short on praise
How to resolve:
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try self-reassurance that this effort or version will be good
enough
make an effort to praise what you have done
it's impossible to eradicate all mistakes; you have undoubtedly
found all the fatal errors by now
remind yourself that great writers, poets, artists at one time or
another completed their work; therefore, it will be okay to say
that yours is done also
Four Complex Reasons for Procrastination
2.
Anger/Hostility – unhappy with someone, we'll often
withhold our best efforts
a. if you are upset with a professor, you are likely to delay in
starting a demanding project as a way of “getting even.”
b. you are the one who loses; you are the one with the low grade
How to resolve:
 determine that you are the one who is feeling upset and see how
your actions will actually harm you in the long run
 you are not going to let how you feel about a particular class
stand in the way of your personal future, are you?
Four Complex Reasons for Procrastination
3.
Low Frustration Tolerance - circumstances overwhelm you
easily
a. you find situations radically intolerable and terribly unfair
b. characterized by whining and complaining, and such phrases as “it isn't
fair,” “this is too hard,” and “no one else has to,” etc.
c. feeling the way you do, it seems reasonable to “put it off” until you
feel better about doing the work
d. trouble is, you feel just as frustrated the next day
How to resolve:
 the more you want something and can't have it, the greater your level
of frustration
 get help from someone who can show you how to solve the problem
 learn how to temporarily postpone your desires
 most of the time, you will eventually get what you want
Four Complex Reasons for Procrastination
4.
Self-Downing - continually minimize your own skills and
abilities and express doubt about your ability to succeed
a. habitually puts self down; tends to disbelieve even when successful: it was
“just dumb luck.”
b. may also find it hard to accept praise and compliments for work performed
- false modesty
How to resolve:
 practice accepting compliments about your work performance by simply
saying "Thank you."
 figure out why you feel uncomfortable with success
»
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significant others in your life often make you feel that way?
taught to minimize your success?
why is success so scary?
will it make you stand out in the crowd?
feel as though others will not accept you if you are successful?
 remember to compliment and praise yourself for work accomplished
Time Management Recap





explain the importance of setting goals and
planning rewards
gain awareness of how you currently spend your
time
recognize how much time you need for learning
define procrastination and identify several ways to
overcome it
begin applying the information to effectively
manage your time and reach your goals