Time Management
Department of Academic Support
Saint Louis University
Goals of this workshop
The following workshop is designed to bring you
through a process of:
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Evaluating your current time management skills;
Providing education on goals and priorities;
Help you identify and eliminate distractions;
Work towards more effective time management
strategies!
Before you continue, make sure you have pen and
paper to complete the next few activities…
Where does your time go?
• In order to seek improvements, you first need
to observe your current habits.
• Take a few minutes and write down how many
hours a week you spend on the following
activities.
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Attending Class
Working (internship, RA, outside job)
Sleeping
Personal care
Traveling (to and from class) weekday
Traveling weekend
Studying
Eating
Watching TV
Now…
Cleaning apartment/room, doing laundry
Add up all of your
Caring for family
activity hours for the
Exercise
week.
Attending athletic practice or games
Surfing the net (facebook), videogames, etc
What is your total?
Leisure activities (reading, talking on the phone, etc)
Other (social)
How many hours
a week do you
spend…
Where does your time go?
• Guess what…
There are only 168 hours a week.
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On what activities did you spend the most amount of time?
On what activities did you spend the least amount of time?
To what activities would you like to devote more time?
Are you satisfied with the way you spend your time?
What changes would you like to make?
Sources:
Carol Kanar, The Confident Student
Based on your current time
management…
We will now work on
strategies to improve
your productivity!
Creating a Goal for Time
Management
What would you like to change about your
current time management?
For example, would you like to devote more time to studying?
The first step is to make a concrete goal.
Better yet, make sure your goal is S.M.A.R.T.
S.M.A.R.T. Goals
From Paul J. Meyer’s “Attitude is Everything”
• S = Specific
A specific goal has a greater chance of being accomplished.
When thinking of your goal, consider “who is involved,” “what you want to
accomplish,” “when you want the goal accomplished,” “which
requirements/restraints will provide obstacles,” and “why you want to
accomplish the goal.”
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M = Measurable
A = Attainable
R = Realistic
T = Tangible
S.M.A.R.T. Goals
From Paul J. Meyer’s “Attitude is Everything”
• S = Specific
• M = Measurable
Establish a concrete means for measuring the progress towards your goal.
To determine if your goal is measurable, ask the questions: “How much?”
“How many,” and “How will I know when it is accomplished?”
For example, if your goal is raise a B to an A-, you can measure your quiz
and test grades to see if you are on track.
• A = Attainable
• R = Realistic
• T = Tangible
S.M.A.R.T. Goals
From Paul J. Meyer’s “Attitude is Everything”
• S = Specific
• M = Measurable
• A = Attainable
Identify a goal that is most important because then you’ll adopt an
attitude and plan proper to make sure it actually comes true.
Remember, reaching goals requires thoughtful consideration and planning.
Make sure you picked a goal that you will actually take the steps you
planned out!
• R = Realistic
• T = Tangible
S.M.A.R.T. Goals
From Paul J. Meyer’s “Attitude is Everything”
• S = Specific
• M = Measurable
• A = Attainable
• R = Realistic
A goal must be an objective toward which you are both willing and able to
work. Making sure the goal is realistic is up to you.
A high goal is frequently easier to reach than a low one because a low goal
exerts low motivational force.
Your goal is probably realistic if you believe that it can be accomplished.
• T = Tangible
S.M.A.R.T. Goals
From Paul J. Meyer’s “Attitude is Everything”
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•
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•
S = Specific
M = Measurable
A = Attainable
R = Realistic
• T = Tangible
A goal is tangible when you can experience it with one of your senses
(taste, touch, smell, sight, or hearing). When your goal is tangible, ou have
a better chance of making it specific, measurable, and attainable.
(Intangible goals are more internal changes like personality characteristics
and behaviors. They are important and vital to reaching other goals, but
extremely difficult to measure. Thus, focus on the tangible so you can stay
motivated and see results!)
S.M.A.R.T. Goals
From Paul J. Meyer’s “Attitude is Everything”
• Now, determine a smart goal for how you hope to
change your current time management behavior.
Write down this goal
• Share a goal with a friend who will be committed to
asking your progress and support you!
Create more time in your day!
• Now that you have a goal in mind, how can
you find more time to accomplish it?
Eliminate those time thieves!
• Example of time thieves include:
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Procrastination
External Distractions (noise, music, TV, facebook, etc)
Internal Distractions (hunger, fatigue, worrying, etc)
Over scheduling
Poor organization
How to eliminate Time Thieves
1.Identify what steals your time.
2. Organize a plan and a “to do” list…
– List your obligations
– Set time limits
– Avoid new commitments that would…
a. Not be a priority
b. Would take away time from meeting your new goal
– Schedule enough time to sleep, eat, and exercise!
3. Spend 15 minutes to clean and organize your room and or study space (set an
alarm to let you know when those 15 minutes are up).
How to eliminate Time Thieves
4. Start on your to-do list.
– When starting on a project (specifically homework or a paper), schedule only
10 to 15 minutes and put pen to paper.
– Do not worry about neatness or being correct. Rather, use this time to loosen
up your brain and brainstorm ideas.
5. Say “NO” to interruptions.
– Do not answer the door or your phone.
– Unhook the internet (unless if it is needed) and tv.
– Deactivate your facebook account for a while.
6. Make this a routine!
– Complete as many of your tasks as possible, but don’t let it cut into your sleep
or food.
– Prioritize what needs to be done, cut things into short increments of time, and
discipline yourself with the time scheduled.
– As you continue….it will get easier to create and finish your “to do” lists!
What other strategies exist?
• A “to do” list may not work for you…
– Try…
• A weekly planner
• A monthly planner or calendar
• Google calendar
• Find ways to build discipline…
– Schedule time to meet with a tutor, professor, or
study group (thus, scheduling time where you
know you’ll do work!)
What other strategies exist?
• Find appropriate times to multi-task
• Study throughout the day!
– Bring books and notes with you, and spend extra
time in the library.
– Treat school like a job and do not return to your
room until (at least) 5:00 p.m.
Resources
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Lisa Israel
Manager
Student Success Center, Medical Campus
Nursing Building, Room 114
Carol Kanar
The Confident Student
4th Edition, Houghton Mifflin
Copyright 2001
Pages 106-107
Billiken Beginnings
Kendall Hunt Publishing Company
Copyright 2009
Pages 85-88
Academic Centers for Excellence
University of South Carolina—Columbia
http://www.housing.sc.edu/ace/res_gs.html
For more information…
• If you feel that you need more information
about time management, then please contact:
Kelly Herbolich
Coordinator, Academic Support
Student Success Center
Busch Student Center, Suite 331
kherboli@slu.edu
(314) 977-2649