Combining Sport and Study:
Time Management
Helen Shore
Educational Support Officer
The Educational Support Office
• Support and advice to disabled students
• Assessment and support of Specific Learning
Difficulties such as dyslexia, dyspraxia and
ADHD
• Referral for study skills support for all students
and at any level
• http://www.rhul.ac.uk/studyresources
skills4study campus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBzAE7Bg6eI&feature=relmfu
Time Management
Combining Sport and Study
Adapted from Whipper, J. (2011)
Ask yourself.....
Do I:
• often run late
• feel stressed trying to get everything done in a
day
• have trouble finishing assignments on time
• not use a planner to schedule daily life
Many athletes would answer yes to at least
one of these questions.
Think about the number of commitments
an athlete needs to manage
Off field
On field
Sport
Education
Work
Lifestyle
Group training
Strength and conditioning
Attending University
Shifts
Time with friends
Individual training (skills)
Physiotherapy
University work and
Events
Family events (birthdays etc.)
Work placement
Holidays
assignments
Competitions
Other medical
Team meetings
Exams
Tours
Media/promotional work
General homework
How do athletes manage all these
individual commitments?
• Training calendar: athletes will quite often have a
calendar for sporting activities, outlining training
and competition commitments.
• University diary: tracking relevant homework and
assignments.
• University subject outlines: to identify
assessment due dates and exam periods.
• Work rosters: to confirm work shifts.
• Other events: appointment cards, emails,
calendars at home, text messages, memory.
What is the problem with using
separate documents to manage
commitments?
The main problem is that athletes have
difficulty knowing when there are
conflicts. Quite often, by the time an
athlete realises that they have too much
happening at once, it is too late to
complete everything.
How can integrated time
management help?
• Predicts conflicts in advance.
• Helps athletes plan and feel organised.
• Athletes become more proactive and less
reactive (which coaches and teachers like to
see).
• It is a great communication tool that helps
inform coaches, educational institutions and
family of an athlete’s important commitments
and how they can support them.
Week Beginning
Month
Integrated Planner Example
October
7
14
21
28
November
4
11
18
25
December
2
9
16
23
30
Major events
(Competitions / training
camps etc)
Education / work
commitments – key dates
(Exams, assignments, work
deadlines, holidays, etc.)
Highlight Areas of
Conflict
Strategies to resolve
conflict
Tips for making an integrated planner
work:
• Keep it up to date: if it’s digital save the
planner on a USB flash drive or on your
computer’s desktop and update it as soon as
new commitments are made.
• Deal with conflicts early: lecturers, tutors and
coaches are more likely to be receptive to
flexibility if given advance warning. An
integrated planner will help provide this
warning.
Tips for making a weekly schedule
work:
• Schedule fixed commitments first (training, work,
university).
• Focus on what is important.
• Be realistic when planning your week.
• Identify the best time of the day for an activity
and make it work.
• Use waiting time and/or travel time effectively.
• Look for short cuts in the day to maximise time.
Further Information
• A quick activity to help you find out where your
time goes! Virginia Tech)
http://www.ucc.vt.edu/stdysk/TMInteractive.html
• Time saving tips from California Polytechnic State
University
http://www.sas.calpoly.edu/asc/ssl/timemgttips.ht
ml
• Palgrave study skills, time management info
http://www.palgrave.com/skills4study/studyskills/l
earning/time.asp
Bibliography
• Loughborough University. nd. Organising Yourself, [online].
Available at:
http://www.lboro.ac.uk/media/wwwlboroacuk/content/lib
rary/downloads/advicesheets/organise.pdf [accessed
01.10.12]
• Manchester University. nd. Time management, [online].
Available at:
http://www.sos.eps.manchester.ac.uk/support/selfhelp/pdf/time_management.pdf [accessed 27.09.12]
• Whipper, J., 2011. Blending sport and study — time
management, Sports Coach, [online]. Available at:
http://www.ausport.gov.au/sportscoachmag/planning/blen
ding_sport_and_study_a_time_management [accessed
27.09.12]