Time Management Webinar Script
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
Introduction
a. Title
b. Goals
c. Importance of time
Determining Current Habits
a. University Study
b. Current study time
c. Study time and performance
d. Reflect on data
e. How do you spend your time?
Prioritizing Daily Tasks
a. Exercise
b. ABC List
c. Staying focused
Ten Strategies
Making the Change
a. Select a new study habit
b. Assignment Calculator
c. Create a To Do List
Final Thoughts/Next Steps
a. Questions?
Segment 1: Introduction
(Slide 0) Webinar Initial Screen
(Slide 1) Title
Hello, and welcome to the Time Management workshop presented by the Center for Learning &
Advancement at Grand Canyon University. For more information on tutoring and other supported
services, go to our website at www.gcu.edu/centerforlearning.
(Slide 2) Goals
This workshop will help you realize that developing time management skills itself is a process that takes
time, but through hard work anyone can become more efficient in managing their daily lives. You will
better recognize how to use your time wisely in order to more effectively organize and prioritize your
classwork. You will better understand how to balance the many conflicting interests within your life,
such as class, work, family, and even sleep.
(Slide 3) Ben Franklin
Benjamin Franklin once said, “Do not squander time, for it is the stuff life is made of.” In this workshop
we will discuss how better time management can increase the quality of your life as a student, friend,
employee, sibling, parent, and any other role you have in your life.
Segment 2: Your Current Habits
(Slide 4) Fordham Study
Now let’s look at how you as a student devote time to your studies as well gain some perspective from
how many students use their time. A Fordham University study of first year students found that while
on weekdays students spent twice as much time on leisure activities (such as watching TV, playing video
games, surfing the internet, and socializing), these same students spent SIX TIMES as much time on
leisure than on studying. While this study only indicates an average for one university, we can probably
all agree that we better balance how we use our time.
(Slide 5) Time Management
Let’s put together some information about your study habits. How many hours a week do you spend on
work outside of class? Write the number for reference through the rest of the discussion.
(Slide 6) Hours Per Week
Next we have a chart that breaks down, by the number of prep hours students put in each week, the
differences in prep time between the national average for students compared to the top five percent of
students. You can see, for example, that while 18% percent of students study 1-5 hours per week, only
5% of the top students do this. Conversely, we can see that a much higher percentage of top students
study more than 20 hours a week. Top students generally put much more time into their studies.
Where do you currently fall on this chart?
(Slide 7) Reflect and Share
Take a minute to reflect upon the data presented in the previous chart. Answer the following questions:
 What surprises you about these statistics?
 Are you academic goals reflected in the amount of time you spend preparing for your classes?
(Slide 8) How do you spend your time?
If you are able, quickly go to www.studygs.net/schedule and type in the amount of time you spend on
each activity during a normal weekday. And be as accurate as possible. If you have children, you will
most likely put a large amount of time in the “Family commitments” box. Be sure to keep this
information, and notice how your study time compares to other types of activities you perform
throughout the day.
Segment 3: Prioritizing Tasks
(Slide 9) Prioritizing Daily Tasks
Now that you have a better idea of how you spend your time, let’s move on to how you can better
prioritize your daily activities.
(Slide 10) How would you?
How would you prioritize the following list of tasks? Think about how might categorize them into
different levels of priority. You may pause this video in order to give yourself time to complete the task.
(Slide 11) ABC List
One way to categorize these tasks is to create a lettered system like “ABC” to prioritize each. Letter A
represents high value academic tasks, such as assignments and tests that are worth a large portion of
your grade. Letter B represents lower value academic tasks, which are either small assignments or other
class-related activities. Letter C represents personal tasks that do not have immediate importance.
(Slide 12) How to Stay Focused
You will certainly have other personal tasks that supersede all of the listed tasks, but do not allow C-type
tasks to seam more important than your academic goals. Postpone these tasks until your work is
finished. While you might say to yourself that your room must be cleaner before you start work, the
task itself will be more satisfying after your work is done. Completing C-type task is also a great way to
wind down after completing work, rather than spending your energy upfront on them.
What is one distraction that causes you to stop studying?
(Slide 13) Reflect
Now take a minute and think about two ways that you better prioritize your daily tasks in order to be
more productive. You may pause this video in order to give yourself more time.
Segment 4: Ten Strategies for Effective Time Management, Part 1
(Slide 14) Academics at the Top…
We just discussed how your academic tasks should be at the top of your priority list, but now let’s talk
about how to actually place them there.
(Slide 15) Ten Strategies
We will now look at ten strategies to do just that. As we go through the strategies, make note of which
strategies you would like to implement.
(Slide 16) Timeline
(Slide 17) Use Blocks of Study Time
Planning blocks of study time can be incredibly helpful for keeping yourself on task and communicating
with family and friends when you will be unavailable. Precisely schedule these blocks each week in
order to keep your honest. Don’t just say, “On Thursday I will study for two hours.” Be more specific:
“On Thursday I will study from 8 to 10 pm, with a 10 minute break in the middle.” Your time blocks
should reflect your own learning style and the tasks you have to complete. If you become restless
quickly, schedule 30 minute blocks with breaks. If you have more difficult material, schedule in more
breaks.
(Slide 18) Find a Dedicated Study Space
Finding a dedicated space is critical. If you are constantly distracted during your scheduled study time,
you will have defeated your purpose. Stay away from places you eat or sleep. Going to a public place
like a coffee shop or library can be incredibly helpful.
(Slide 19) Review Material Every Week
Review course material every week, preferably right after class. If you are an online student, you can
review material directly before or after you participate in discussion or submit an assignment. Schedule
time for review and make a part of your weekly class routine. Doing so will greatly increases your
memory retention of the course material. You may want to also budget more time for this task as
deadlines and exams draw near.
(Slide 20) Prioritize Your Assignments
As we discussed with the ABC system, prioritize your assignments in order of importance. Use your peak
energy times—whenever you typically have the most energy—throughout the day to complete your
most complex assignments. Also, reviewing instructor feedback from previous assignments will help
you be more efficient in completing later assignments, especially in more difficult courses.
(Slide 21) Achieve Stage One
There is a Chinese proverb that states, “Moving a mountain begins by lifting one stone.” The same goes
for large projects. Starting a big assignment can sometimes be the hardest step. When you first receive
information about a major project, get something done, no matter how small. For example, if you have
a large research paper in a course, quickly find a couple possible research sources and start your
bibliography. Then create a checklist where can mark that you already have to research sources!
Segment 5: Ten Strategies for Effective Time Management, Part 2
(Slide 22) Postpone Unnecessary Activities
No matter what, postpone any unnecessary activities (such as C type tasks already mentioned) until
after you have completed your classwork. Remove yourself from the situation if necessary and find a
different study space.
(Slide 23) Identify Helpful Resources
Use your resources! The university provides some excellent resources for you to utilize such as tutors,
webinars and tutorials, and research librarians. Many people think that tutoring is a tool for
remediation, to be used only when a student is doing poorly. However, studies have shown successful
students use tutoring as a regular part of their learning process, especially when it is freely available, as
it is at GCU. The research librarians can also save you tremendous amounts of time when researching
for papers, and they will help you learn how to find the best possible sources.
(Slide 24) Use Your Free Time
We all have small pockets of time where we normally might go on Facebook or play Angry Birds on our
smartphones. Instead, use that time for study. Bring flash cards or class notes with you to review
whenever you have the opportunity. Doing so will help you develop a habit of studying.
(Slide 25) Review Notes Before
As mentioned before, reviewing notes before and after class can be a powerful learning tool. For much
of the class material you encounter, repetition and simply keeping it in front of you for longer periods of
time will help your learning and memorization.
(Slide 26) Use a Planner
We discussed earlier how scheduling can make a significant impact on how you use your time. Using a
planner can help you better manage your schedule as well as create a place where you can make to-do
lists and prioritize tasks. You may prefer either an electronic or paper planner, and you should use
whichever one you are more likely to consistently maintain and have with you. You should also record
important dates from syllabi and class announcements, as well as regularly review your schedule. The
more consistently you use a planner, the more effective it will be.
(Slide 27) Zoom Out
Segment 5: Implementation
(Slide 28) Select a New Study Habit
Let’s look at a few ways to implement these study strategies.
Now select one of the strategies you thought would be most useful for you, and write down how you
will specifically use that strategy and turn it into a habit. You may pause this video in order to give
yourself more time.
(Slide 29) Assignment Calculator
Planning for an assignment can be a critical component of completing large projects with a high level of
achievement. If you are able, go to the listed link (https://www.lib.umn.edu/help/calculator/) to view
an online assignment calculator/planner. Once there identify an assignment in one of your classes,
preferably a writing assignment. On the page you can see that you click on different types of
assignments to make the calculator more specific to what you are doing. You may pause this video in
order to give yourself more time. After calculating the assignment schedule, notice how the calculator
breaks the task down into smaller sequential steps.
(Slide 30) Create a To Do List
As we discussed briefly earlier, creating to do lists can be incredibly helpful, especially if they are
properly prioritized. Take a couple moments to write down a few tasks you need to complete—both for
classes and personal to-do’s. Creating to-do lists can help you organize the chaos of what you might
have going on in your life. Doing so will reduce your stress and help you consider the best ways to
complete your tasks. And, of course, crossing off a task is a reward in itself!
(Slide 31) Some Final Thoughts
In closing, one of the best strategies you can take in managing your time is not taking on additional
commitments. Learn to say “No,” even if it is not in your nature. This will help you stick to your
schedule. If you are not taking care of your needs, you will not be able to take care of others as
effectively. Be realistic about the time you do have. Look back at how many other time commitments
you already have each day. What is in the realm of possibility for you on a daily basis? And finally, don’t
forget to reward yourself for a job well done. When you have the opportunity, take the time to
recognize your own accomplishments and spend time with family and friends.
(Slide 32) Questions?
Thank you for viewing this online workshop. If you have any further questions about the workshop or
about the services offered by the Center for Learning and Advancement, e-mail our First Year Experience
Director at fye@gcu.edu.