Time Use Study
Directions
Time
Monday
7 a.m.
7:15
7:25
7:30
Student Name:
Dates:
We all get the same number of hours in a day; some of us seem to make better use of time
than others, however. This assignment asks you to study how you use your time for one
full week. I ask nothing but that you keep track of what you do, how long you do it for,
and when you do it. Be diligent and do your best to keep track of everything that you do.
Use the sample entries below to give you some idea of what to write. As you complete
the sheet, indicate whether an activity Adds or Takes energy or is Neutral.
Mins.
15
10
5
20
A/T/N
N
N
A
A
Activity (Describe)
Woke, dressed, hair, teeth, etc.
Gobbled breakfast while I read the newspaper
Checked my email; emailed essay to self so I can work on it at school.
Mom drove me to school; talked, listened to radio, planned weekend.
© 2002 Jim Burke. Teachers may photocopy for classroom use. Visit www.englishcompanion.com.
Time Study Follow Up: Analysis of the Data
Burke/Fall 2002
Overview
Congratulations! You have kept track of how you spend your minutes, hours, and
days for one full week. You needed to keep track like this so you could see the
patterns of your life. Now you’re reading to answer some questions:
q What patterns emerge?
q What are the categories into which you can divide your time?
q How much time do you spend in these different categories?
q What surprised you?
q What do you notice?
q What do your time study results suggest you should do?
Objectives
The purpose of this assignment is to help you:
1. Generate categories (into which you can organize your minutes)
2. Organize data/information into these categories
3. Draw conclusions based on the data you gathered
4. Evaluate your priorities based on your data
5. Create a goal statement about how you use your time
6. Make an plan for how to reach this goal and sustain the change
7. Reflect on what you learned about yourself, your life, and your values
8. See the connection between your time use corresponds to your performance in
school (e.g., “I am spending four hours a day seriously studying and that is
why I am earning a 3.2 GPA.”)
Directions
Complete each of the following steps:
1. Skim through the data in your time study in order to generate categories.
2. Add up the number of hours for the week in each category. Then divide that
number by seven to get a daily average. For example, this would tell you the
average number of hours you spend each day doing homework.
3. Complete the Time Use Target. This target has twenty-four “slices” to
represent the number of hours in a day. Create a color code system (with a key
at the bottom) so I know what the colors represent. Then color in the target to
visually represent your day.
4. Identify the “primary domains” into which your life falls. Mine, for example,
would be Family, Work (School), Writing, Personal Needs (sleeping, eating,
reading), Traveling.
5. Write a short reflective essay in which you:
a. Discuss what you notice
b. Discuss what surprised you most
c. Draw conclusions about how you use your time
d. Explain the connection between how you use your time and how you
are doing in school.
6. Write a goal statement about how you will make decisions about how to spend
your time.
Example: I will double the amount of time I spend on homework each day
so I can earn a 3.0 GPA.
7. List two changes you can make this week that will help you use your time
better to reach this goal. Here’s an example:
1. I will go to the library right after school and do my homework there
until it’s time to go home for dinner.
2. I will not go online until I have finished my homework for the day.
Time
Duration Activity (Describe)
© 2002 Jim Burke. Teachers may photocopy for classroom use. Visit www.englishcompanion.com.
Time Use Target
Name
Date
Subject
Period
© Jim Burke 2002. For more information on this and other such Tools for Thought visit www.englishcompanion.com