Take The University Challenge
Effective
Time Management:
Planning Ahead,
Easing Anxiety,
& Finding Balance
The Academic Skills Centre
Trent University
What are the
time
management
challenges are
you concerned
about?
The Challenge
• 5 courses per semester
• 50 pages of reading per course, per week (250
pages total per week)
• For humanities and social sciences, 1-3 papers
per year, per course (5-15 total per year)
• For sciences, more frequent assignments and
labs.
• 2-4 exams per year, per course (10-20 total)
The Goals of Time Management
• Control
• Balance
• Best Effort
The Keys to Time Management
• Build productive routines
• Use time for one purpose so that you can
focus on that purpose
• Be honest with yourself
• Engage in long and short term planning
Long and Short Term Planning
•
Long term planning helps you to
keep track of due dates for major
assignments throughout the term.
•
Short term planning helps you to
determine your hourly, daily, and
weekly priorities
•
The goal of planning is to create
balance, to avoid “crunch
periods” and all-nighters, and
to help you succeed.
What You Need to Create a Time
Management Plan
• Materials:
–
–
–
–
Course timetable
Syllabus/Course Outlines
Major Assignment Sheets
Work and Personal Schedule
• Understanding:
– How do you learn?
– When/where do you work best?
Long Term Planning
Term At A Glance Calendars
• Purchase or make a term-at-a-glance calendar
• In colour, write the name of every major
assignment on its due date. Do this for each
class.
• You can see busy times, slower times, and this
will allow you to plan to start assignments ahead
of time
Term At A Glance Calendars
FALL 2011 TERM-AT-A-GLANCE
SE
PT
EM
BE
R
NO
VE
MB
ER
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
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
O
C
T
O
B
E
R
D
E
C
E
M
B
E
R
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
2
3
4
5
6
7
1/8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
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
Making Interim Deadlines
• Use pencil to mark in your calendar when
you need to start working on each major
assignment.
• You can also use assignment analysis
sheets
• Mark when you want to have a draft of
each major assignment complete.
Using an Assignment Analysis
Sheet
• Break major assignments down into
smaller steps.
• Set target start and end dates for
each of the steps.
• Mark these dates on your calendar in
pencil.
Using an Assignment Analysis
Sheet
Some Advice on Deadlines
• Try to meet every one.
• Remember, unexpected things happen.
Don’t panic if you get sick, miss a morning
of work, or even a deadline.
• But remember, for it to work, you have to
follow it 90% of the time.
When Will You Do Your Work?
• Use a 24/7 schedule to identify the times
of day that you have to complete your
work.
• To begin scheduling, gather your course
outlines as well as your class, work and
other personal schedules.
Printable online:
www.trentu.ca/academicskills/documents/247schedule.doc
Using the 24-7 Schedule
• Block off all of the time you spend in class,
tutorials, and labs.
• Block off work and personal commitments.
• Block off time for personal care: cooking,
laundry etc.
Identify Work Times for Courses
• Aim to spend about 4 hours per week, per
course on reading, completing assignments, and
working on major projects/papers.
• Determine when during the week you have
these 4 hours and block them on your schedule
using a different colour.
• Keep in mind this does not have to be one work
period.
Do What Works
• In courses that require dense textbook
reading, it is often best to schedule a hour
a day to complete readings and make
notes or flashcards.
• Some people prefer to keep one day a
week for major assignment work, while
others like to spread this time our over the
week.
Short Term Planning
Long Term Goals Become Short
Term Plans
Evaluate
progress
Set
long-term
goals
Create
specific
task lists
Create
action plan
Establish
short-term
priorities
Set minideadlines
Review Your Calendar
• Set aside time at the beginning of each
week to review your long-term calendars
and see what is on the horizon.
• Make a weekly to-do list of what you need
to accomplish in the coming week. What
are your priorities?
Assign Tasks to Specific Days
• Determine when you will complete the
tasks that need to get done. Be as specific
as possible.
• Write these tasks down in an agenda or
weekly planner.
Daily To-Do Lists or Schedules
• Using your weekly list or planner,
determine what needs to be done in the
coming day.
• List tasks to be done or create a schedule
for yourself to follow.
Understanding
Procrastination
and How to Avoid It
Why Do We Procrastinate?
The Procrastination Problem
“Piers Steel defines procrastination as willingly
deferring something even though you expect the
delay to make you worse off…. The essence of
procrastination lies in not doing what you think
you should be doing, a mental contortion that
surely accounts for the great psychic toll the
habit takes on people. This is the perplexing
thing about procrastination: although it seems to
involve avoiding unpleasant tasks, indulging in it
generally doesn’t make people happy”
(Surowiecki, 2010)
Why Do We Do It?
• We are able to make good, rational
choices about the long term, but in the
moment, short-term considerations
overwhelm long-term goals
• “The Planning Fallacy”
• Perfectionism and Self- Handicapping:
Strategies for Avoiding
Procrastination
– Be as specific as you can: “classification
and definition: the vaguer the task, or the
more abstract the thinking it requires, the less
likely you are to finish it.”
– Break it Down: “Bird by Bird” and Picture
frame technique
– Use outside tools to help keep you on
track. (Freedom software and artificial
deadlines)
Resources
– ASC website: downloadable term-ata-glance calendars, 24/7 schedules,
an assignment analysis sheets.
– Individual Appointments: Booked
appointments are offered MondayFridays. Call 748-1720 to schedule
your appointment.
Come Talk to Us!
• Do you want to ask questions about
something you heard today?
• Do you want an instructor to look at work
you did during these sessions (sample
thesis, lecture notes, paraphrase)?
• Come see us at the Academic Skills
Centre during special 10 minute drop-in
sessions!
Special Drop-in Appointments
Wednesday, Sept. 4, Thursday, Sept. 5, and
Friday, Sept. 6
10-minute drop-in appointments
(first come-first served)
Academic Skills Centre
Champlain College 206
9am-4pm