Introduction
This session guides students to assess their current work-life balance and place it in context with their
ideal work-life balance. The focus is on what specific actions students can take to improve their worklife balance. For example, if a student is not having enough time for self-study, what needs to change
in their life in order for them to get more time? Guide students to consider the reality of their proposed
changes and what, practically, changes might involve. To aid this process students will be guided to
complete a long-term plan, looking at completing assignments, exams and/or coursework. This
activity should be focused on helping students to gauge an idea of how much time is actually available
for study between the date of the planning and the last assessment. Again, students need to consider
what actions should be taken to ensure enough time is given to study and a healthy work-life balance.
Learning Objective
Students will reflect upon their use of time to date and evaluate their use of time in relation to course
and life demands. They will compare their current and ideal work-life balance situations and create
specific actions to improve their work-life balance. They will plan to successfully meet long-term
assessments.
Learning Outcomes
1. To analyse current work-life balance through looking at current use of time by breaking down
days and weeks into activities.
2. To formulate and justify an ideal work-life balance in relation to current work-life balance. To
create an action plan with specific and tangible means of improving work-life balance.
3. To create a long-term plan of the year complete with key assessment dates to demonstrate
how study needs will be met. To analyse this plan and suggest specific changes to improve
study success and a healthy work-life balance.
Timings: 20 minutes
Pre-activity Requirements from Students:
Students should have completed two activities from skills4study campus and printed them out, as
they form the basis of discussion. The activities are:
1. Time management —> Planning and prioritising —> Screen 5—’How should I use my study time’
2. Time management —> Planning and prioritising —> Screen 6—’Where does the time go’:
Resources


Dates (rough, if exact dates are unavailable) for all assessments on the course of study
Student resource booklet, pages 3-12
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Activity Outline
Pg.
Activity
Outcome
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1. Students who have brought their print-outs from the pre-session skills4study campus
activities get these out and briefly show others.
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2. Students who have not completed the pre-session activity complete the three worksheets
on pages 10 to 12.
3. Student calculate their weekly averages using pg. 3.
4-5
4. Individually students calculate their work-life balance and reflect upon it using prompts on
pg. 4.
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5. Student discuss with each other, as a class or individually with the lecturer how they feel
about their work-life balance and how they can improve it and summarise on the ‘time
management action plan’ on pg. 5.
6. Lecturer highlights some concrete and tangible ways that students can improve their worklife balance – reduce time on facebook by scheduling ‘facebook time’, nominate days to go out with
friends, use a timer to time how long TV is watched for, reduce numbers of paid work hours (if possible)
or consider jobs that can be done from home or where travel is reduced, use travel time to read
recommended texts, complete self-study review and summaries after lectures and before leaving for
home etc.
6-9
7. Lecturer gives students anticipated dates of assessments to fill in on long-term planner (pg.
7-9) – this includes exams, coursework, assignments, essays, case studies, portfolios etc. –
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whether they contribute to the final grade or not, there needs to be an idea of what is expected of the
student and when (roughly, if exact dates aren’t known).
8. Individually, students work through pg. 6 and complete their long-term planner on pg. 7-9.
9. Students complete the last section on the ‘time management action plan’ on pg. 5.
Optional Self-study for extension of skills using Skills4study Campus
Time management —> Planning and prioritising or time management techniques
Skills4study campus can be accessed from: http://www.skills4studycampus.com/orglogin.aspx
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