Take The University Challenge

Effective

Time Management: Planning Ahead, Easing Anxiety,

& Finding Balance

The Academic Skills CentreTrent 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 CalendarsFALL 2011 TERM-AT-A-GLANCE

SEPTEMBER

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat OCTOBER

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3 2 3 4 5 6 7 1/8

4 5 6 7 8 9 10 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 16 17 18 19 20 21 22

18 19 20 21 22 23 24 23 24 25 26 27 28 29

25 26 27 28 29 30 30 31

NOVEMBER

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat DECEMBER

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3

6 7 8 9 10 11 12 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

13 14 15 16 17 18 19 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

20 21 22 23 24 25 26 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

27 28 29 30 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

Making Interim Deadlines

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

Set long-term

goals

Establish short-term priorities

Create specific task lists

Create action plan

Set mini-deadlines

Evaluate progress

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-at-a-glance calendars, 24/7 schedules, an assignment analysis sheets.

– Individual Appointments: Booked appointments are offered Monday-Fridays. 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