Time Management

It can often seem as though there is too much to do in too little time. So here are some ideas for managing time and study.

Top 10 Tips

1. Sit down and get things under control – it’s easy to think that it’s too scary to write out everything that needs doing and when it has to be done (and that’s way people carry on in a state of anxiety rather than having a time management plan). But it’s just like ripping off a band aid – just DO it. You need to know exactly when you’re up against if you’re going to able to manage it
2. Write things down – there really is no other way. Leaving tasks, appointments and deadlines to rattle around in your brain is a sure fire way of creating chaos! Develop a system and use the tools such as a diary, wall planner, note book and/or PDA.
3. Look at the big (and the small) picture – it’s no good writing a task list for tomorrow if you haven’t thought about what your longer term (this semester) or middle-term (over the next month) deadlines are
4. Make things doable – many students write a ‘to do’ list that sounds more like a ‘wish list’ (e.g. – catch up on all the reading – a virtually unattainable goal!). Ideally you should have a list of tasks each day, with each task taking no more than 40 minutes – then you can fit things into your day around lectures, work and travel.
5. Be realistic – resist the urge to get over ambitions when organising your timetable or writing your lists. If you don’t already get up at 6am it’s unlikely to be a habit that you’ll stick to in the future
6. Be flexible – things are going to come up that result in your plan going slightly astray. Remember that you can change your plan as long as you allocate time to make sure the tasks still get done (ie you can swap things around but you can’t just not do something!)
7. Don’t give up – as you are developing a system you’ll come across time management strategies that work and some that don’t. The idea is to keep modifying it until it works for you
8. Don’t let the hard things drag on – if you put off something difficult it will become impossible. Large tasks can be managed using small but constant activity. If you have a large essay to write, break it down into small manageable tasks. Avoid the temptation of starting with the easiest tasks on your list – the hard things aren’t going to go away because you ignore them!
9. Reward yourself – managing your time successfully is a major achievement! Make sure you congratulate yourself – this will encourage you to stick to the plan for longer too
10. Integrate your ‘lives’ – When managing your time, acknowledge that you have a family, a part-time job, a social life and all the other demands on your time. If you don’t factor them into your planning then the plan will be unrealistic, you’ll feel guilty that things aren’t working and you won’t stick to the plan for very long.

Links

Managing Your Time

A student-centred site with downloadable planning materials.

Time Audit

Identify where your time is going, plus tips for making effective use of time.

Downloadable resources such as a semester planner, a trimester planner or a weekly planner to help you organise your time. You can also download a Gantt chart template for managing projects and workload.

Review

Review: Covey, Stephen. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Melbourne: The Business Library, 1989.

It's easy enough to get caught up in the details of time management - to feel that making a list is doing something equally as important as the things on the list to start with! While self-help books may not be everyone's cup of tea, Stephen Covey's The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People offers an introduction into the value of time management, especially in Habit 3 'First Things First'. Covey gives a useful contextualisation of the history of time management, and of strategies for making time management a way to do things that are important to you - for time managment to be driven by your goals rather than being the goal in itself.

The summary of the development of time management moves from notes and lists, which enable recognition of the tasks and demands we deal with; to schedules, which help to plan ahead and control the future; and then the present, where the focus is on clarifying priorities in order to make the best use of available time. Covey takes this final stage and attempts to move beyond it by focusing on managing the self rather than time. While this disciplining of the self may sound rather ominous, Covey's focus is on enabling time for relationships as well as work. He takes as a starting point the idea that life and work (and study) are all important components of a whole person.

Thus, the advice given in the book is focused on proactive and productive strategies for making your priorities happen. This can be done by putting time and energy into long-term goals; by scheduling with those goals in mind, delegating and working co-operatively. There are exercises and charts included in the book, and they are handy resources that can be easily put into use. Time is a resource we all have: this book suggests ways to make the most of it!

Reviewed books can be borrowed from Student Services,
2nd Floor Guild Building

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