Chapter 3

1. Chapter 3 Managing Your Time

2. C H A P T E R 3 Managing Your Time In Chapter 3 You Will Learn • How to set goals and priorities • How to create a time-management system • How to assess your energy level and time wasters • How to work in alignment with your learning style • How to overcome procrastination • How to handle interruptions

3. Envision yourself going through the day effortlessly. You are calm and energetic, and you complete each task. You have control of your time and your life. You have a clear vision of your goals and priorities. You work steadily and consistently until tasks are finished. Visualize your feelings of accomplishment and completion. Imagine yourself in charge of your time and your life. Imagine yourself in charge of your time and your life.

4. 3 Success Principle 3 Focus on PRIORITIES, not activities.

5. Self-Assessment Time management is much more than focusing on minutes, hours, and days.

6. Self-Assessment Factors that affect time management: • Your attitude • Your energy level • Your ability to concentrate

7. Where Does Your Time Go? You can divide time into three areas: • Committed Time • Maintenance Time • Discretionary Time

8. Committed Time Committed time includes activities involved in achieving your immediate and long-term goals.

9. Committed Time • School • Labs • Studying • Work • Commuting • Waiting for the bus

10. Maintenance Time Maintenance time is the time you spend maintaining yourself. continued

11. cont’d Maintenance Time • Eating • Sleeping • Bathing • Exercising • Maintaining your home

12. Discretionary Time Discretionary time is time that is yours to use as you please. Use discretionary time for things you value most in life. continued

13. cont’d Discretionary Time • Building relationships • Contributing to the community • Contributing to your physical, mental, and spiritual well-being

14. “ Decide what you want, decide what you are willing to exchange for it, establish your priorities, and go back to work. ” —H.L. Hunt, financier

15. Where Should Your Time Go? Peak performers know that the first rule of time management is to set goals to determine what they want to accomplish.

16. Setting Priorities Make sure that your days are not just a treadmill of activities, crises, and endless tasks, but that you focus on the important as well as the urgent.

17. Time-Management Strategies • Write A daily to-do list. • Make a project board. • Do the tough tasks first. • Break projects down into smaller tasks. • Consolidate similar tasks. continued

18. cont’d Time-Management Strategies • Study at your high-energy time. • Study everywhere and anywhere. • Study in short segments throughout the day.

19. cont’d Time Management Strategies • Get organized • Be flexible, patient, and persistent.

20. Figure 3.2 Sample Project Board

21. The Management Process • Planning • Organizing • Staffing • Delegating • Directing • Motivating • Evaluating

22. Graphic Organizer The Management Process DIRECTING AND MOTIVATING PLANNING ORGANIZING STAFFING DELEGATING EVALUATING • Specify goals. • Post goals in study area. • Visualize results. • Break large goals into small tasks. • Identify steps to achieve goals. • Be prepared for setbacks. • Post charts of major projects, due dates, and class schedule. • Use a project board. • Follow through. • Team members, coworkers, advisors, instructors, and tutors are your success team. • Know two students from each class. • Pick the best instructors. • Use student services. • Assign housekeeping tasks. • Divide workload equally in study group. • Make sure children do their share. • Make a list of the ways you can reward yourself. • Take frequent short breaks. • Keep a list of goals on your desk. • After completing a project, reward yourself. • Monitor your attitude, behavior, expectations, and results. • Measure your results honestly. • Don’t make excuses or place blame. • Find solutions using creative thinking.

23. Planning is powerful.

24. Planning Specify your goals and visualize the results you want to achieve.

25. Organizing Organize your office, study area, and activities to achieve your goals.

26. Staffing Your study team, coworkers, advisors, instructors, and tutors are part of your success team.

27. Delegating Delegate tasks to subordinates and coworkers.

28. Directing and Motivating Use positive reinforcement to motivate yourself.

29. Evaluating Monitor your attitude, behavior, expectations, and the results you are creating.

30. Managing College and Your Career Like a Pro Try the following strategies to plan your education like a pro: • Plan your course of study. • Research the best instructors. • Register on time. continued

31. cont’d Manage College and Your Career Like a Pro • Be persistent. • Go to summer school. • Audit classes. • Get organized. • Evaluate your performance.

32. Keep your syllabus, handouts, instructor information, due dates, project board, and study team information in a binder.

33. Assessing and Reflection Assess often. Make a habit of being aware of where your time goes.

34. Overcoming Procrastination To avoid procrastination, try these techniques: • Set daily priorities. • Break the project into small tasks. continued

35. cont’d Overcoming Procrastination • Assess the payoffs for procrastination. • Develop a positive attitude. • Work during your high-energy time.

36. To avoid wasting time surfing the Internet or playing video games, have a specific task to complete when you use your computer.

37. Controlling Interruptions Interruptions steal your time. Don’t let the telephone and other people control you. continued

38. cont’d Controlling Interruptions Combine socializing with exercising or eating lunch or dinner.

39. Invest your time on items that produce the results you want.

40. Strategies for Controlling Interruptions • Create an organized place to study. • Create a good time to study. • Create quiet time. • Study in the library. continued

41. cont’d Strategies for Controlling Interruptions • Do first things first. • Just say no!

42. Juggling Family, School, and Job Focus on the big picture and look at ways to juggle your many roles.

43. Juggling Family, School, and Job The following ten tips will help you juggle family, school, and job: • Be flexible. • Communicate expectations. continued

44. cont’d Juggling Family, School, and Job • Increase your energy. • Find good daycare. • Create positive time. • Model successful behavior. • Delegate and develop. continued

45. cont’d Juggling Family, School, and Job • Create a support system. • Get organized. • Balance your life.

46. The Returning Student The following seven tips will help returning students: • Observe, read, and notice procedures, deadlines, resources, and policies. continued

47. cont’d The Returning Student • Explore campus resources. • Explore community and family resources. • Develop an organized record-keeping system. • Join study groups. continued

48. cont’d The Returning Student • Integrate all learning styles. • Find a mentor.

49. Balancing Your Life Decide if you are investing too much or too little time in each area of your life. continued

50. cont’d Balancing Your Life It is okay to make a trade-off for a specific goal, but realize that you may neglect a vital area of your life.