Module 2: Time Management
Introduction
If you ask students what area of their academic careers needs improvement, almost all will tell you “time management”. The challenge is to get everything that you need and WANT to get accomplished finished in the time you have available to you. That may be extremely difficult if you also hold down a full or part-time job, if you are a parent, if you are a caretaker, or if you have other commitments that are high priority in your life. As adult learners, you are likely very good time managers because you are already used to juggling your time in your daily life. Adding a full or part-time university course load to your already busy schedule can seem daunting, but with a bit of creative planning and commitment to your education, it can be done without too much difficulty.
In my experience with adult learners, they are often theoretically very committed to their studies and recognize the value of their education, especially because they understand the value of the money required to fund their degree. In practice, though, adult learners often prioritize their studies behind their families and their employment. This is understandable, because bills need to be paid and kids need to get to soccer practice. But repeatedly putting your studies at the end of the to-do list can be a recipe for disaster. In this module you will find practical tools for time management, self-assessment tools to help you determine whether you need to improve your time management skills, and suggestions for ways to incorporate your university studies into your already busy life.
Karen, a full-time professional and online adult learner at Nipissing, says this about her approach to managing her time devoted to university study:
It was difficult for me to carve out time on a daily basis, so I found myself finding time when my husband and boys were either sleeping or out, then I would log on and dive in! I found that was good too, though, because I learned more at one sitting than in bits and pieces (and half distracted) if I was trying to do it during my family time…
After being out of school for so long, I wasn’t sure what to expect… I miss the people and interaction of a classroom, but realize it is not an option for me at this point with my full time job.
– Karen, Mature Student, Nipissing University, 2010
Karen makes the most of “in-between time” by concentrating on her school work when she is free from distraction. This works for her because, as she says, she can “dive in” and get large chunks of work done in one sitting.
David, a married father of 3 who is also a full-time professional, approaches time management in a similar way to Karen:
You have to build a time line and stick with it to ensure you get the work done as well as look after your career and family. One of the keys has been to give up things like TV. I love to watch sports on TV but it’s either give up sports or take time from my family or career, so TV goes. I doubt I watch more than 2 hours of TV per week. Next look for free time to study, for example my daughter does ballet from 7:15 to 8:30 every Tuesday. I drive her the 30 minutes to and from ballet so we have some great one on one time but once she goes into the studio, I hit the text book for a solid 75 minutes of studying. There are lots of opportunities like that in every week; you just need to be disciplined to take advantage of them.
– David, Mature Student, Nipissing University, 2010
The best time managers plan their time. Rather than letting time control them, they control time. Having decided what their long term goals are, they identify smaller tasks that will help them achieve their goals. Schedules and routines ensure that they spend their time working productively and efficiently. By prioritizing they ensure that the important things get done first. Best of all, good time managers have time to do the things they want to do, not just the things they need to do. By following a few simple rules and using some time management tools, you too can become an effective time manager.
Check out these tips for time management for adult learners from the University of New South Wales, in Sydney Australia:
http://www.lc.unsw.edu.au/firststeps/nsl_time.html
Learning Outcomes
In this module you will:
evaluate your current time management skills;
learn the fundamental principles of time management;
discover and reflect on how you are presently spending your time;
identify your time management challenges and set priorities;
develop customized time management tools;
explore strategies for dealing with procrastination and distractions
1. Are You a Good Time Manager?
Whenever you embark on changing something in your life it’s always best to begin by establishing your starting point.
What are my current skills?
What are my beliefs and values that affect my behaviour?
What are my strengths?
What are my weaknesses?
This is the process of self assessment. Self assessment is a way of determining where you are so that you can specifically target the skills or behaviours that prevent you from reaching your goals.
Use this template to identify where you are when it comes to your time management skills.
Download the Time Management Self Assessment.
2. Theory of Time Management
View this presentation to learn about the fundamental principles of time management.
View the PDF file: Time Management Presentation
3. Required Reading
In your Keys to Success: Core Concepts read Chapter 2
4. Time Management Tools
The use of time tools are a critical part of effective time management. Which of the time management tools, described in the PowerPoint presentation, would work best for you?
Produce your own calendar templates or purchase any of the multitude of time management tools available on the market.
Download the blank Weekly Schedule Template. Personalize it by adding your own committed activities as well as add discretionary and maintenance activities. By scheduling regular study, work, fitness and other activities you can develop routines which will help you accomplish more in less time.
Download the Term Calendar Template. You can use it every term to keep track of important dates all on one page.
Go to the University of Minnesota Assignment Calculator. It makes producing a customized project board for any of your course assignments extremely easy.
Now that you’ve looked at several variations of time management tools,
Produce a personalized weekly schedule which shows not only your in-class or distant education time, but which also has regular study and work times planned out; and
produce a personalized term calendar using the term calendar template. Add as many important dates as you have access to at this time (refer to the NU Academic Calendar).
Visit these websites for more useful time management information and strategies:
Academic Success Video Series – Dartmouth College
How to prepare a weekly study schedule – by McGraw Hill Publishers
5. And Finally…
Finally, reflect on the following response from Rick, a mature student who also works full time:
MAKE SURE you do the readings. So often, people don’t take the time to do the readings for the week, and then they start to fall behind. Don’t procrastinate. We all have too much stuff going on in our lives to be putting stuff like this off. Find some quiet time and take the time to do the readings. The same is true for the assignments. Get them done as soon as you can. Remember, you may not have the research experiences some of the students do, so while they can cram, you may not be able to. So get the work done, at your pace, slowly, but surely. I hated cramming for an assignment. It was too stressful, with everything else going on: paying bills, working, family– all very stressful if you’re also knowing you’ve got the albatross of a ten pager due in two days.
Next, take time out for you. Be aware, that this is stressful for everyone, and those of us mature students have handled stress differently. But also be aware of self-care. I walk in the mornings, and usually have the chance to walk home from school, so it’s been great for me. But I also take time out to read something else, sports magazine, newspaper, something not school or work related. Make sure you do that, and take care of yourself. Also, be respectful that while the students you work with have stress, and it may seem petty to you compared to what you deal with daily, it’s still a real, lived thing for them. So be aware that the other students are stressed as well, and many of them are also homesick.
Finally, and this is crucial, have fun. Student life for a mature student is grand grand grand. This is a tremendous experience for mature students, and it’s a real achievement to even take a shot at this. Work at your pace, not anyone else’s, but most importantly, take this experiences for what it is, a wonderful chance to enhance your life. University is great, make sure you enjoy it. I have.
– Rick, Mature Student, Nipissing University, 2010
Hello Everyone,
As you embark on Module 2 Time Management you were asked the following questions;
What are my current skills?
What are my beliefs and values that affect my behaviour?
What are my strengths?
What are my weaknesses?
After reflecting on this module what areas of your time management skills would you change? There is no question you are all very busy people, I can see that after reading about you in module 1, now you have added on the role of being a student at Nipissing. The techniques you currently use may not be enough, comment on that. Also, if you have any tips or tricks for other students please do not hesitate to offer these up.
Yours truly,Professor
EXAMPLE1:
After reading the second module “Time management” I realized having an effective time management skills and good organisational skills are one of the most important tools to have as a university student in other for you to succeed your student life, as well as in real life. Most importantly I think a good time management skills and, effective organisational skills are require to succeed at the university level of education, more especially when you are taking long distance online classes. This comes with a lot of responsibilities, commitments, and great deal of self-discipline attitude towards your studies.
It is true that every one of us in this course knows how to manage our day to day life activities, because we all have family responsibilities to deal with at home, and most of us keep full time jobs as well. This task requires a very effective time and good self-management in other to succeed; however been a student on the other hand makes things even more complex.
After a very carefully self –reflection on myself as a student and as a father of two kids . I realized I need to re-evaluate my scale of preference and my time management skills as well at this point in time. Which mean I have to prioritize and evaluates my goals “when you prioritize, you evaluate everything you are working towards, decide which goals are most important, and focus your time and energy on them”(Cater,Bishop,Lyman-Kravits. 2008) This is important, because many deadlines for my assignments, tests and exams occur almost the same time, unless I plan ahead and prioritize my goals ahead, I will find it impossible to manage my school reading, home works, tests, and exams successfully.
In other to have an effective time management skills and good organisation skills my values and my beliefs will play an important role as well, especially if I have to joggle full time job, family responsibilities, and to be a part-time student, all together at the same time. This requires lots of effective time and self-management skills. “Thinking about what you value will help you establish the goals that take top priority…”(Cater,Bishop,Lyman-Kravits. 2008.)
Some of my values and beliefs that will positively affects my behaviour as a student, especially as online rookie student, are firstly , self-improvement , this is one of my value that keeps me going in life. It allows me to establish the fact that I have to keep improving myself both educationally and as a better person individually. This value requires time, commitment and a constant self- reflection of me. It helps me as a student to keep me willing, to work hard in other for me to achieve my goals in this program.
Secondly, is my integrity, which includes honestly, fairness, respect, and taking care of my responsibility? These values will affect my education positively. Also makes me more conscientious about my study’s, because “student who highly conscientious, tend to use more time management strategies, particularly those related to meeting deadline, organisation and planning”(Maccann,Fogarty,Richard. 2012).
Furthermore, my values and my beliefs that I mention earlier on, in this discussion are also my strength as well, with everything I do in my life. On the other hand, procrastinating is my weakness in this situation, especially when it comes to doing my school assignments and reading at home. But I know I have to change that habit “procrastinating “, by developing new self-management skills that will allow me to get things done in a reasonable timely manners. I have downloaded the term calendar online time management tool, which will help me to monitor and remind me of all my deadlines on school assignments and exams. Also to meet the demands of my study’s I have created a daily assignments calendar that allows me to spread my workload over a session. This will reduce the stress level that comes with school deadlines.
Finally, after my self-reflection and revaluation of my time management skills I realized I have to put my education first, as one of most important things in my things do to list on my scale of preference , at this point in time in my career. And most importantly for me to plan home work time around my work schedule, if necessary. In addition, I have to work on school assignments several days before they are due, and to be discipline with my reading at home as well… “No more procrastinating “.
The only tips that I have for my fellow students are “student should allow time for reading and taking the initiative to get it done on their own. Do not skipped reading chapter for the week, and student must keep up with it throughout the semester. Be very consistent on discussion boards. Login to your course site several times a week” (Payne,Johnson…. 2005)
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References
I 2:Time management skills are a required set of skills to function efficiently and adequately in any work place or school setting. I have always been very task oriented and able to keep my focus, most of the time, with many distractions. I am an organized individual that readily uses time and resources to my advantage to ensure that deadlines are met.
I like to keep track of all events, assignment, tests in one place. I like to work on things in advance. I never like to leave something to the last minute. If I leave something to the last minute I feel like I am going to forget something. I create a list of due dates and deadlines for anything such as exams, assignments and quizzes as I receive them. At the beginning of each week I create a smaller to do lists for things that have to be done by week end. This allows me to keep track of what is due shortly and what is not due until a later date. As I complete the task I cross it off on both lists. The feeling that I get knowing that I have crossed an item off the list is empowering. I feel that my personal values and ethics is what makes me feel as strongly as I do with ensuring things are done on time. I was raised that if you accept the challenge it was your responsibility to ensure it was complete.
Sometimes I find myself not taking any time for myself. I do try to remain active socially and through exercise. I find with school that I have a tendency to put it first all the time. The time I spend on myself fluctuates with the demands of school. I really need to set aside an hour or even 30 minutes a day for me time. I feel that it is good for both physical and emotional health. There is times when I am studying and working on assignments that I force myself to take a break to refresh myself. I need to set goals and devise a plan to ensure I maintain punctuality. Thomack (2012) supported my feelings by pointing out that with higher demands and busier lifestyles people must learn to organize and prioritize their work and personal life. It is about a balance and to remember outcomes are not judged on effort expended but on effect used effectively.
Thomack, B. (2012). Time management for today’s workplace demands. Workplace Health and Safety, 60(5), 201-203. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.3928/21650799-20120426-05
3:
From self-reflection and understanding the material from module two, it has enhanced my way of thinking when it comes to time management and organization from not only being a student but coordinating family life. I have to say I have been pretty organized and a little OCD because I do not do well with falling behind; only staying ahead. There is never enough time throughout the day to get all the things I want done, yet I stay busy constantly so you’d think that would never be a problem and work well under pressure. Juggling a family life and going to school is just the tip of the iceberg, so staying on track is important.
When it comes to day to day life, I tend to keep a schedule and important dates all over the place, starting from my phone, to sticky notes I’ll leave myself in the morning, to the agenda I bought from the dollar store which contains some other important dates of assignments and appointments. I generally think nothing will be left out but when life gets hectic using those resources are great ways to use as reminders. I tend to not follow a strict time management template, but prioritize what I feel is important at the time and what needs to be done for the day.
A lot of the ideas and time management templates used are what I use now, so there is not much I’d change only because what I’m doing now is working with my everyday life and within the hospital for patient care. Hafner and Stock (2010) believe that the process of time management is much like the nursing process and can effect job satisfaction because of how it controls priorities. I find that this helps control the environment, but this isn’t always black and white because time management can’t be controlled in the hospital setting. I believe in the idea and template of time management, but I believe it as a guideline because nothing is concrete.
Häfner, A., & Stock, A. (2010). Time management training and perceived control of time at work. The Journal of Psychology, 144(5), 429-47. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/734393777?accountid=12792
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