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L
EARNING
TO
L
EARN
: B
ECOMING
A
S
ELF
-G
ROWER
127
E
XPERIENCE
5: T
IME
, P
LANNING
,
AND
P
RODUCTIVITY
Time Management
W
HY
Time management refers to how you plan, control, regulate and schedule your time. The ways in which you
spend your time and what you accomplish with it are a reflection of your current time management skills.
Time management plays an important role in helping you reach your goals and accomplish more out of life.
Good time management skills are an integral part of being successful in the time-pressured environment of
college; helping you allocate time between classes, study, and all the other things you want to do.
L
EARNING
O
BJECTIVES
This learning activity will teach you to:
1. Analyze your curre
nt effectiveness (at time management) by identifying where you spend your time.
2. Identify ways to im
prove your time management skills.
P
ERFORMANCE
C
RITERIA
If you successfully complete this activity, you will be able to
:
1. Create a high-quality well-planned weekly schedule
•
Degree of balance in time allocation
•
The display of an appropriate degree of commitment
•
The taking into account of personal wellness
2. Effectively implement your revised schedule
•
Adherence to the plan; number of hours actual time differs from the plan
•
Accuracy of the class attendance and study times
•
The amount of sleep you get
R
ESOURCES
•
Pen and paper
•
Computer with software for word processing and graphing (optional)
P
LAN
1.
The first step in time management is to inventory how you currently spend your time. Create a seven-
column table with each day of the week listed in the column headings across the top of a page. List the
hours of the day down the page as row labels. Individually inventory and block the times for each day
of the week in the following manner.
a.
First, fill in your “committed” times. This includes things such as your classes, work commitments,
meal times, sleep, travel time (for commuters), and organized sports or activities.
b.
Next, block in the times you presently use for studying (which is really commitment to your
own success).
Note: A guideline for out of class study in college is that for every hour spent in
the classroom, you should spend 2-3 hours studying out of the classroom. Do you feel you are
currently allocating the appropriate amount of time for study?