Time Management Skills & Academe Patricia S. Moyer-Packenham Utah State University USU Curriculum and Instruction Research Colloquium Saturday, May 15, 2010 Salt Lake City, UT

Acknowledgement  Christine Hult Professor of English and Associate Dean of HASS ADVANCE P.I.

The Expectations of AcademeThe Expectations of Academe  RESEARCH  TEACHING  SERVICE

The Six ProblemsThe Six Problems 1.Handling the paper load (including ) 2.Prioritizing your workload 3.Time management 4.Project management 5.Your personality 6.Your psychology (Crouch, Getting Organized, 2005)

1. Handling the Paper Load1. Handling the Paper Load  Being constantly bombarded with sensory input  Multitasking makes you stupid  Have a place and put everything in its place  Categorize the incoming items & decide right away:  Discard or recycle  Delegate  Take immediate action  File for follow-up  Put in a reference file or on a task list

How the Clutter Accumulates  “If 10 new pieces of paper [or s] come into your life every day and you only discard one you will have an additional 3,285 pieces of paper [or s] after one year.”  “If 100 new pieces of paper come into your life every day... You will have an additional 36,500 pieces of paper lying around at the end of the year.” (Crouch)

An example of a system to handle the paper load.

Handle the Paper Load! 4 System Components  Scheduling Calendar  Desktop TO DO List (prepare at the end of each day)  File folders / filing cabinet  Desktop in box with dated paperwork

Organize

Prioritize – all items on your to do list are not equal!

How do you handle the paper load?How do you handle the paper load?

2. Prioritizing Your Workload2. Prioritizing Your Workload  Do the right things in the right order  Gathering the materials you need  Filtering out those things that don’t matter  Prioritizing the order of importance for actions  Acting in the order outlined  Establish habits of triage  FOCUS on each task until it’s done  Then tackle the next item of importance

How would you prioritize this list of daily tasks?  Buy laundry detergent.  Write a eight page essay for English.  Prepare for a Biology quiz.  Dust the videos on the bookcase.  Review for midterm test that counts for 50% of grade.  Schedule an appointment with a Professor.  Complete a journal entry.  Facebook a high school friend on another campus.  Shop for a new pair of athletic shoes.  “Armor-all” the dashboard of the car.

Do you have C Fever?Do you have C Fever? A - LIST Midterm test that counts for 50% of grade. Write a eight page essay for English. B - LIST Prepare for a quiz in Biology. Schedule an appointment with a Professor. Complete a journal entry. C - LIST Buy laundry detergent. Dust the videos on the bookcase. Facebook a high school friend on another campus. Shop for a new pair of athletic shoes. “Armor-all” the dashboard of the car.

Prioritizing in AcademiaPrioritizing in Academia  A personal example….  8:30-11:00 am – work on the most important thing I want to get done that day FIRST!  11:00-11:55 am – check  12:00-12:30 pm – Lunch (or lunch meeting)  12:30-3:00 pm – accomplish another important task  3:00-5:00 pm – schedule meetings; take care of mindless tasks

What strategies help you to prioritize?What strategies help you to prioritize?

3. Time Management3. Time Management  Live in the present; do it now  Minimize distractions and interruptions  The 80/20 rule (80% of your results come from 20% of your efforts)  Let go of the busywork  One thing at a time

The Myth of “Free Time”The Myth of “Free Time”  There’s no such thing as “free time.”  All time has value.  We understand that cars and houses have value.  But, Time is invisible and intangible, so it does not get enough respect. Time has value!!  If you see that your time has value, you will be more selective about the projects and requests that come to you.

How are you spending your time?How are you spending your time?  Write down 5-10 things you did yesterday.

The Time Management MatrixThe Time Management Matrix  (Stephen Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, 1990) URGENTNOT URGENT IMPORTANT I. ACTIVITIES: Crises Pressing problems Deadline-driven projects II. ACTIVITIES: Preparation, Prevention, Planning activities Relationship building New opportunities Recreation, relaxation NOT IMPORTANT III. ACTIVITIES: Interruptions, some calls Some mail, some reports Some meetings Pressing matters IV. ACTIVITIES: Trivia, busy work Some mail, Some calls Time wasters Stephen Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, 1990

Time is Valuable to Me!Time is Valuable to Me!  A personal example….  Someone wants to meet with you on a matter that is not urgent.  Someone calls while you are in a meetings with someone else.  Someone shows up at the last minute and wants you to help with their emergency.  Immediate response: BUT, schedule a time to meet or schedule a time to complete the task.  When you value your time, others will too!

New gadgets aren’t the solution and are often part of the problem

4. Project Management4. Project Management  Use both a short-range and long-range calendar  Use your task manager in Outlook  Archive your tasks for future reference  For longer projects, develop a separate project calendar or bulletin board  For immediate tasks that come up during the day, use a notepad by your phone

 A short quiz to see what you have learned so far……

The point is this: Put the Big Rocks in First

5. Your Personality5. Your Personality  The Beast of Disorganization feeds on your bad habits  Seriously address your bad habits  Let go of the old ways of doing things that are causing your problems  Simplify, simplify, simplify  Set boundaries and stick to them

Procrastination & PerfectionismProcrastination & Perfectionism  Procrastination comes from: overload, fear of failure, task seems hard or boring, not sure of what to do, distractions  Perfectionism comes from: an irrational desire to please  Neither one is productive  Chill out, lighten up, take a chance, make a few mistakes, don’t sweat the small stuff (and it’s all small stuff)

Procrastination  Set a goal to complete a task/project  Reward yourself after completing the task  Estimate the time needed to complete a task  Divide lengthy tasks/assignments into smaller, shorter parts  Plan ahead to avoid 11 th hour efforts  Every hour in class requires two hours of study/review

Nobody’s perfect!Nobody’s perfect!

6. Your Psychology6. Your Psychology  Is your office cluttered?  Are you always in a rush?  Do you complain about never being caught up?  What image is this projecting to others?  Stop and think; slow down; don’t do anything until you have decided how to be more productive.  Work-a-holism is dysfunctional.

Creating BalanceCreating Balance  Synthesize & process and never leave in your inbox.  Focus on the task at hand vs. multitasking.  Do the most important thing first.  Check your on a schedule.  Keep your research organized.  Determine when YOU work best.  Develop boundaries  Maximize your start time  Organize your TO DO LIST  Think deeply and devote the time to drill-down

Overloaded & Confused? Slow down & think; Simplify; Eliminate; Shut down everything else and make organizing a priority

Why is this important to me?Why is this important to me?  Less stress  Calmness / Serenity  Better health  More time for a social life  Academic success  Land a better job  Personal satisfaction  Balance

Three Books I RecommendThree Books I Recommend  Crouch, Chris. Getting Organized: Learning How to Focus, Organize and Prioritize (Memphis: Dawson, 2005)  Covey, Stephen R. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (New York: Fireside, 1990)  Griessman, B. Eugene. Time Tactics of Very Successful People (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1994)