Time Management

Study Time  Students who spend more hours studying.. – Liked and stayed in college – Improved their thinking skills – Graduated with honors – Got into graduate school  How much do you need? – 2-3 hours outside study for every class hour for average grades. More for high grades.

Studying is Your Job Think of college as a Monday-Friday, 9-5 job; show up on campus at 9 and don't leave until 5 (some students register for both early and late classes just so that they will be forced to stay on campus). Use evenings and weekends for part-time jobs and family chores. Of course, you will also need to do some studying during the evenings and weekends, but do most of your studying 9 to 5.

Swiss Cheese  Small 10 –15 minute bursts of activities – Walking between classes – Washing clothes – Working out

Set Time  Making a set period of time available for studying certain subjects each week. – Get paid to study – Long drives - tapes

Study Tips  Study in the daylight – Natural light is more conducive to study  Don’t study more than 2 hours straight – schedule 30 minutes study 3 minute break 2 minute review  Do the homework for your most difficult course first.

Prioritize  Make up your to-do list before bed or first thing in the morning – Estimate time required for each task  Try to do top priority things first – Try to get them done in the morning  Keep your priorities in focus  Challenge yourself to finish the list that day

Organize the Task  Major paper in English in three weeks – Day 1: Go to the library, survey topics – Day 2: Narrow topics – Day 3: Select topic – Day 4: Construct outline – Day 5: Write first two pages – …….

Dealing with Distractions  Learn to say NO  Turn off the phone  Hang a DO NOT DISTURB sign on your door

Procrastination  Ignore the task, hoping it will go away  Underestimating the work involved or overestimating your ability and resources  Deceiving yourself that mediocre performance is acceptable  Substituting a worthy but lower-priority nonacademic activity

Procrastination  Believing that repeated “minor” delays won’t hurt you  Dramatizing a commitment rather than doing it  Persevering on only part of the task  Becoming paralyzed when you have to choose between two alternatives

Confronting your Excuses  I'm not in the mood right now.  Mood doesn't do my work, actions do. If I wait for the right mood, I may never get it done. u I'm just lazy.  Labeling myself as lazy only brings me down. My work is really separate from who I am as a person. Getting started is the key to finishing.

Tackling Procrastination  Set a deadline and put it on your calendar  Become better organized  Make a game of it  Tell Everyone  Divide the task into smaller jobs – Set subgoals  Build in a reward for yourself