WHAT DOES THIS MEAN TO YOU? “YOU DELAY, BUT TIME WILL NOT.”– BENJAMIN FRANKLIN

WHY IS TIME MANAGEMENT IMPORTANT? AS STUDENTS, WE HAVE MULTIPLE RESPONSIBILITIES WE ARE TRYING TO BALANCE. WE WANT TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN ALL OF OUR COMMITMENTS AND UNDERSTANDING HOW WE ARE USING OUR TIME HELPS US MOVE CLOSER TOWARDS THIS SUCCESS. HAVING STRUCTURES IN PLACE TO HELP US MANAGE OUR RESPONSIBILITIES EASES THE STRESS AND ANXIETY THAT MAY COME WITH BALANCING OUR TIME.

LET’S LOOK AT OUR TIME… QUIETLY COMPLETE THE FORM 168-HOUR WORK WEEK. BE REALISTIC WITH YOURSELF ABOUT YOUR TIME.

REVIEWING OUR TIME WHAT DID YOU NOTICE? TAKE A LOOK AT HOW YOU ARE SPENDING YOUR TIME. HOW MANY HOURS PER WEEK DO YOU HAVE AVAILABLE FOR SCHOOL-RELATED WORK? NOTE WHICH AREAS YOU ARE SPENDING MORE TIME IN AND WHICH REQUIRE MORE TIME FROM YOU. WHAT TIME WASTERS COULD YOU ELIMINATE OR REDUCE IN ORDER TO UPON UP MORE TIME FOR ACADEMIC AND OTHER PRODUCTIVE ACTIVITIES? RANK THESE AREAS ON THIS SHEET IN ORDER OF IMPORTANCE BY PUTTING A NUMBER NEXT TO THEM.

UNDERSTANDING OUR TIME WE CAN THINK OF OUR TIME BY PUTTING IT INTO FOUR QUADRANTS AS SHOWN ON THE IMAGE TO THE RIGHT. WE HAVE PARTS OF OUR RESPONSIBILITIES THAT ARE URGENT AND IMPORTANT, NOT URGENT BUT IMPORTANT, NOR IMPORTANT BUT URGENT, AND NOT URGENT OR IMPORTANT. HOW CAN WE CLASSIFY EACH ONE: URGENT, IMPORTANT – IMMEDIATE AND IMPORTANT DEADLINES NOT URGENT, IMPORTANT – LONG TERM URGENT, NOT IMPORTANT – TIME-PRESSURED DISTRACTIONS; NOT IMPORTANT, BUT SOMEONE WANTS IT NOW. NOT URGENT OR IMPORTANT – ACTIVITIES YOU USE TO TAKE A BREAK, BUT OFTEN TIMES WE THINK OF THEM AS FALLING UNDER QUADRANTS ½ IN OUR MINDS.

HOW TO CLASSIFY OUR RESPONSIBILITIES URGENTNOT URGENT IMPORTANT -Crisis -Pressing problem -Deadline-driven project i.e. – Family emergency -Relationship building -Recognizing new opportunities -Planning and recreation i.e. - A paper due in two weeks; your overall health NOT IMPORTANT -Interruptions -Some calls/messages -Some meetings -Popular activities i.e. – responding to every text messages that comes in because the person needs to know something -Some calls/messages -Time wasters -Busy work -Pleasant activities i.e. – binge watching movies on Netflix; mindless web browsing

RESULTS OF FOCUSSING ON ONLY ONE AREA URGENTNOT URGENT IMPORTANT If all of our responsibilities are urgent and important, we will feel burn-out and stressed. If we begin to plan for the important without leaving to the last minute, we will experience more balance, have less crises, feel more in control and have a vision for ourselves. NOT IMPORTANT If we focus items that feel urgent, but are not important, we will continue to have short-term focus, manage crisis, see our goals as worthless, feel unsuccessful, not have positive relationships and always feel like we are doing a lot, but truly nothing that makes us feel accomplished. If we spend too much time on responsibilities that are not urgent and not important, we will feel unsuccessful, will be perceived as irresponsible, and will depend on others for our basic needs.

SO HOW CAN WE BE SUCCESSFUL SPEND MORE TIME ON QUADRANT 2 BY PLANNING AHEAD OF TIME AND WORKING AHEAD OF TIME CHUNK YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES TO ACCOMPLISH MORE AT ONCE LIMIT THE AMOUNT OF TIME YOU FOCUS ON INTERRUPTIONS BE MORE REALISTIC WITH THE AMOUNT OF TIME SOMETHING WILL TAKE AND GIVE IMPORTANCE TO ITEMS THAT TRULY ARE IMPORTANT IN THE OVERALL SPECTRUM OF YOUR LIFE URGENTNOT URGENT IMPORTANT NOT IMPORTANT

NOW… LET’S TAKE OUT OUR AGENDAS AND TURN TO THE CALENDAR FOR THIS MONTH TAKE FIVE MINUTES TO INPUT ALL IMPORTANT DATES/ASSIGNMENTS INTO YOUR AGENDA THEN TURN TO THE PAGES FOR THIS WEEK, UNDER EACH DAY NOTE TWO-THREE THINGS YOU WILL ACCOMPLISH AND THE TIME YOU WILL WORK ON THESE ITEMS (INCLUDE SELF-CARE) AFTER, USING THE WEEKLY PLANNER, INDICATE HOW YOUR TYPICAL WEEK LOOKS

HOMEWORK FOLLOW YOUR AGENDA CLOSELY THIS WEEK AND YOUR WEEKLY PLANNER. AS YOU PUT THE ITEMS YOU WILL FOCUS ON FOR THE WEEK, ALSO BEGIN ADDING SOME TIME FOR ITEMS THAT ARE DUE LATER IN THE MONTH. AFTER A WEEK, RE-DO THE 168-HOUR WORK WEEK WORKSHEET AND REALISTICALLY INDICATE ANY CHANGES IN YOUR SCHEDULE CONTINUE TO RE-EVALUATE AND EDIT YOUR WEEK AS NEEDED UNTIL YOU FIND A SYSTEM THAT WORKS FOR YOU!