Time Management: Introduction

TIME MANAGEMENT:

Only a small part of your academic year and semester week will be timetabled. You will be responsible for organising the remainder and it can be a real challenge to fit in work – time with the family, time with friends and resting!

Do any of these seem familiar?

I feel guilty when I'm not studying.
I'm sometimes late for lectures.
I sometimes keep to deadlines.
I do not seem to have any time to relax.
I always have to finish my coursework in a rush.

If this is you, then let us suggest how you might start to take charge of your life.

Taking Charge
Make a copy of the following 'time analyser chart' and then complete your copy of the chart (you will find a copy of this chart in the "Study Skills Survival Guide" PDF file which is included on the CD-ROM and you may need to do this several times to get a good balance).

Click here for view of time analyser chart.

Block in any times you are at work.
Block in any times when you are in lectures.
Don't forget to include travelling time for the above.
Fill-in any other fixed activities.

Now review the remaining time to consider how to balance your study time and in doing so you may want to consider the following questions.

Do I spend a lot of time travelling, if so, could I use some of that for studying?
If I have to do paid work, do I have any other regular time slots, (lunch breaks at work etc.), and could I use this, or could my working hours be arranged more conveniently?
Do I get enough help from other people in the household with housework and childcare?
Do I get enough time for sleep and relaxation?
Do I have time to see my friends and for a social life?

Daily Diary

A diary will only be effective if you carry it around with you and refer to it and keep it up to date. It should be used to record items such as:

Study deadlines, hand-in dates, examination dates times and places etc.
Details of tutor appointments, when, with whom, where, email address or contact details should you need to cancel.
Specific study tasks, e.g. 'Read Chapters 2-3 of ...'

Setting Priorities

You will always find that you have more things to do than the time you need to complete them. You therefore need to set your priorities, but how?
Make a list of things you need to do.
Underline or highlight essential tasks in one colour.
Identify the most urgent* items.
Work out the best order to tackle the list and allocate time to each item.
Enter each essential task into your diary.

*Balancing Tasks

Tasks usually fall into four main categories:

Urgent and important: Suggested available time allocation: 50%
Not urgent but important: Suggested available time allocation: 30%
Urgent but not important: Suggested available time allocation: 15%
(They still have to be done, or else why are they urgent, but you need not spend too much time on them. If they contribute towards assessment then maybe they need to be classified as important. In any case it is best to do all coursework tasks reasonably well than to do some brilliantly and not bother with the others. Remember you can still fail your course for non-submission of coursework or if you are referred in coursework, your mark will be 'capped' at a bare pass)
Not urgent and not important: Suggested available time allocation: 5%.
In many cases forget them but if there are some things you really want to do then do account for them