Time Management. Making the most of your time

Transcription

1 Time Management Making the most of your time

2 Student Learning Centre webpage Staff contact details Mentoring and peer tutor programmes SLC seminars and workshops Workshop notes, study skills notes E-learning resources and more at

3 City Campus - WB239 Ph: (09) Locations South Campus - MA Building Ph: (09) North Shore Campus - AS215 Ph: (09) ext Webpage: slc@aut.ac.nz

4 Why bother with managing time? Expensive course Affects grades Affects ability to receive loans and allowances or scholarships You are now your own boss! B o s s

5 Organise your time so that you can devote time to: attending lectures, tutorials, labs etc. reading the required texts preparing and write assignments, essays, or study for tests work (paid and unpaid) rest & recreation other things?

6 The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey Activity: crises deadline driven interruptions some meetings relationship building new opportunities planning time wasters pleasant activities Draw this matrix. Think of all the activities you will be spending time on during the next few months. That means study related, work, personal Decide where each activity should be in the matrix.

7 Time Management and Goal Setting Goal setting helps you to stay motivated to achieve: short-term daily goals medium-term weekly goals long-term semester goals (RMIT, 2012)

8 Daily Plan A daily plan usually takes the form of a diary. Leave it where you will see it every day (by your bag) so you are encouraged to use it. Have it lying open on today s date so that you will know what is coming up during the day.

9 Daily Plan Many people also make a daily to do list. It is important to think about the priorities on such a list which items are both important and urgent? These are definitely the tasks to do today.

10 Daily Planner 25 March Complete ENG 101 essay draft Review CHEM 101 lecture notes Start planning ENG 101 Ass. 2 Arrange study group for STAT 101 Plan for next week 3:00 1:00 0:30 0:30 0:30 2 Attend CHEM 101 tutorial 2:00

11 Weekly Plan Preparing a weekly timetable is a vital success tool 5-MINUTE EXERCISE Step 1: On a piece of paper, divide your page into: Days Monday to Sunday Hours e.g. hour blocks from 6am to 10pm

12 something like this 6am MON TUES WED THURS FRI SAT SUN 7am 8am 9am 10am 11am 12noon 1pm etc

13 5-Minute Exercise: Step 2: On this time table, list things such as: Lectures, tutorials and labs and other relevant study activities Time for reading, research Time for travel Time for work Time for other commitments such as family, religious observance, etc.

14 My weekly timetable 6am MON TUES WED THURS FRI SAT SUN 7am Reading ENG 101 Reading STAT 101 Work etc etc etc 8am Travel Travel Work etc etc etc 9am STAT 101 Lecture 10am ENG 101 Lecture 11am ENG 101 Lecture 12noon Reading ENG 101 STAT 101 Lecture Work etc etc etc CHURCH CHEM 101 Lab CHEM 101 Lab 1pm LUNCH Reading CHEM 101 etc CHURCH CHURCH

15 First: The secret: How to allocate time? - Allocate time to the things you cannot control Second: - When are you more productive? - Where are you more productive? Third: - Allocate time for study/research when/where you are more productive - Allocate leisure time when you are less productive

16 Semester Plan There should be few surprises during the semester. In other words, you should not be taken aback when someone mentions that there is an assignment due next week!

17 Semester Plan Avoid these unexpected events by writing down the due dates for everything on a semester plan. Allocate time for your assignments, tests, and exams, first. Then write down social occasions such as birthdays and other celebrations. Finally, put your planner in a conspicuous place so that you can see what is due and when.

18 Time Management Summary Set your Semester goals wall planner, semester plan Weekly goals timetable of classes and activities Daily goals diary, to do list

19 Digital ways to manage your time There are many useful apps, websites and software for managing your time. Here are three you can try: Microsoft Outlook as an AUT student, you can download this for free as part of the Office 365 suite click here for details Google Calendar part of the Google Plus suite of apps all free click here to learn more My Study Life an organiser specifically for students and teachers again free click here to learn more

20 Time Wasters There are numerous time-wasters that distract you from the task at hand or consume too much time. Activity: Turn to your neighbour and discuss the things that most waste your time. Write down your own Top Three Time Wasters.

21 External Time Wasters External time wasters are things that are outside of your control or that you have limited control over. Some of these distractions may be unavoidable but others you can certainly do something about.

22 (incoming) and status alerts etc (outgoing) and status updates etc Paper mail Telephone/cellphone Internet, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, Tumblr, YouTube Visitors/friends External Time Wasters

23 Internal Time Wasters Internal time wasters are things that are within your control such as thoughts, attitudes, and behaviours.

24 Procrastination Disorganisation Distractions Lack of planning Negative self-talk Internal Time Wasters

25 Beating procrastination Begin with a task you enjoy Avoid being a perfectionist Minimise time-wasting activities e.g. housework, social networking sites Plan your time and stick to it Break up difficult or 'dry' work into sections Set deadlines for yourself that aren't too restrictive. Be determined, but be flexible at the same time (RMIT, 2012)

26 Useful SLC Time Management resources

27 Conclusion What change do you want to make this semester to improve your time management? Tell your neighbour they can help you keep your promise!

28 Thank you! STUDENT LEARNING CENTRE Phone: (09) Webpage:

29 Reference Covey, S. R. (2004). The 7 habits of highly effective people: Restoring the character ethic ([Rev. ed.].). New York, NY: Free Press.