Notes on TIME MANAGEMENT

Are you usually punctual or late? Do you finish things within the time you stipulate? Do you hand in your
reports/work on time? Are you able to accomplish what you want to do before deadlines? Are you a good
time manager?

If your answer is no to any of the questions above, that means youre not managing your time as well as
you want. Here are 20 tips on how to be a better time manager:

1.

Create a daily plan. Plan your day before it unfolds. Do it in the morning or even better, the
night before you sleep. The plan gives you a good overview of how the day will pan out. That way, you
dont get caught off guard. Your job for the day is to stick to the plan as best as possible.

2.

Peg a time limit to each task. Be clear that you need to finish X task by 10am, Y task by 3pm,
and Z item by 5:30pm. This prevents your work from dragging on and eating into time reserved for
other activities.

3.

Use a calendar. Having a calendar is the most fundamental step to managing your daily
activities. If you use outlook or lotus notes, calendar come as part of your mailing software. Google
Calendar is great I use it. Its even better if you can sync it to your mobile phone and other
hardwares you use that way, you can access your schedule no matter where you are.

4.

Use an organizer. The organizer helps you to be on top of everything in your life. Its your
central tool to organize information, to-do lists, projects, and other miscellaneous items.

5.

Know your deadlines. When do you need to finish your tasks? Mark the deadlines out clearly
in your calendar and organizer so you know when you need to finish them.

6.

Learn to say No. Dont take on more than you can handle. For the distractions that come in
when youre doing other things, give a firm no. Or defer it to a later period.

7.

Target to be early. When you target to be on time, youll either be on time or late. Most of the
times youll be late. However, if you target to be early, youll most likely be on time. For appointments,
strive to be early. For your deadlines, submit them earlier than required.

8.

Time box your activities. This means restricting your work to X amount of time. Read more
about time boxing: #5 of 13 Strategies To Jumpstart Your Productivity.

9.

Have a clock visibly placed before you. Sometimes we are so engrossed in our work that we
lose track of time. Having a huge clock in front of you will keep you aware of the time at the moment.

10.

Set reminders 15 minutes before. Most calendars have a reminder function. If youve an
important meeting to attend, set that alarm 15 minutes before.

11.

Focus. Are you multi-tasking so much that youre just not getting anything done? If so, focus on
just one key task at one time. Close off all the applications you arent using. Close off the tabs in your
browser that are taking away your attention. Focus solely on what youre doing. Youll be more
efficient that way.

12.

Block out distractions. Whats distracting you in your work? Instant messages? Phone
ringing? Text messages popping in? I hardly ever use chat nowadays. The only times when I log on is
when Im not intending to do any work. Otherwise it gets very distracting. When Im doing important
work, I also switch off my phone. Calls during this time are recorded and I contact them afterward if
its something important. This helps me concentrate better.

13.

Track your time spent. Egg Timer is a simple online countdown timer. You key in the amount
of time you want it to track (example: 30 minutes, 1 hour) and itll count down in the background.
When the time is up,the timer will beep. Great way to be aware of your time spent.

14.

Dont fuss about unimportant details Youre never get everything done in exactly the way
you want. Trying to do so is being ineffective. Read more: Why Being A Perfectionist May Not Be So
Perfect.

15.

Prioritize. Since you cant do everything, learn to prioritize the important and let go of the rest.
Apply the 80/20 principle which is a key principle in prioritization. Read more about 80/20 in #6
of 13 Strategies To Jumpstart Your Productivity.

16.

Delegate. If there are things that can be better done by others or things that are not so
important, consider delegating. This takes a load off and you can focus on the important tasks.

17.

Batch similar tasks together. For related work, batch them together. For example, my work
can be categorized into these core groups: (1) writing (articles, my upcoming book) (2) coaching (3)
workshop development (4) business development (5) administrative. I batch all the related tasks
together so theres synergy. If I need to make calls, I allocate a time slot to make all my calls. It really
streamlines the process.

18.

Eliminate your time wasters. What takes your time away your work? Facebook? Twitter?
Email checking? Stop checking them so often. One thing you can do is make it hard to check them
remove them from your browser quick links / bookmarks and stuff them in a hard to access
bookmarks folder. Replace your browser bookmarks with important work-related sites. While youll
still check FB/Twitter no doubt, youll find its a lower frequency than before.

19.

Cut off when you need to. #1 reason why things overrun is because you dont cut off when you
have to. Dont be afraid to intercept in meetings or draw a line to cut-off. Otherwise, theres never
going to be an end and youll just eat into the time for later.

20.

Leave buffer time in-between. Dont pack everything closely together. Leave a 5-10 minute
buffer time in between each tasks. This helps you wrap up the previous task and start off on the next
one.

Do you have any tips to be a better time manager? Feel free to share in the comments area!

Time management is a key to academic success. Students around the world learn this sooner or later.
The best students are not necessarily those who are smarter, but those who use their time effectively.
When you plan your days and weeks in advance, time can be your friend rather than your enemy. And
although time management can seem like a pain, once you have mastered this skill, it will enable you to
get the most out of life. It can free you to live more effectively, calmly and enjoyably. It can help you get
more done with less stress, disorganization and frustration. It can also give you higher marks throughout
the school year, as well as on your quizzes, tests, and exams.
Think about it. Have you ever heard of an athlete, even one who is paid millions of dollars a year, playing
in a game without showing up for practice? Have you heard of a musician delivering a concert without
taking time daily to rehearse? Have you heard of a scientist proclaiming a grand discovery without
hundreds of failed trials? All these professionals know that in order to succeed in their professional areas,
they have to put in their time.
Unfortunately, millions of students around the world behave otherwise. They appear for exams expecting
magic! Without making adequate time to study, they hope to get the highest grades and are then
disappointed or ashamed when the results prove otherwise. Frankly, in todays highly competitive world, if
you are lucky enough to be in school, college, or university, you are holding a coveted spot, desired by
many. You may have deprived another eager young person from getting admission, because your
application appeared more promising, more likely to succeed. So after all the effort to get in, what are you
doing about it? Are you making the time to study after working so hard and possibly paying so much to
actually get into a particular school?
Once you make the decision, there are a number of excellent time management systems that you can
follow. Although these are sometimes expensive or complex, you can achieve your goal by adopting a
simple time management approach. The eight strategies below could make a huge impact on your
academic career.
1. Organize your time
Life improves when you decide to do things differently. In this case, the goal is to gain control over time,
rather than letting it control you. It is about taking ownership of time, which is the essence of your life. The

main objective of time management is for you to have a clear picture of your upcoming days, weeks, and
months. It is a way for you to discover what time you have available to devote to study, recreation, or
other activities. Make the decision to be the master of your life, rather than its suffering slave!
2. Assess your time
Many students genuinely believe that they study a lot. Some even protest that they study all the time! In
reality, this is far from the truth. The only way you will discover how many hours of your busy day you
actually study is by completing a personal time assessment. The method requires you to keep track of
everything you do for an entire week, from the time you wake up to the time you fall asleep. That means
recording every single detail.
At the end of the week, add up the totals. For example, count the number of hours spent on eating,
traveling, studying, talking on the phone, shopping, exercising, smoking, watching TV, being online, etc,
until you have a complete picture of where your time goes. If you find you are losing a lot of time to
activities other than studying, try to balance your schedule. Start eliminating the time bandits by making
small adjustments in your habits and behavior in order to get better control of your precious time.
3. Set your priorities
The objective of time management is to allocate time wisely, so you can achieve your goals. If you wanted
to be an Olympic swimmer or ice skater, you would have to practice several hours a day for years. In the
same way, to be a top student you must have a good idea of the study requirements. Even though each
subject places different demands on you reading, writing, research, experiments, assignments, essays,
projects, papers, presentations, tests, and exams by prioritizing, you will increase your chances of
success. For each subject, decide how to complete all required tasks, over a weekly, monthly, and yearly
basis. This advance planning will increase your awareness, making it less likely for you to squander time
away meaninglessly.
4. Make a schedule
After establishing your priorities, set up a schedule which respects your priorities. A wide variety of
student organizers, diaries, planners, electronic tools and time management systems are available on the
market. Choose or create whatever seems best for you. Many students select weekly planners that
enable them to see the big picture more easily. Make sure your system is something you are very
comfortable with as you will be referring to it often. Then, set up your schedule in this order:

Mark in all your fixed commitments such as classes, seminars, tutorials, and parttime jobs. These are the givens, which you cannot change.

Add in study time. Block off large sections of your day, reserved for studying alone,
as well as shorter review periods. Organize your peak study times to coincide with the times
of day when you are most awake and alert.

Mark in other non-study activities. These are the important but lower priority items,
such as exercise, recreational classes, or socializing, which you will fit in when possible.
5. Use a calendar

In addition to your weekly planner, invest in a large monthly wall calendar. Jot down all the important due
dates, deadlines, exams, etc so they are in front of you as a visual reminder. This will make you more
aware of important dates and allow you to adjust or rearrange plans if you are behind schedule.
6. Use review cards
Always keep some review cards with you to read over when you are waiting for something else to
happen. This could include when you are traveling or waiting in line at the bus stop, bank, supermarket,
cafeteria and so on. You could also place review cards in common locations which you pass frequently in
your house, such as on the fridge door, bathroom mirror, etc. Frequent repetition and review is one of the
keys to remembering information easily and effectively.
7. Plan activities logically
Get to know your bodily cycle; then, schedule activities around it as much as possible. If you always feel
sleepy after lunch, for example, use the time to get in your daily walk, instead of fighting to keep your
eyes open over a history book.
8. Plan some down time.
You are not a robot! Schedule some time to relax so you can rest and refresh your mind and body. This
will enable you to study more effectively. Get enough sleep as well. A sleep-deprived student is not going
to be able to perform at his or her best.

Time management series

Time management
Developing time management skills is a journey
that may begin with this Guide, but needs practice and other guidance along the way.
One goal is to help yourself become aware of how you use your time
as one resource in organizing, prioritizing, and succeeding in your studies
in the context of competing activities of friends, work, family, etc.
First: try our exercise in time management:
How do you spend your time each day?
Strategies on using time:
These applications of time management have proven to be effective as good study habits.
As we go through each strategy, jot down an idea of what each will look like for you:

Blocks of study time and breaks

As your school term begins and your course schedule is set, develop and plan for,
blocks of study time in a typical week. Blocks ideally are around 50 minutes, but
perhaps you become restless after only 30 minutes? Some difficult material may
require more frequent breaks. Shorten your study blocks if necessary-but don't forget
to return to the task at hand! What you do during your break should give you an
opportunity to have a snack, relax, or otherwise refresh or re-energize yourself. For

example, place blocks of time when you are most productive: are you a morning person
or a night owl?
Jot down one best time block you can study. How long is it? What makes for a good break for you? Can
you control the activity and return to your studies?

Dedicated study spaces

Determine a place free from distraction (no cell phone or text messaging!) where you
can maximize your concentration and be free of the distractions that friends or hobbies
can bring! You should also have a back-up space that you can escape to, like the
library, departmental study center, even a coffee shop where you can be anonymous. A
change of venue may also bring extra resources.
What is the best study space you can think of? What is another?

Weekly reviews
Weekly reviews and updates are also an important strategy. Each week, like a Sunday
night, review your assignments, your notes, your calendar. Be mindful that as deadlines
and exams approach, your weekly routine must adapt to them!
What is the best time in a week you can review?

Prioritize your assignments

When studying, get in the habit of beginning with the most difficult subject or task.
You'll be fresh, and have more energy to take them on when you are at your best. For
more difficult courses of study, try to be flexible: for example, build in reaction time
when you can get feedback on assignments before they are due.
What subject has always caused you problems?

Achieve "stage one"--get something done!

The Chinese adage of the longest journey starting with a single step has a couple of
meanings: First, you launch the project! Second, by starting, you may realize that there
are some things you have not planned for in your process. Details of an assignment are
not always evident until you begin the assignment. Another adage is that "perfection is
the enemy of good", especially when it prevents you from starting! Given that you build
in review, roughly draft your idea and get going! You will have time to edit and develop
later.
What is a first step you can identify for an assignment to get yourself started?

Postpone unnecessary activities until the work is done!

Postpone tasks or routines that can be put off until your school work is finished!
This can be the most difficult challenge of time management. As learners we always
meet unexpected opportunities that look appealing, then result in poor performance on
a test, on a paper, or in preparation for a task. Distracting activities will be more
enjoyable later without the pressure of the test, assignment, etc. hanging over your

head. Think in terms of pride of accomplishment. Instead of saying "no" learn to say
"later".
What is one distraction that causes you to stop studying?

Identify resources to help you

Are there tutors? An expert friend? Have you tried a keyword search on the Internet to
get better explanations? Are there specialists in the library that can point you to
resources? What about professionals and professional organizations. Using outside
resources can save you time and energy, and solve problems.
Write down three examples for that difficult subject above?
Be as specific as possible.

Use your free time wisely

Think of times when you can study "bits" as when walking, riding the bus, etc. Perhaps
you've got music to listen to for your course in music appreciation, or drills in language
learning? If you are walking or biking to school, when best to listen? Perhaps you are in
a line waiting? Perfect for routine tasks like flash cards, or if you can concentrate, to
read or review a chapter. The bottom line is to put your time to good use.
What is one example of applying free time to your studies?

Review notes and readings just before class

This may prompt a question or two about something you don't quite understand, to ask
about in class, or after. It also demonstrates to your teacher that you are interested and
have prepared.
How would you make time to review?
Is there free time you can use?

Review lecture notes just after class

Then review lecture material immediately after class.
The first 24 hours are critical. Forgetting is greatest within 24 hours without review!
How would you do this?
Is there free time you can use?

Select one of the ten applications above.

and develop a new study habit!
Try something you have a good chance of following through and accomplishing.
Nothing succeeds like a first successful try!
Try the University of Minnesota's Assignment Calculator
Develop criteria for adjusting your schedule
to meet both your academic and non-academic needs

Effective aids:

Create a simple "To Do" list

This simple program will help you identify a few items, the reason for doing them, a
timeline for getting them done, and then printing this simple list and posting it for
reminders.
Daily/weekly planner
Write down appointments, classes, and meetings on a chronological log book or chart.
If you are more visual, sketch out your schedule
First thing in the morning, check what's ahead for the day
always go to sleep knowing you're prepared for tomorrow
Long term planner
Use a monthly chart so that you can plan ahead.
Long term planners will also serve as a reminder to constructively plan time for yourself

Principles of Effective Time Management for Balance, Well-being, and Success

The principles below are derived from research on time management, motivation theory and
much experience working with university students. Think of time management techniques
as tools to help you do what you value you most. Make these tools into an expression of
your values--whats most important to you--not just a schedule to get more stuff done. Try
to keep these principles in mind as you schedule and calendar your time, and when making
the moment-to-moment decisions that are crucial to effective time management for balance
and well-being.
1.

2.
3.

4.

5.

Commitmentif you cant commit to devoting time to a task, dont put it in your
schedule. Only schedule those tasks you WILL do. Be brutally realistic, not idealistic
when making your schedule. Creating a schedule you cant actually keep is setting
yourself up for frustration. If you dont actually stick to your schedule it will soon
become useless. This may have happened to you in the past.
Pursue fun with a vengeance--Make time for enjoyable, rejuvenating and
satisfying activities like organizations, sports and entertainment. Organize your
academic and other obligations AROUND these commitments to fun.
Time vs. task focusThink of your day in terms of time, not the tasks you have to
do. Devote time to important tasks every day. Its hard to predict how long a task will
take, so its hard to schedule with great precision. But you can reliably schedule
regular intervals of time and get into a routine. Make an appointment with yourself for
a particular time period, and when playing or working, set your purpose I'll get the
most out of this time.
One thing at a time-- Current research shows us that multi-tasking is a myth. In
actuality we are switching back and forth between tasks. With each switch we pay a
cognitive cost and a time cost: It takes time to get mentally back into the task, thus
making us less efficient. When switching we lose the depth of our engagement,
absorption. This depth is necessary at Princeton where you are expected to gain
conceptual mastery, not merely a superficial understanding.
Blocks out time--Devote on a regular basis, chunks of time to a specific class.
Make it part of your schedule, your routine. Estimate how many hours per week you
want to devote to a class. Set aside this many hours for working tasks in the course
Slice up your task into pieces and allot specific blocks of time for specific pieces of a
big project.

6.

First Things FirstIf you can do so, schedule the things that are most important to
you first thing in the day, or at the first available time slot. Anything that gets
scheduled later in the day has a greater chance of getting interrupted, put off and
never gotten to. You wont be thinking or worrying about your work during your
leisure time if you get academic tasks done first.
7. RoutineIt takes 30 days to create a habit, but good habits make your life easier.
With good habits in place you dont have to make as many hard decisions, thus you
are less likely to make unproductive ones such as talking yourself out of doing what
you had planned.
8. FlexibilityHow do you incorporate flexibility into your schedule? Dont schedule
every hour of the day, leave empty time slots, and schedule in recreation time. Create
a two-three hour block on Friday as a catch all make up time. When things come up
and you are deciding whether to diverge from your established schedule, survey
future hours and days to see where you can make up lost time. Switch blocks of time
so that your schedule reflects your new commitments.
9. Respond vs. react--In the moment of decision-making, when faced with a decision
or an impulse to diverge from your schedule, dont just react, RESPOND. Pause, take
a moment to think. Remember whats most important to you and do what will help
you get it. For example, if exercise is a top priority for you, dont let a sudden fear
about a grade prevent you from exercising. Be ready to reduce the amount of time,
but don't compromise on your health. Dont let mindgames in which you create
justifications get in the way or lead you astray.
Organize your environment--Both physical and socialfor success, for support
be creative
a. Choose carefully where you study and do other tasks: minimize distraction; maximize
focus.
b. Use physical reminders. If you want to work out more, but are getting bogged down in
email
or facebook, put your running shoes on top of your laptop. Make it harder to get
off track and
easier to stick to your plan by changing your environment.
c. Instead of friends being a distraction, enlist their support:
*Study buddy/groupwork on problem sets, readings, etc. in your shared
course together.
*Get a study/writing partnersame place and time, but not the same
course.
*Ask friends NOT to call you at specific times. Ask them to help you stick to
your schedule. Say, tell me to leave your room or the dining hall after one
hour, etc.