TIME MANAGEMENT

THIRTY WAYS TO SAVE TIME

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1) Students will be able to explore different methods of time management, which may be beneficial. 2) Students will be able to establish time management techniques in their daily schedules.

PROCEDURE

1) Give each student one time management handout. 2) Have them take the worksheet home and during the week, they should check off each method that they try. They may also check off ones that they already use and add ones that are not listed. 3) During class the following week, discuss the methods that did or did not work and why.

ESTIMATED TIME (20-25 min.)

Instruction: 5 minutes Activity: 0 minutes (done outside of class) Follow-up discussion: o For class of 10 students: 15 minutes o For class of 20 students: 20 minutes

MATERIALS

Thirty Ways to Save Time handout Pen/pencils

GROUPING

Individual for out of class activity Entire class for follow-up discussion

NOTE TO INSTRUCTOR

**This exercise will use a certain amount of time in two separate class sessions.

SAMPLE EXERCISES
4-115

TIME MANAGEMENT

Thirty Ways to Save Time

1. Make a list of things to do each day. Put them in priority order. 2. Do the most important or most unpleasant task first thing in the morning. 3. Use a calendar. Keep school and critical family activities on it. 4. Do not over-schedule. 5. Tackle time-consuming projects in stages. 6. Concentrate on one task at a time. 7. Delegate to your family things that they are capable of doing. 8. Use your alert periods to do your most challenging studying. 9. Use your low energy time to do the easy projects. 10. Learn to say no. Invest your time in the things most important to you. 11. Put all the things your need to take the next morning in one place the night before. 12. Carry around a things to do or read folder. Use your waiting time to work on them. 13. Jot down your ideas on 3x5 cards. Dont trust your memory. 14. Close the door when you dont want to be disturbed. 15. Set at time limit on visits. 16. Add one time saver at a time. 17. Use travel time to listen to important material contained on audiotapes. 18. Have a place for everything. 19. Set reasonable deadlines for yourself and others. 20. Avoid having to redo something. If something isnt clear, ask for clarification. Dont assume. 21. Notice how others misuse your time. Change it! 22. Make agreements with your family about study time. 23. Get off the phone. 24. If you are feeling stuck, ask what is one thing you can do to help you accomplish your task. Do it! 25. Group your errands. 26. Plan around fixed activities. 27. Allow flexibility in your schedule. 28. Learn to combine activities.

SAMPLE EXERCISES
4-116

TIME MANAGEMENT 29. Dont be afraid to admit you are trying to do too much. 30. Recognize escape routes you use. Find the time wasters you use to avoid a task.

SAMPLE EXERCISES
4-117

TIME MANAGEMENT
Exercise provided by Richelle Williams and Megan Stalgaitis Fall 1999

PRIORITIZING ACTIVITIES
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1) Students will be able to think critically about what activities are of most/least importance to them. 2) Students will be able to analyze their daily activities to think of ways in which time is wasted.

PROCEDURE

1) At the end of one class, give each student the first part of Worksheet 3A. 2) Between that class and the next, have students fill out the worksheet based on their daily activities. 3) During the next class, put students in pairs. 4) Have the partners exchange and analyze schedules. 5) Students should look for 10 wasted hours. 6) Once students have compared schedules, have each student fill out the second part of Worksheet 3A. 7) As an entire class, discuss what was learned from the worksheets and from working with partners.

ESTIMATED TIME (40-60 min.)

Filling out first part of Worksheet 3A: 0 minutes (done outside of class) Work in pairs: 15 minutes Filling out second part of Worksheet 3A: 10 minutes Follow-up discussion: o For class of 10 students: 15 minutes o For class of 20 students: 20 minutes

MATERIALS

Time Management worksheets Pens/pencils

GROUPING

Individual to fill out first part of Worksheet 3A Partners for comparison Entire class for follow-up discussion

NOTE TO INSTRUCTOR

**This activity uses time in two class sessions.

SAMPLE EXERCISES
4-118

TIME MANAGEMENT

WORKSHEET 3A: TIME MANAGEMENT

SCALE OF RELATIVE IMPORTANCE Important (I) Somewhat Important (S) Not Very Important (N) Unimportant (U) ACTIVITY Sleeping Eating Grooming/Hygiene Transportation/Walking Laundry/Cleaning Exercise/Sports Shopping/Errands Praying/Meditating Listening to Music/TV Going Out/Socializing Talking on Phone Other Personal Activities Working for Money Interning/Volunteering Extracurricular Activities Studying/Researching/Reading Spending Time in Class and Labs Computing/E-Mail/Internet/Games Thinking/Planning Worrying Other Activities SCALE HOURS per WEEK

SAMPLE EXERCISES
4-119

TIME MANAGEMENT
TOTAL HOURS:

WORKSHEET 3A (CONTINUED)

1) What activities are most important to you?

2) What activities do you spend the most time on?

3) What activities would you like to spend more time on, and why?

4) What activities would you like to spend less time on, and why?

5) In general, what have you discovered is the relationship between the amount of time you spend on activities and their level of importance to you?

6) As a result of your discoveries, what one change will you make to improve your time management, and why?

SAMPLE EXERCISES
4-120

TIME MANAGEMENT

SAMPLE EXERCISES
4-121

TIME MANAGEMENT
Exercise provided by Gene Ferrick and Jessica Kerr Fall 1999

TO DO
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1) Students will be able to organize and accomplish their daily activities. 2) Students will be able to see the number of things they have accomplished over a week.

PROCEDURE

1) Give each student one To Do list. 2) Have students fill out the list based on what they hope to accomplish that week. 3) For the following class, have each students return with their original list. 4) With a partner, have students compare what they listed and accomplished during the week prior. 5) As a class, discuss what helped students complete their tasks and what made it impossible/difficult to accomplish their tasks.

ESTIMATED TIME (45-50 min.)

Filling out worksheet in class: 15 minutes During next class, comparing worksheets with partner: 15 minutes Follow up discussion: o For class of 10 students: 15 minutes o For class of 20 students: 20 minutes

MATERIALS

To Do worksheets Pens/pencils

GROUPING

Individual for filling out To Do lists Partners for comparing lists Entire class for follow up discussion

NOTE TO INSTRUCTOR

**This exercise will use time in two class sessions.

SAMPLE EXERCISES
4-122

TIME MANAGEMENT

This week, __________________________, I will

(Dates for the week)

Make a To Do list.

Dont use time or words carelessly. Neither can be retrieved. - H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

SAMPLE EXERCISES
4-123

TIME MANAGEMENT

WEEKLY
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1) Students will be able to compare and contrast what they should or would like to be doing during the week with what they actually accomplish. 2) Students will be able to identify areas of their schedule that need improvement.

PROCEDURE

1) Give each student two copies of the calendar during first class. 2) Have them fill out one calendar, in class, as best they can, with what they plan to do for the coming week. 3) During the week, have students fill out the second copy of the calendar with what they actually accomplish during the week. 4) At the beginning of the next class, have students pair up and compare their created schedule with their actual schedule. 5) As a class, discuss what was learned, share tips, advice, etc.

ESTIMATED TIME (50 min.)

Instruction: 10 minutes 1st Calendar, done in class: 15 minutes 2nd Calendar, done out of class: 0 minutes Comparing schedules with partner: 10 minutes Follow-up discussion: 15 minutes

MATERIALS

Weekly Calendar handout (two per student) Pens/Pencils Planner Weekends at MD Calendar

GROUPING

Individual for filling out schedules Partners for comparing schedules Entire class for follow-up discussion

NOTE TO INSTRUCTOR

**This activity uses time in two class sessions.

SAMPLE EXERCISES
4-124

TIME MANAGEMENT

WEEKLY CALENDAR
Hours
7:00-7:30 7:30-8:00 8:00-8:30 8:30-9:00 9:00-9:30 9:30-10:00 10:00-10:30 10:30-11:00 11:00-11:30 11:30-noon Noon-12:30 12:30-1:00 1:00-1:30 1:30-2:00 2:00-2:30 2:30-3:00 3:00-3:30 3:30-4:00 4:00-4:30 4:30-5:00 5:00-5:30 5:30-6:00 6:00-6:30 6:30-7:00 7:00-7:30 7:30-8:00 8:00-8:30 8:30-9:00 9:00-9:30 9:30-10:00 10:00-10:30 10:30-11:00 11:00-11:30 11:30-12:00 12:00-12:30

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

starting _____ ending _____ Wednesda Thursday Friday

Saturday

SAMPLE EXERCISES
4-125

TIME MANAGEMENT

SAMPLE EXERCISES
4-126