Chapter 2

Time Management

TAKING CONTROL OF YOUR TIME

(As a leader you must learn to manage your time)

How do you approach time?  People have different personalities and come from different cultures; they may also view time in different ways. 

Some differences may have to do with your preferred style of learning.  As an example, you may be a natural organizer and have to plan or schedule everything. 

Others may take a more laidback approach to life, preferring to be more flexible, able to “go with the Flow”, rather than a daily or weekly routine.  You may be good at dealing with the unexpected, but you may also be a procrastinator. WHICH ARE YOU?

Whether you are s Student or Leader of an Organization

Proper Time management involves;

·          Know what your goals are (If you don’t know where you are going, How will you know when you get there or If you don’t know what your goals are how will you know when you’ve achieved)

·        Setting priorities to meet your goals (If you fail to plan, you plan to fail)

·        Anticipating the unexpected (Hope for  best, yet, plan for the worst, Contingency Planning)

·        Placing yourself in control of your time (If you don’t plan  time, someone else will)

·        Making commitment to being punctual

·        Carry out your plans (Plan your work, then work your plan)

The first step in effective time management is recognizing that you can be in control.  How often have you said, “I don’t have time”?  

Is it really that you do not have time, or have you made a choice, whether consciously or unconsciously, not to make time for that particular task or activity?

When we say we don’t have time, we imply that we do not have a choice.  But we do have a choice.  We do have control over how we use our time. We do have control over many commitments we choose to make.

Being in control means that you make you own decisions, rather than being tossed and blown wherever without any prior planning.

Two of the most often cited differences between high school and college are increased autonomy/ independence, and greater responsibility. (no one there to tell you to get up and go to class, or to make you do you home work:  If you are an older student returning to school, you probably have already realized that returning to school creates additional responsibilities above and beyond those you already have with job, family, community service, church and other activities).

GOAL SETTING

(Leaders Must Learn to Set Goals)

Where do you see yourself in five years from now?  Ten years from now?  You may see yourself earning a degree, owning your home, starting a business, or plan to retire early. 

Time management is one of the most effective tools to assist you in meeting these goals. Your goals may be lofty or simple, but they should also be attainable.  You don’t want to establish such high goals that you are setting yourself up for failure.

One a goal is set, then determine at least two objective for achieving each goal.  

What the difference between a Goal and an Objective?

·        A GOAL IS WHAT YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE

·        AN OBJECTIVE IS A TANGIBLE, MEASURABLE METHOD FOR REACHING THE GOAL

Most goals should be measurable, such as completing a degree program or earning a 3.0 or higher grade point average.  But others goals, for example “to be happy”, or “to be successful”, may mean different things to different people. 

No matter how you define success, you should be able to identify some specific steps you can take to achieve your goals. (Using exercise 2.1 in text, Pg 38, list three goals you might establish for yourself for the next month).

SETTING PRIORITIES

Once you have established goals and objectives, decide how you want to prioritize your time.  Do this by deciding

·        Which goals and objective are most important

·        Which goals are the most urgent

Studying in order to get a good grade on a test tomorrow may have to take priority over attending a jog fair today.

One-way a good that skilled time managers establish priorities is to maintain a “to-do” list and then rank-order the items on that list, determining schedules and deadlines for each task.

STAY FOCUS

Most first year students, especially recent high school graduates, temporarily lose sight of their goals and enjoy their first term of college by opening themselves up to a wide array of new experiences.

While it is encouraged to do this, within limits, it is recognized that some students will spend the next four or five years trying to make up for poor decision made early in their college careers.  (my experience as a High School Recruiter while at Rose State: Everyone know the first Semester is suppose to be blown-Off).

While the text is full of suggestions for enhancing academic success, the bottom lines is keeping your eyes on the prize and take control of your time and you life.  This is known as “staying focused” which is what most successful people frequently indicate is a key to their success.

OVERCOMING PROCRASTINATION

Procrastination is a serious problem that can trip up many otherwise capable people.  Why people procrastinate range from fear of failure to fear of success. 

Regardless of its source, procrastination may be your single greatest enemy.

Here are some suggested ways to beat procrastination:

·        Say to yourself, I need to do this now or I will suffer later on

·        Create a to-do list

·        Break down big jobs into smaller steps

·        Before you begin, promise yourself a reward for finishing the task

·        Take control of your study environment.  Eliminate distractions

·        Don’t make or take phone calls during planned study sessions

If these ideas fail to motivate you to get to work, it may be time to reexamine your values and priorities.  What is really important to you? Are your academic goals really your own, or were they imposed on you by family members, your employer, or societal expectations?

MAKING YOUR TIME MANAGEMENT PLAN WORK

Give extensive thought to what kind of schedule will work best for you and stick to it.   “DON’T OVEREXTEND YOURSELF”.  Determine what a realistic workload is for you; this can vary significantly from person to person.  Do not take on more than you can handle.  Learn to say “NO”

“REDUCE DISTRACTION” -  Do not study in places associated with leisure, such as the kitchen table, the living room, or in front of the TV.  They each lend themselves to interruptions by others and other distractions.

A few more tips to help you deal with distractions are:

·        Don’t eat while you study

·        Leave the TV, CD Player, DVD, iPod and radio off

·        Don’t let personal concerns interfere with studying

·        Develop an agreement with roommate, family about “quiet hours”