Time Management

First of all, you may already have some type of time management system in place but find that it's not working well. An important aspect of time management is the tools you use. In high school time was pretty scheduled so you probably didn't need tools for organizing your day, week, month. Another analogy may help. High school time management is like building a dog house. You can get away with little nails, a broken down hammer, even a small paint brush. But now that you're an adult, you're expected to build a whole house! You'll need tools appropriate for the job: blueprints, saws, hammers, etc. Your time management at Mount Holyoke and beyond demands better, more appropriate tools. For example, you can download calendars and use them to organize your complex, collegiate life. Remember, time management and organization of projects and tasks are skills that will be needed in graduate school and the world of work. Mount Holyoke is a great place to practice these skills.

Step One
Time is our most important possession. Whether we are aware of where our time goes or not, our use of time signals our priorities. Even if we say that our number one priority is writing a research paper, if we unconsciously put time into some other project or activity, that other project is really our primary priority. The art and skill of time management is about becoming more conscious of where your time is going and what priorities are getting the time.

In many ways, a semester of work for a student is analogous to a long trip across the country. If we plan our route, prioritize the different places to visit, set time goals, and budget our money, the trip can be successful and fulfilling. It might also be a bit structured and nonspontaneous. Or, we could plan a trip with a possible beginning and a probable end and let fate, or the tides, or the moon guide our way. This trip may be a bit too scattered. Unfortunately, many students plan their semester using the second strategy. It makes for a very exciting but usually overwhelming semester of missed due dates, allnighters, and stress.

To extend the analogy, if planning a trip through a semester is like that of a trip cross-country, the first thing you may want to do is pull out a map of the United States and ponder the overall route you wish to take to get from South Hadley to, say, California. This "big picture" provides special areas of interests and possible time constraints. In the same way, the broad strategy of time management within a semester must focus on the "big picture" first. In the example, the semester has been laid out with important assignments, due dates, and other personal concerns which may influence priorities at any given time. You begin to see the ebb and flow of your semester. It's important to focus on are "hot spots." This is where a few important assignments overlap and could create time constraints. Planning beforehand could alleviate crises. Also, "down time" or areas when no concrete assignments are due should be identified to prioritize rest and relaxation, as well as some work so you won't lose momentum.

The Big Picture
Blank big picture for you to download (pdf).

Time is sequential: it's one o'clock, then two o'clock, and so on. This is a left brain activity. If you think of your assignments in words ("Oh God, I have that anthro test coming up") you are also engaging in a left brain activity with language-based processing. So if you try to keep things in your head or on little "Post-it" notes you're only using your left brain, only half your brain to deal with the most important resource in your life, TIME. Notice that the big picture, as well as the tools presented later are very visual. They have the sequential and language aspect but they are also very visual, having space and color. In this way you're bringing your right brain, as well as your left brain, into your time management.

Step Two
The next step in our trip would be to set down specific routes in each state. For this we would need maps of each state. Fortunately, for a student each route through their week should be somewhat routine. The Weekly Grind (pdf) can give some perspective on the flow of each week. Routine may be an important aspect in following through with classes, work, and extracurricular responsibilities. The first example shows a student with a lot of free time in large blocks. The flexible time (Flex Time) is very visible here. The trap here is that the student puts off studying. As one student said, "Ah, I have the whole afternoon, I'm going to take a nap before I start." Then a friend stops in, or the phone rings, or email beckons. All of a sudden, it's time for dinner and the afternoon has floated away. Procrastination becomes an art form! In this circumstance, the student may want to build in study times in some of the open areas, otherwise the time may just "disappear."

Building blocks of time that are structured provides boundaries, an expectation that at that time you work on these aspects of certain courses. Be specific about the courses and goals within the time frame. By setting time goals ("I'm going to read my biology for two hours"), you don't have to worry if you don't get all the reading done. After the time is up, move on to the next objective. In other words you are internalizing an academic coach.

Many students complain that structuring time means they have no spontaneity in their life. The goal in time management is balance - balancing downtime and fun with academic studies. Academic studies will almost always lose out to a walk around campus or going out with friends. That's why some time must be put aside as structured time for studying. Remember, you're paying a lot of money to go here. If you were asked to leave for whatever reason and you then had to get a job, you would probably be putting in 40 hours a week. Right now academics is your full-time job. Are you putting in 40 hours a week?

The second example is a student who is "time poor." This type of student is often amazed at how little unscheduled time she has in her life. A frank discussion of priorities and the need for relaxation and personal time may be needed. Planning your schedule even from preregistration can help you keep your eye on balancing your time over the course of your week and identify priorities in both your academic and extracurricular life (i.e., student government, chorus, etc.). Remember, committing to too many committees and organizations can leave you frazzled. Then, you don't enjoy any of the organizations or people. Being time poor is not a great place to be. Cutting out some events and responsibilities may be necessary.

Step Three
The final aspect of the trip through the semester is the daily plan. Just as maps and schedules are important daily reminders for cross-country travel, so too, a daily planner is an important tool for monitoring the doable, task-oriented goals of the day. Remember, the tool must be appropriate to your complex life. Your daily planner must be sequential for the day, showing time from morning to night. It must be visual providing space for courses, study times, and appointments along with use of color. Lastly, there needs to be a place to put your daily TO DO lists. Examples of daily planners with different formats are provided.

One you get a daily planner, first mark down all the major concerns listed on the big picture. Then, st doable goals for each day and prioritize them. Doable goals are listed for each day and prioritized. You can then plan your day to accomplish the goals of the day.

A TO DO list for each day can become overwhelming if not balanced with some relaxation, social life, and downtime. By keeping TO DO list, you can move tasks around to help balance your day. If one day is filled with class time and appointments, you may not be able to set as many goas for that day. Planning ahead helps you to avoid the nightmare of an allnighter.

A quick note - time management need not be done perfectly. Use pencil when filling out your daily planner, so you can be flexible when things don't work out the way you planned. Go easy on yourself, remembering that time management and organization are skills, not something you're born with.