Language learning strategies and study skills (DT 1133)

TOPIC 7:
TIME MANAGEMENT
STRATEGIES
WEEK 9
MISS SHASUMITHA
 LEARNING OUTCOME

After studying this unit you should be able to:

• Identify the time management strategies

• Explain the importance of time table
 TIME
MANAGEMENT
TECHNIQUES
 “TIME IS LIFE.
TO WASTE YOUR TIME IS TO WASTE YOUR LIFE,
BUT
TO MASTER YOUR TIME IS TO MASTER YOUR
LIFE
AND MAKE THE MOST OF IT”.
Alan Lakein

THE BAD NEWS IS TIME FLIES, THE GOOD NEWS

IS
YOU’RE THE PILOT
Michael Althsular
 10 minutes exercise

• List at least 5 things that are the most important to you

• List at least 5 things that you spend your time on

Most of us don’t have the luxury of spending the majority of

our time on the things that are most important to us.

 What is Time Management?

❑ Time management is the act or process of planning and

exercising conscious control over the amount of time spent
on specific activities, especially to increase effectiveness,
efficiency or productivity.
❑ Time Management refers to managing time effectively so
that the right time is allocated to the right activity.
❑ Finding a time management strategy that works best for you
depends on your personality, ability to self-motivate and
level of self-discipline.
Why do we need time management?

❑ To save time

❑ To reduce stress

❑ To function effectively

❑ To increase our work output

❑ To have more control over our job responsibilities.

Managing your time

Ask yourself:

❑ Do you make a to-do list?

❑ Are you flexible with your plans?

❑ How often do you accomplish what you plan?

❑ Do you plan for things that are personally important to you?

❑ Do you make plans in order to keep things in your life under control?

❑ How often are your plans hindered by interruptions?

Basics of time management

❑ Step one: Set specific and definable goals for yourself. These goals should
be both academic and personal.
❑ Step two: Create a calendar that is reflective of your school terms. Begin
by drafting a term calendar; making sure you have reflected any major
events like projects, term papers, etc.
❑ Step three: Drill the schedule down some by creating a weekly schedule
that reflect all activities that you are responsible for on a weekly basis;
including classes, meetings, labs, club activities, meetings, etc.
❑ Step four: Create a to-do list for each day. This list should ideally be
created the night before so that there is no doubt about how the following
day should take shape.
A schedule will only work if you utilize it. Simply committing
a list of activities to paper will not suddenly create a
situation in which you can manage your time better. Keep
your schedule in a prominent location where you can see it
daily and refer to several times throughout the day.

It is important for students to develop routines and to take

control of their time.
Time Management Strategies

Diagram Showing Key Strategies for Time Management

Prioritized To-Do List

❑ Write down all the tasks you need to complete

❑ Break large tasks into their component elements
❑ Allocate priorities from A (very important, or very
urgent) to (unimportant, or not at all urgent)
❑ You need to differentiate between urgency and
importance
❑ Rewrite the list in priority order
❑ Take action immediately and finish them one by one
❑ This helps you to focus on the important jobs first
Urgent versus Important

❑ Important activities have an outcome that leads to the

achievement of your goals
❑ Urgent activities demand immediate attention, and are
usually associated with the achievement of someone
else’s goals, or with an uncomfortable problem or
situation that needs to be resolved
Planning
❑ Write down appointments, classes, and meetings on a
chronological log book or chart
❑ First thing in the morning, check what's ahead for the
day
❑ If you fail to plan, you plan to fail and you will waste a
lot of precious time while failing
Goal Setting
❑ To avoid the pitfalls of confusion and lack of motivation, you
have to clarify what you want to achieve
❑ SMART goal setting guidelines :
• Specific - Have you clearly defined your goal?
• Measurable - How do you know if you are making
progress?
• Achievable - Is your goal really achievable? Be ambitious
but honest.
• Relevant - Is your goal something which are relevant to
achieve?
• Timely - Is your goal achievable in a meaningful
timeframe?
❑ Write your goals down and be familiar with them
80:20 Rule
❑ Pareto’s Principle:
• 80% of results are achieved with only 20% of the
effort
❑ Focus your time and energy on the high impact tasks to
achieve the greatest benefit possible
❑ If you have achieved your expected outcome and done
what needs to be done, then you may not need to do
80% of the task
❑ Otherwise break the task down again working out the
20% that will bring the best results
Get organized
❑ Time is saved if you prepare your work environment
and equipment beforehand
❑ Tidy your desk, make sure your chair is in the correct
position and you have all the information you need
close at hand
❑ Having your appointments, tasks and key notes in one
place
❑ Helps you find information faster and also helps
prevent stress
Procrastination
❑ What is procrastination?
• Putting off things that we should be doing
• Avoid high priority, challenging tasks
• Seek comfort in doing tasks you know you're capable
of completing
❑ Causes of procrastination:
• Have doubt on your skills or resources
• Do not know where to begin
• Waiting for “right time” or “right mood”
• Underestimate the difficulty of the task
• Perfectionism
Overcome Procrastination

❑ Recognize that you are procrastinating

❑ Work out why you are procrastinating
❑ Ways to overcome:
• Find a small part of the task you can do right now
• Identify the emotion associated with doing it
• Finish an incomplete
• Delete it and move on
• Face your fears and the risks head-on
Utilize Time Gaps
❑ Time gaps are intervals of time free of activities
• E.g. gaps between classes, between meetings, in a
queue, waiting in your car
❑ Discover where you are likely to experience small,
wasted gaps of time
❑ Utilize them to finish tasks that can fit in
❑ Examples of utilizing them effectively:
• Make calls while waiting
• Read up something
• Prepare for the upcoming activities
Learn to say NO
❑ Do not say yes when you don't have the time,
motivation, interest or skills to do the task
❑ Say “no” to tasks that have little impact on your targets
❑ Prevent stress
❑ Avoid overworking
How to use time effectively?

❑ Effective Planning

❑ Setting goals and objectives

❑ Setting deadlines

❑ Delegation of responsibilities

❑ Prioritizing activities as per their importance

❑ Spending the right time on the right activity

Time Management (Bos & Vaughn, 1998)
1. Plan regular study times.
2. Plan at least one-hour blocks of time in which to study.
3. Plan which assignments you are going to work on during the study
time.
4. Take the first five minutes of each study activity to review what you
have done already and what you have already learned, and to plan
what you are going to accomplish today. This helps promote long-term
learning and a sense of accomplishment.
5. When studying longer than one hour, plan breaks and stick to the time
allowed for the breaks.
 6. Use daytime or early evening for study if possible. Most
people are less efficient at night.
7. Work on your most difficult subjects when you are most
alert.
8. Distribute your studying for a test rather than cram (e.g.
begin studying for a test two weeks earlier).
9. Balance your time between studying and other activities.
Allow time for recreational activities.
10. Reward yourself by marking through your schedule each
time you meet a scheduled commitment and by crossing
off items you complete on your “to do” list.
 Time Management Tips
1. Determine your best time of day to study and study then.
2. Do it now. Fight procrastination. Explore procrastination patterns and
break them
3. Set deadlines for yourself.
4. Write out your short-term and long-range goals.
5. Concentrate on one thing at a time.
6. Use TV time as a reward, after you have finished studying.
7. Plan to take a 10 minute break per study hour, 5 minutes every half hour.
8. Divide a big assignment into small pieces that can be done one at a time.
9. Have a central work list, and make a daily “things to do” list,
10. Be flexible—when you become bored with certain parts of studying,
change topics.
11. Learn to discipline yourself and feel good about it.
12. Write down all assignments and due dates in your time management book.
13. Plan in the morning (or the night before) the priorities for that day.
14. Learn to say “NO” to interruptions when you study. Separate study time from
play time.
15. Have an organized study area where you can concentrate.
16. Give yourself time off and special rewards when you have done important
things.
17. Schedule study time before class and right after the lecture, if possible.
18. Beware of perfection. It may reduce your productivity rate. Always perform at
your peak level to the best of your ability—be realistic.
19. Study smarter, not harder!
20. Build on success. Profit from failure. Learn from your mistakes.
 Study
Time Table
Time Table

❑ Time table is a framework to run the school properly.

❑ A schedule showing a planned order or sequence.
❑ It is a plan or schedule according to which class would be held.
❑ A list or table of events arranged according to the time when they
take place
❑ Time table is a mirror that reflects the entire educational program
followed in the school.
❑ A timetable can list homework, study times, work schedules,
appointments and other activities of the school.
❑ Study time-table is the complete guideline or plan for the students to
follow.
Importance of Time Table

❑ It ensures orderly work.

❑ It saves time and energy.
❑ It ensures right allocation of time for different subjects.
❑ It ensures proper distribution of work among teachers.
❑ It develop regularity and alertness in students and teachers.
❑ It helps to maintain discipline and order.
❑ It fixes the routine of students.
❑ Reduce confusion and help in planning.
❑ Direction of time and energies.
How to Make a Study Time-Table

❑ Draw up a study timetable and block in all activities, work, lectures,

and any household or other responsibilities you may have. Include
meal times and travel time. Be realistic. This should be an actual
timetable, which is possible, not some ideal that can never be
achieved. Make enough copies to cover all the weeks leading up to
exams or assessment.
❑ Work out your most effective study times. When do you study
best? Morning, afternoon or evening?
❑ Consider: Which subjects need the most study and revision?
Estimate how many hours you think you need for each subject and
try to match this with the hours available in your weekly planner.
❑ Block in some study times, preferably 2-4 hours at a time,
with 5-10 minutes’ break every 40-50 minutes.
❑ Start an exam periods or due dates for assignment and
work backwards, blocking in more study time in the
relevant subject closer to the exam or due sate. Make sure
that you prepare for each exam over several days and
don’t fill up the last few days too heavily. Also put in any
events which may affect your study times, such as
birthdays, social events and work functions.
❑ You may want to plan in details for each study session. Write down
which lecture / topic / text you will be researching / reviewing. This
way, you can ensure that you will cover all the required information in
the times you have allocated. Consider: What do I want to achieve in
this session? (eg: summary / notes / list of resources / timeline).
Where will I need to study? Do I need access to a computer / the
internet / library?
❑ If you have some smaller amounts of time available for study,
consider how they could be used: skim reading an article, proofing a
draft, sorting a bibliography, organizing reference cards, etc. Travel
time on public transport can also be used for reading.
FINALLY,
Start using your timetable. See how well it works
What did you leave out? It can be changed as you
go, but do this consciously: look at what is not
working, which areas you need more time in and
change the timetable. This is much better than just
throwing the timetable away. Then you can be sure
that you will still cover all the material you need to.