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4.1: Prelude to Managing Your Time and Priorities...Start Now!

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    fig-ch01_patchfile_01.jpg
    Figure 4.1: Our devices can be helpful tools for managing time, but they can also lead to distraction.

    Student Survey

    How do you feel about your time management abilities? Take this quick survey to figure it out, ranking questions on a scale of 1–4, 1 meaning “least like me” and 4 meaning “most like me.” These questions will help you determine how the chapter concepts relate to you right now. As you are introduced to new concepts and practices, it can be informative to reflect on how your understanding changes over time. We’ll revisit these questions at the end of the chapter to see whether your feelings have changed.

    1. I regularly procrastinate completing tasks that don't interest me or seem challenging.
    2. I use specific time management strategies to complete tasks.
    3. I find it difficult to prioritize tasks because I am not sure what is really important.
    4. I am pleased with my ability to manage my time.

    You can also take the Chapter 4 survey(opens in new window) anonymously online.

    STUDENT PROFILE

    "Before I started college, I had heard that the amount of work would be overwhelming, and that it would be much harder than high school. That was true, but after being in college for a couple of weeks, I felt that people made it seem scarier than it actually was. I had some homework assignments here, some essays, some hard classes, but it wasn't that bad..until Midterms and Finals came knocking. I had so much to study and so little time. The pressure was unimaginable. And since there was so much material to learn, I kept procrastinating. The nights before the exams were a disaster.

    "After the semester, I realized that I needed to do something differently. Instead of crashing before midterms and finals, I would study throughout the semester. I would review notes after class, do a few practice problems in the book even if homework wasn't assigned, and try to ask professors questions during their office hours if I was confused. This continual effort helped me do better on exams because I built up my understanding and was able to get a good night’s sleep before the big test. I still studied hard, but the material was in reach and understanding it became a reasonable goal, not an impossibility. I also felt more confident going into the exams, because I knew that I had a deeper knowledge — I could recall things more easily. Most importantly, I now had peace of mind throughout the day and during the tests themselves, since I knew that I was better prepared."

    —Nachum Sash, Actuarial Science Major, City University of New York

    About This Chapter

    In this chapter you will learn about two of the most valuable tools used for academic success: prioritizing and time management. By the time you complete this chapter, you should be able to do the following:

    • Articulate the ways in which time management differs from high school to college.
    • Outline reasons and effects of procrastination, and provide strategies to overcome it.
    • Describe ways to evaluate your own time management skills.
    • Discuss the importance and the process of prioritization.
    • Articulate the importance of goal setting and motivation.
    • Detail strategies and specific tactics for managing your time.
    • Identify how you are currently spending time in a typical week.
    • Prioritize weekly activities into categories.
    • Reflect on a one-week time audit and make adjustments as necessary.

    HOW TO GAIN CONTROL OF YOUR TIME

    Learning to manage your time is an important and powerful skill to learn in college. How you manage your time shapes your life’s path. Your use of time can be the difference between meeting your long-term goals and missing the mark. Focusing your attention and time on the things that matter most ensures you are achieving the life you want. This chapter aims to help you accomplish that!

    Watch Lauren Vanderkam’s short video: How to gain control of your free time.

    Video 4.1

    Notes for Student Success:

    This exercise will help you prioritize your time so when you are in 12 hour clinicals in nursing school, you will easily be able to manage your time!

    How are you spending your 168 hours each week?

    How you are currently spending your time? Understanding your use of time allows you to re-prioritize so that the things that are most important to you are getting appropriate attention. This is best done before you start planning your course schedule each semester, but you can do this any time you want better control over your use of time.

    4.1 Activity: One-Week Time Audit
    Complete the following activity to explore your schedule:

    Track your schedule for one week using the time audit workbook provided. Save the workbook as you will need to refer to it again later:

    One_Week_Time_Audit_Workbook(opens in new window)

    Follow these steps:

    An interactive H5P element has been excluded from this version of the text. You can view it online here:
    UTA Pressbooks [uta.pressbooks.pub]
    Section 1 Review Questions
    An interactive H5P element has been excluded from this version of the text. You can view it online here:
    UTA Pressbooks [uta.pressbooks.pub]

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