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Time Management: Key to Successful Learning
Dr. Waldo Keller, Professor Emeritus
This TIME MANAGEMENT PROGRAM is successful when you approach it with
a positive attitude of organization, not regimentation, for your most
precious resource: your time. Goals of this program have a priority
list that is very important to your accepting this as a better way to
live and learn:
Knowing you have specific times committed to attending, and preparing
for, each course.
Knowing you have some time for yourself and significant
others.
Knowing that you are keeping up to the best of your
ability.
Knowing that you have "controlled" distractions.
Feeling healthy, getting adequate sleep, and making time for
exercise.
Acknowledging these priorities allows you to experience productive
study time that leads to an enjoyable educational experience. Effective
time management programs require you to establish priorities that will
help you accomplish your goals.
YOUR FIRST PRIORITY SHOULD BE THAT OF ATTENDING SCHEDULED LECTURES AND LABS.
Use the blank template to recreate a weekly calendar:
Blank template (Word Document)
Your second priority, in terms of blocks of time to attend to, is what
I call "ME" or "WE" time. This includes time for exercise (swimming,
running, organized sports), relaxation (reading for pleasure, knitting,
movies, television or just loafing around!), volunteering in the
community, or family activities. It comes as a surprise to many
students that this time is second on the priority list, but I
personally feel that it's a critical time commitment that you must
make. Over the years, I've observed that professional students
experiencing academic difficulties have, for the most part, given up
established time commitments to themselves. This has a devastating
effect on their frame of mind. When the "ME" or "WE" time is consumed
by studying any fun you might have in your college experience can
quickly be lost and you end up mad at the college, faculty, family, and
friends. You may even quit interacting with your own pets!
The question you need to ask and answer is two-fold: what do I want for "ME/WE" time and how much of it do I feel I need? If you've got a significant other, sit down together and work out this part of your schedule early in the term. As the semester continues, your commitment to "ME" or "WE" time may have to be adjusted. My recommendation is that you block out all the time you feel is necessary for you to continue to do what you like to do and which your feel maintains your steady state of mental and physical health.
It may be that as you complete the time schedule, you'll have to
back off on some commitment to "ME" time, but you'll have done this
based upon what you realize is an important priority system, and each
semester will be different. Ultimately, you must feel good about what
you're doing, and having scheduled time to perform well in your classes
will give you the peace of mind that makes it all possible and still be
fun. If you are not having any fun, it may not be worth doing
it.
Here are a few documented facts you should consider when making your
time commitments:
Research indicates average adults need 7 hrs of sleep to function
optimally. One suggestion is to establish a schedule that puts the
7-hour block into the most compatible position with a daily schedule
that starts at 7 a.m. This means going to bed at 12midnight at the
latest. If you find yourself requiring much more than the 7 hours, you
may be dealing with some level of psychological depression and should
consider counseling. If a short nap after your last class is needed,
block out a maximum of 30 to 60 minutes. Eventually work toward putting
a study session into that time block and see if that yields greater
rewards in the classroom.
What's your perspective on time?
24 hrs per day x 7 days = 168 available hours per week
7 hrs of sleep each night x 7 days = 49 hrs to sleep each week (119 hrs
left)
3 hrs per day of "ME" time x 7 days = 21 hrs of fun or relaxation (98
hrs left)
25 hrs scheduled for lecture/lab per week = 73 hrs left
1 hr of study for each lecture/lab x 25 hours = 48 hrs left
2 hrs per day for eating, grooming, etc. x 7 days = 14 hours personal
hygiene (34 hrs left)
34 hours to give priority time to work and/or more study. For some of
you, one hour of study per class per day may not be enough, so you'll
need to commit more time to study blocks.
The point of this exercise is that there really is time to do most
everything that you decide you want to do well!!
Effective study time for a given subject deteriorates after 50 to 60
minutes of concentration. You can enhance "effective study time" by
taking short breaks of 5 to 10 minutes and changing the subject matter
you're reviewing.
The most effective studying is accomplished without competing sensory
input such as the stereo, radio, television, or even having your pet on
your lap. (Make adequate time for the these alternative sensory inputs
during your "ME" time).
Optimally you should study each course the same day as the lecture or
lab, but at least before the next lecture/lab meeting. A 60-minute
study block for each lecture may not be enough for that one hour of
information, which means that you'll need to schedule some additional
time for that course. Each weekend during the semester you should block
study time for the next week and make any necessary changes for those
courses that require more time. Do not modify your weekday study
schedule during the week, but use the weekend to schedule your study
blocks to get you well prepared for next week.
YOU WILL FEEL GOOD ABOUT YOURSELF AND COMFORTABLE WITH THE PROGRAM WHEN:
You have scheduled specific time to study each course (the positive
psychology of this is that you are not trying to study a subject while
worrying about time spent elsewhere);
You have balanced "ME" and "WE" time so that you're enjoying (or
rejuvenating) yourself and your significant other(s) are not mad at you
for neglecting them.
You make the necessary adjustments each weekend to reflect the need for
additional time in certain courses.
This scheduling process is the key to TIME MANAGEMENT AND MINIMIZATION
OF ANXIETY AND STRESS. I wish you the best of luck and hope that you'll
let us know if and how this system worked for you!
Please write to me () or Dr. Sarah Abood
(
) in the Office of Academic Programs and Student
Services with your feedback. Thank You, Wally Keller.
