The first and most important part of time management is self-management--knowing your own limitations, weighing your options, determining your values, and making wise decisions. There is a limited amount of time in a day, and no one can operate effectively at maximum performance. You have to allow for relaxation and for recreation. You have to weigh your responsibilites--to family, to school, to work, to others. You have to consider your options and the implications and consequences of your choices. While taking all night classes may seem like a solution to a difficult schedule, it isn't if the courses you need are not offered at night. Good decisions about time management require careful research and clear thinking. Usually in any decision, more than one valuable option is available, and you must weigh those options carefully.

Procrastination

Procrastination is often a fear response to the possibility of failure. But procrastination almost always leads to failure, so why do people do it. Sometimes, it is a self-defense mechanism. Believing they will fail anyway, people procrastinate, which they can then use as an excuse to explain their failure and avoid dealing with actually having failed. Getting started early on assignments and working steadily will not on result in better performance but will reduce anxiety and stress.

Sometimes students will suggest that they procrastinate because "they do their best work at the last minute" and they need that pressure in order to do well. This is self-deceit. No one does their best work at the last minute. And no one wants to hire someone who waits until the last minute to finish a task.

For more on dealing with procrastination, see the resources at the end of Overcoming Obstacles.

Time Management Tools

Daily plans

A daily plan is an hour-by-hour schedule of your week's activities. Daily plans identify all of the scheduled activities of your typical week: class hours, work hours, meals, and scheduled leisure and study times. A daily plan allows you to see at a glance how effectively you are using your time during the week and where there are times when you can schedule extra activities, like extra study time for a long-term project or for a test. Daily plans can also be used as weekly planners that identify not only your regularly scheduled activities for any week but also the special activities scheduled for the week.

Monthly calendars

Monthly calendars let you see at a glance any activites you have scheduled: dentist appointments, hairdressing, outings with a spouse or friend, errands, and so on. Monthly calendars not only help you organize your time and avoid time conflicts, they also act as memory aids to help you keep up with your commitments.

To Do lists

A little less formal than daily plans, a to do list lets you keep track of your priorities for any given day. An effective way of using a to do list is to divide the list in two: those things which must be done today, and those things which can be put off until tomorrow. Procrastination is not putting off work. Procrastination is putting off work that must be done today. Remember, however, that while a research paper assigned today can't be completed today, you can think about the topic for your paper and go to the library for resources on your paper today. List all of the things you must do today on the top of the list, and all the things that can wait till tomorrow on the bottom. Number each item according to its priority for being completed. Then work the top half of the list first, in order, and then, if you finish, begin the bottom half. As the day passes, add items to either half of the list and reorder as needed. At the end of the day, review the list, make adjustments for the next day, and prepare tomorrow's list. It is a good idea to keep your to do list near your bed. How many times have you kept yourself awake worrying that you might forget to take care of things that need done the next day. Write them down on your to do list and go to sleep knowing that you won't forget.

Tickler files

These types of time management tools can also be used to remind you of long term projects or once-a-year activities that need to be done. I worked a job where I kept a desk calendar. On December 31, I listed all of the once-a-year activities I was responsible for with a date a week or so in advance of when I needed to begin working on them. When I inserted my new calendar, I transferred my list of items to the appropriate days on my new calendar.

PIMS, Day planners, and others

There are a variety of day planners and computer programs that help you in keeping track of your time and your life. Find the tools that work best for you. There are many free software tools available online.

Remember, time management is both self management and memory management. These tools help us keep track of what we need to do and when we need to do it, and they can motivate us to work on them regularly and steadily.

Extrinsic and Intrinsic Motivations

Often, a key to good time management and self-management involves improving motivation. Extrinsic motivations are things outside us that motivate us (think external). Intrinsic motivations are things inside us that motivate us (think internal).

Extrinsic Motivations

Examples of extrinsic motivators can include

Intrinsic Motivations

Intrinsic motivations often lie behind extrinsic motivations. What causes us to slow down when we see a police officer by the side of the road? Is it fear of being pulled over, a sense of shame at doing something wrong, a sense of duty to obey the law? All of these are intrinsic motivations. Money as a motivation may mask a need to feel secure or a desire for power. Owning a new car may be an expression of an inner need for approval from our peers, a desire to appear successful, a feeling of pride in ownership, or a sense of satisfaction and reward for hard work. We may be motivated by our parents or teachers out of fear, a desire to please, a wish for approval, a need for security, or a desire to be liked. Sometimes we are not even aware of what intrinsic motivations are behind our behavior.

When motivations are in conflict, we can feel frustrated and have difficulty being successful. For instance, the desire to be recognized for achievement or the need for approval may come in conflict with the need to be successful and secure. A student may become so afraid of failure, that he or she may chose to cheat on an exam to gain approval without risking failure. While this may result in an immediate sense of self-esteem, because the esteem was gained fradulently, the student will soon suffer guilt because of a fear of being found out. People in abusive relationships may be willing to suffer their safety in order to gain a sense of belonging, sacrificing one need for the other. When our intrinsic and extrinsic motivations come in conflict, we have to calmly review our values and make wise choices.

Setting Goals

When writing a goal be as specific as possible about what it is you want to accomplish. Also, be realistic about goals. Give yourself some "wiggle room."

  1. Formulate and write the goal
  2. Create strategies to reach the goal
  3. Check if goal can be realized

A time management problem affecting many students is classroom attendance. In general, students who have good attendance do better in school. This may be because bad attendance is a symptom of other problems. Oftentimes students have problems with attendance due to conflicts in commitments. While a second commitment does not release students from their commitment to attend class, it does explain some of the reasons for poor attendance.

Example of Exploration into Setting Goals to Address a Problem

Common Issues that Affect Classroom Attendance

Here are some reasons why people have poor attendance and some strategies for addressing these conflicts.

Time Management Resources

"9 Proven Time Management Techniques and Tools." University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences. 12 Nov. 2024. <https://www.usa.edu/blog/time-management-techniques/>.

"The 26 Most Effective Time Management Techniques." Clockify. 12 Nov. 2024. <https://clockify.me/time-management-techniques>.

"Effective Time Management for Students and Professionals." Marquette University Business Graduate School of Management. 3 Jan. 2024. 12 Nov. 2024. <https://online.marquette.edu/business/blog/effective-time-management-for-students-and-professionals>.