The 35 Hour DayThe 35 Hour Day

Rachel McCulleyUniversity of Delaware

Rachel McCulleyUniversity of Delaware

A Vision of Students Today

•http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGCJ46vyR9o

Video Reflections

•How are you like the students in the video?

•How are you unlike them?•Where does your time go?

Time Management Quiz

Time Management Quiz

Scoring• 6-10: Terrible Planner. You should consider using new tools and processes to help you plan

effectively. A great first step would be to take a time management course.

• 11-15: Below average planner. You may already have a planning system, but using it more

effectively will help to reduce the stress and lack of control you feel in your life.

• 16-20: Average planner. Your planning system is working, but you can do better. You may

need help focusing on priorities, dealing with urgent interruptions or writing your daily plan.

• 21-25: Above-average planner. Your planning system is working well. Keep up the good work, with

periodic reviews to be sure you’re planning around what matters most in your life.

• 26-30: Excellent planner--or candidate for burnout? You have mastered planning and should experience the serenity that

comes from taking charge of your life. But make sure you’re in control of your planning rather than letting it control you.

Quiz written for USA WEEKEND by time management expert Hyrum Smith, chairman of the Franklin Covey Co., whose Franklin Planners, agendas and planning software are used by 15 million Americans.

Time Management Overview

Time Management Overview

What are the advantages of

time management?

Advantages of Time Management

• Gain time• Motivates and initiates• Reduces avoidance• Promotes review• Eliminates cramming• Reduces anxiety

Source: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~acskills/success/time.html

What do you do to manage your

time?

Five Steps to Successful Time

Management1. Set specific academic and personal

goals.2. Create a term calendar, recording

major events.3. Create a weekly schedule of your

classes, labs, meetings, etc.4. Decide on specific times to work on

each course.5. Make a to-do list for each day the

night before or during breakfast.Source:

http://www.dartmouth.edu/~acskills/success/time.html

More Strategies

• Don’t waste time - eliminate things that pull you off track– What are your “time wasters”?

• Carry a notebook - jot down things as they come to you

• Keep a calendar - plan out projects & assignments

• Work anywhere and everywhere - use your laptop & cell phone to get things done on the go

• Break all tasks into small bits - every little part counts!

• Learn to say noSource:

http://randaclay.com/how-to/6-time-management-strategies/

SchedulingScheduling

Create a Daily Schedule

• Determine how many hours you need for:– Class– Work– Meals– Study hours

• Account for:– Study breaks (10 minutes every hour)

– SocializationSource:

http://academictips.org/acad/timemanagement.html

How Do You Keep Track of Your Schedule?

Recording Your Schedule

• Paper planner• Index cards• Poster board• White board• Excel spreadsheet• Google calendar/Microsoft Outlook/iCal

Source:

http://academictips.org/acad/timemanagement.html

PrioritizingPrioritizing

Urgent vs. Important• Urgent

– Urgent tasks are deadline based. This is usually independent of yourself and is often driven by others. The sooner the task needs completion the more urgent it is. This has no relation to importance.

• Important– The importance of a job drives how much ‘time’ you want to spend on it. Notice that this is independent of ‘urgency’ and is what you want to do not what you Actually spend on it. For any task the quality of your output will often relate to the time you spend on it.

Source: http://www.time-management-basics.com/time-

management-urgent-v-important2.shtml

Priority Matrix

Source: http://www.time-management-basics.com/time-

management-urgent-v-important2.shtml

To Do Lists• Classify items as A, B, or C items

according to importance and urgency• Arrange list according to priority and

complete tasks in that order• Do not worry about keeping low priority

tasks on your list for a long time - as long as there is no deadline

• Carry out all necessary tasks• Tackle the most important jobs first• Do not get stressed by a large number of

unimportant jobsSource:

http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_05.htm

ProcrastinationProcrastination

Why do you procrastinate?

What do you do when you procrastinate?

Causes of Procrastination

• Working on tasks that are not urgent• Being overwhelmed by a task• Waiting for the “right” mood or time• A fear of failure• Underdeveloped decision making skills• Poor organizational skills• Perfectionism

Source:

http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_96.htm

Overcoming Procrastination

• Recognize you’re procrastinating– Set your priorities– Indicators

• Working on low-priority tasks• Continuously looking at to do list or e-mails• Making a snack or coffee instead of starting a task

• Leaving an item on a to do list for a long time

• Doing unimportant tasks for others instead of doing your important tasks

Source:

http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_96.htm

Overcoming Procrastination

• Work out why you’re procrastinating– Comes down to two main reasons

•You find the task unpleasant•You find the task overwhelming

Source:

http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_96.htm

Overcoming Procrastination

• Get over it– If it is unpleasant:

• Make up rewards for accomplishing a task• Ask someone to check on you - peer pressure!• Identify unpleasant consequences of not doing it

– If it is overwhelming:• Break it into smaller, more manageable tasks• Start with quick, small tasks so you feel as though you’re accomplishing something

Source:

http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_96.htm

The Pickle Jar Theory

The Pickle Jar Theory

The Pickle Jar Theory

• Okay, so you’ve got yourself a pickle jar. Now, put some large rocks in it. Put in as many as you possibly can. Let me know when it’s full. Now, I know you think it’s full, but put a couple more in anyway.

• Okay, you’ve got a full pickle jar that you can’t fit anything else into, right? Now, put some pebbles in. Put as many in as you can possibly fit, and raise your hand and bark like a pig when you feel your jar is full.

• Now, take your full jar and take sand and, you guessed it, fill that jar until you can’t possibly fit anymore in, and then add some water.

Source: http://www.alistapart.com/articles/pickle/

The Pickle Jar Theory

• I am sure the significance of this little exercise hasn’t escaped any of you. Each of us has many large priorities in our life, represented by the large rocks. We also have things which we enjoy doing, such as the pebbles. We have other things we have to do, like the sand. And finally, we have things that simply clutter up our lives and get in everywhere: water.

• None of these are bad things. After all, we need the gamut of these objects—from large priorities to times of rest—in order to feel truly fulfilled. No Time Management theory should be without balance, and the Pickle Jar theory is all about balance. You make time for everything, and everything simply fits well where it is supposed to fit.

Source: http://www.alistapart.com/articles/pickle/

The Pickle Jar Theory Reflections

• What are your large priorities - the rocks?

• What do you enjoy - the pebbles?

• What else do you have to do - the sand?

• What is the clutter - the water?

Closing ThoughtsClosing Thoughts

Closing Thoughts

•Major themes: prioritize and plan

•Do not overextend yourself!

•What have you learned that you will incorporate into your own time management?

Rachel McCulleyUniversity of Delaware

Class of 2011

mcculley@udel.edu

Rachel McCulleyUniversity of Delaware

Class of 2011

mcculley@udel.edu