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RYERSON UNIVERSITY LEARNING SUCCESS CENTRE

Task/Time Management

You cant actually manage timethere are 24 hours in a day, and there is nothing you

can do about that. However, you can manage what you do with that time, so timemanagement is actually self-management. The following strategies will help you stay incontrol of your study schedule and achieve your academic goals.

Prepare a term calendar.

Get a large calendar that divides the term into months.

Write in important dates such as due dates for major projects/assignments/papers,quizzes, mid-terms and final exams. This term schedule gives you an overview of

all the requirements for all your courses.

Post the schedule in your study area so that you can review it regularly.

Plan and Prioritize Your Weekly Goals.

Step 1: Look ahead.

Look ahead 2 or 3 weeks to see what assignments are coming up.

If you have a major project due in that time, divide it into subtasks and plan toinclude some of those subtasks in your schedule for the upcoming week.

Step 2: Sort your activities for the week.

Make a long list of all the things you should, want to, or have to do in theupcoming week. Include everything. Here are examples:classes labs studying commuting paid employment

meals sleeping family exercise clubshousework shopping appointments relaxing social life

volunteer work

Go through the long list and prioritize your goals for the week. You could codeyour goals according to the following system:

A activities have top prioritymust do

B items have medium prioritygood but not essential C items have low prioritycan survive without them

If you consider your academic work a full-time commitment, you should be giving

priority to your studies, so going to class, studying, and working on assignments will beon your A list. NOTE: If you are taking a full course load and are working more than

15 hours/week, you may find yourself overextended. Eventually, something will give.Either your studies will suffer or your job will suffer or you will suffer burn out. You

have a choicecut back on the number of hours you work or cut back on your courseload. Be prepared to live with the consequences of your choice.

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From your long list, make a short list of the A items and as many of the B itemsas you think you can manage.

Estimate the amount of time you think it will take to complete each item.Remember that there are 168 hours in a week.

Step 3: Total your estimated times (short list).Task

ClassesStudying

CommutingJob

SleepingMeals

Housework & shoppingDentist appt.

Fun/socializing

Estimated time

15 hours30 hours

5 hours10 hours

55 hours15 hours

10 hours2 hours

5 hours TOTAL = 147

If you have tried to commit yourself to more hours of tasks than there is time in the week,go through the short list again and make changes. You may decide to drop one or more

tasks or devote less time to some.

Make a written weekly schedule.

Get or make a form for a weekly schedule that divides the days of the week intotime slots. Start the schedule with the time you normally get up and end with the

time you normally go to bed.

Fill in fixed time commitments such as the times for classes and labs, travel, andpaid employment. Then block in a reasonable amount of time for your more

flexible commitments like meals, household responsibilities, social life, and so on.If possible, plan some buffer slots, i.e., a few times left free that you can use as

back-up time slots in case you have to shift your schedule around

Determine your study tasks for the week, such as doing assigned readings,

reviewing notes after class, reviewing material on a regular basis, working onmajor assignments and projects, and preparing for quizzes/tests/exams. Slot studyactivities into specific times in your weekly schedule.

Be committed. Preparing a written schedule isnt enough in and of itself. You have to

be committed to completing the tasks. If procrastination is a problem, take steps to dealwith it and get to work.

Be flexible. Dont be so committed to completing tasks that you become a slave to your

schedule. Remember that your priorities are guidelines--you can change them at anytime. For instance, if you dont finish a task in the allotted time, you could stop, plan to

complete it another time, and get on to the next task. OR you could carry the first taskover into the next time slot and postpone the second task to another time. Its your

decision.

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You might also have to change priorities in order to deal with emergencies, such as

unanticipated car repairs or illness. Deal with the emergency and then rearrange yourstudy schedule to get yourself back on track. If the emergency is more serious and

sorting it out will take up a considerable amount of time, talk to your profs about

extensions for deadlines.

Remember that you are in charge. When you change priorities, particularly when you

choose not to complete a task, consider

the negative consequences of your action

the seriousness of those negative consequences,

and possible ways to reduce the seriousness of the consequences.

You decide what consequences you are willing to live with.

Remember also that you have to work according to your priorities, not someone elses.Learn how to say no and delegate responsibilities if necessary; e.g., get other family

members to help with housework.

Monitor your weekly plan.

Set aside time at the end of each week to reflect on how well your schedule worked.Ask yourself, Am I studying when I said I would? Did I meet all my goals? If so,

organize your schedule for the upcoming week. If not, ask yourself, Why didnt I meetmy goals?

Did I set unrealistic goals?

Did I waste time on trivial matters?

Did I procrastinate and not do the tasks I said I would?

Modify your plan as needed.

If your study schedule wasnt successful, fix the problem so that you can organize yourschedule for the upcoming week and feel confident that you can make the best use of all

your time.