TIME MANAGEMENT (And not the same old stuff you’ve seen before.)

CAL POLY PRSSA │ January 9, 2013

The key is in not spending time, but in investing it.Stephen R. Covey

Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.William Penn

Don’t be fooled by the calendar. There are only as many days in the year as you make use of. One man gets only a week’s value out of a year while another man gets a full year’s value out of a week.Charles Richards

So how do I get $#!+

done?

In a

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tsh

ell…

Tip & Tricks

Without a need, there is rarely a will. If it’s not something you need to do, it’s pretty unlikely that you’re going to do it. Prioritize your tasks, learn to say no to the little things, and make sure you’re working as efficiently as possible by not wasting energy on things that don’t need to get done.

Take homework with you. That hour break between classes may be too short to squeeze in a workout, but it’s perfect for touching up the last parts of an assignment or getting an extra review session in before a test. Plus, it’ll leave you with a lot less to do at the end of your day.

Zero out your inbox. Don’t just skim your inbox for a second and save the replies until later. Block out a set amount of time to take care of your email, and make sure everything get addressed in some way. Reply, put it on a to-do list, delete it –just don’t leave it sitting there collecting dust.

Tip & Tricks

Make a to-do list. Stay away from huge to-do lists. Instead, create a daily list of realistic jobs to tackle, like folding laundry, scheduling a doctor’s appointment, or paying the cable bill. Break up big goals into micro-tasks, like going to a yoga class over getting six-pack abs, or writing a page over completing a thesis. Soon, the small things will add up to big accomplishments.

Make a to-don’t list. Bad habits are just as significant as good ones. So make a list of things not to do because they make you unproductive or don’t need immediate attention.

“Eat the frogs.” We swear it’s a real term. Do the task you’re least looking forward to first to get it out of the way.

Tip & Tricks Use a physical planner. Turns out your teachers are right. Just as handwritten notes

are easier for our brain to process than notes taken on a computer, written tasks are going to stick more in your mind than something jotted on a phone. It’s also harder to ignore a piece of paper sitting on your table than a note hidden in the depths of your phone.

Set triggers. Leave reminders around to help remember what needs to get done. Place bills that need to be paid or books to be read out in the open. Stick reminders on the fridge or on top of your textbooks.

Say yes to saying “no”. Don’t stretch yourself too thin — learning to say no keeps us focused and may even ward off sickness, according to some studies.

Look back. Schedule some time every week to see what was accomplished and if that schedule needs tweaking for the following week.

The Two-Week Planner

Studies show that your brain can only effectively plan tasks two weeks in advance. So print out the Cal Poly PRSSA “Two – Week – One – Sheet” Calendar on the Cal Poly PRSSA Facebook page to stay on top of all your short-term and longer-term tasks.

Get fit – and productive!

Your body works just like your brain. It reacts to all the same chemicals and will behave in accordance with your body. Things that slow your body down (greasy foods, sugar crashes, 12 hours of straight Netflix) are going to slow your brain down as well.

Get outside! Go for a run! Eat healthy! If your body feels energized, your brain will too.

How to Use Your Phone

Todoist

Sleek app for iPhone, Android, and web for our most advanced to-do-listers. Todoist allows you to organize tasks into projects and sub-projects, and work with powerful features such as due dates, recurring dates, sub-tasks, task priorities, and colored projects.

How to Use Your Phone

Any.do

For the traditional “pen and paper” types –this app is clean and simplistic, with everything you need to keep track of daily tasks. It learns you task habits too, so you’ll be able to repeat common items, and attach tasks to contacts.

How to Use Your Phone (and computer)

EvernoteGreat tool for taking notes in class. It acts as one big digital binder that you can separate into different sections (ex. By class), In each document you type, you can add virtually any attachment, from audio files to scanned documents to pictures, and beyond. It gives you all the flexibility of hand-written notes with an added digital twist.

How to Use Your Computer

Momentum Ext. for Google ChromeA great extension for your Chrome browser. Every time you open a new tab, a beautiful photo pops up along with a “hello,” a motivational phrase, and your to-do list. This ext. will help motivate you to actually stay on task instead of roaming Facebook or Twitter for countless hours.

How NOT to Use Your Phone DON’T check email and social media at random. Scheduling certain times of your

day for browsing can keep you from getting sidetracked for longer than you intend. Try to fight the urge to pull out your phone between classes or during short lulls in the day, and keep to your specific times instead. Remember, social media is “forever”. That puppy picture will still be there for you to like 30 minutes from now.

DON’T always be online. When you’re doing something important, turn off your ringer or switch into Airplane Mode/Do Not Disturb Mode to keep your phone from lighting up every minute of the day.

DON’T over-app. Try an app purge. Get rid of all of the apps on your phone that are just wasting space and time (yes, that means Candy Crush). If you’re feeling really brave, try throwing out Facebook or Instagram, even just for a week or two. A clean slate can help keep you from feeling overwhelmed or unnecessarily distracted.

For next quarter…

The pro’s #1 tip: BLOCK YOUR CLASSES

“Many students think that they'll learn better if they scatter their courses throughout the day, with frequent off-hours. Wrong. If you take your courses back to back as much as possible, you'll have larger blocks of time to devote to concerted bouts of studying. Usually, if you have a gap of 50 minutes between classes, it's much more likely to end up as Twitter or Facebook time rather than study time. And if you can group your classes on only two or three days, it will free whole days for studying.”

– Lynn Jacobs, US News