Time+Management

=__**Time Management**__= Haley Hoffmann

According to __psychologytoday. com__, **time management** is the ability to plan and control how you spend the hours in your day to effectively accomplish your goals. Time management is acquired through skills, techniques, and experience. Time is a very valuable resource and it is very important to put it to good use. The use of time is not only important in the work environment, but also for students. Almost every person has experienced or will experience a dead line of some sort. A deadline for a presentation, test, or even a time frame to get chores done at home. With lots of experience and knowledgeable resources anyone can have good time management skills.
 * What is Time Management?**

__ Table of Contents __

a. Importance of time management b. Suggestions for good time management
 * I. College Students **

a. Survey
 * II. Determining Good Time Management**

a. How do you know? b. How to change poor skills
 * III. Poor Time Management**


 * IV. Time Management Activity**

a. What is it? b. How to avoid procrastination c. Research Studies
 * V. Procrastination**

a. Drawing conclusions b. What should be done in the future c. Why is time management important?
 * VI. Conclusion**


 * VII. Bibliography**

**Why is Time Management important for College Students?**
Time management is important for college students because our success is based on the way we put our time to use. At college, students can chose to use their time in a productive, useful way, or use their time poorly. Students who have good time management find themselves much more at ease when deadlines and test times approach. Those who do not use their time in a proper way are much more stressed out and procrastinate everything until the very last minute. Again, as a student we must begin projects in a timely manner and finish on time, much like studying for tests and completing daily assignments.

__**College students- Ask yourself: "Do I have good time management?"**__ College is a very important time for every student across America. As I sit down to create this Wiki Project I ask myself the same question I introduced to you, "Do I have good time management?" First, I was motivated to choose the topic of time management because it is such an important aspect in every college student's life. The ways in which time is used is a huge determining factor for a student's career.

According to the Article "Rethink Time Management: 11 Ways to Make the Most of Your Time" (2013) from __The Blog__, gives suggestion to use time in more manageable ways. 1. **Quality Time-** Think over goals and consider weather you are using your time in the proper ways.
 * Nearly 80 percent of people surveyed for a research report said that checking their smartphone is the first thing they do in the morning. That's before going to the bathroom, brushing their teeth, kissing their partner or hugging their kids.
 * This is an example of improper use of quality time. Use time that will make steps close to reaching a goal for the day.**

2. **Build De-Stressing Moments and Fun Into Your Day-**Instead of waiting for the weekend to relax, trying taking naps or breaks during the day.

3. **Minimize "Empty Calories"-** People today waste a lot of time, or "empty calories" checking Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, instead use that time instead toward useful things that are needed to be done.

4. **Sleep Some More-** When people are sleep deprived, it is hard to accomplish anything. Instead, sleep and acquire energy needed for the next day.


 * 5. Exercise Early**- Exercise produces a boost in energy and mood, two key components in time management and getting things done.


 * 6. All Hours Are Not Created Equal**- Only focusing on hours put in at the office and only that is avoiding putting energy toward the best possible way we can. In other words, don't privilege hours over results.


 * 7. Align Your Strengths With How You Structure Your Day-**Use the hours of the day that you find yourself most productive and put that towards accomplishing more difficult tasks that need to be done.


 * 8. Say "No," But Thank You for Thinking of Me**- Protect your time in a useful way. Say no to things that will not help or just bring you added stress.


 * 9. Press Pause**- By taking time and noticing the world around you, time begins to slow.


 * 10. Stop Chasing Your Tail**-Meditate and be the moment, no do not find yourself being in autopilot.


 * 11. Give Time Away**- Volunteer and do beneficial things for others, instead of just focusing on yourself. Helping others will make you feel better about yourself.

MD, S. (2013, November 21). Rethink Time Management: 11 Ways to Make the Most of Your Time. //The Huffington Post//. Retrieved November 25, 2013, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/samantha-boardman-md/time-management-tips_b_4296921.html

Skube, D. (2012, May 27). Time management tips for the overloaded. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 25, 2013, from http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-05-27/features/sns-201205172000--tms--interprnctnie-a20120527-20120527_1_boss-time-management-miracles
 * A very important skill college students** must acquire is founded in an article, "Time Management Tips for the Overloaded" This states:
 * Put together a list of all the tasks you have been given. Now realistically go through the list and attach time frames to each of these tasks. Now assign a number according to what you believe are top priorities.
 * When you are done, make a separate list with the tasks that you believe are low priorities that you don't have the hours to do. Be realistic about the hours.

Below is an image of a time management visual aid. This box puts into perspective how important and urgent things need to done. For college students or anyone who finds themselves struggling to put things in order, use this tool below. If you put something in box number four, ask yourself "Why is this even on here?" If this is the case, you know that it is a good time to rethink where and how you are using your time!

Image taken from: http://your24hcoach.com/cms/assets/time-management-your24hcoach-online-coaching-life-coaching-stepehn-covey-1-w640.jpg

A second image found below is a simple pyramid that outlines important to less important tasks.
 * **First:** The bottom, Prioritize Tasks. When you find yourself swamped with things to do, simply prioritize. Figure out what is the most important, rank and rate your tasks.
 * **Second:** The middle, Weekly Plans. Every week for a college student is very busy with class, meetings, practices, but before every week sit down and figure out what needs to get done. After prioritizing, tasks will seem organized and weeks will go much smoother.
 * **Third:** The top, Daily Plans. After prioritizing, and figuring out weekly plans, daily plans will come nature. On Monday, everything will be figured out a daily plans will be a breeze. Either you will be ahead of the game, or already know what needs to be done.

Image taken from: http://timesmartme.com/wp-content/uploads/TSM_PP_PlanningPyramid-300x261.png

At this point you may be asking yourself, "How do I know if I need to work on time management skills?" A survey created by Illinois State University asks questions and creates a score at the end. The score at the end helps to give insight weather or not he or he needs to work out time management skills. (Viewer if you are unable to see this survey clearly, here is a link to the it: [|Illinois University Time Management Survey]

== If you find yourself scoring at a low level, the question may come up: **"What is poor time management?"**==

According to author Francis Wade (2013) who states six symptoms or things someone may say that relates to **poor time management**: 1. Being overweight- “Don’t have the time” to exercise, or “If I only had more time, I’d be able to lose that weight.” 2. Lots of email in your inbox- “If I only had more time, I’d be able to go handle all the waiting messages.” 3. Clutter- “If I only had more time, I could clean this place up.” 4. Unfulfilled commitments- “If only I had more time, nothing would ever be forgotten, or slip through the cracks.” 5. Lack of personal touch- “If I only had more time, I’d have more quality moments with people I care about.” 6. Stress- "If I only had more time, I’d be able to take the hours needed to de-stress.”

This article created by Wade is a good indication for poor time management. For example, if he or she cannot find time to exercise, clean up, or even check a few emails, something needs to be done. In college, it is important to designate time to de-stress, clean up, or hang out with friends. The first step in doing so, is using proper time management skills. Setting aside certain time for certain activities unrelated to school are good signs of using time in the right way.

A video done by Peter Turla exhibits a perfect visual for the way time can be thought of: media type="custom" key="24545506"[|Time Management Video]

A second video "How to Manage Your Time Better" done by __watchwellcast__ is a wonderful visual that provides suggestions for better time management. This video gives a 3 step process called RAC- Record, Analyze, Change. This process is a very helpful and simple way to use time in a more useful way. Enjoy! media type="custom" key="24545604" [|"How to Manage your Time Better"]

=**Time Management Activity!**=

An activity from trainingzone.co.uk (2006) begins: 1. Ask students to write down 10 things he or she did in class or in the library from the previous day 2. On a separate sheet of paper write down 5 things he or she expects to be done by the end of the week 3. Now, look at both of the lists and mark on the first list all the things that relate to the second list 4. Now, you can see if he or she has done anything that worked to accomplish goals need to be done by the end of the week If he or she fails to see anything done, it is time to rethink where time is being put.

[|"Time Management Exercises."//TrainingZone.co.uk//. Sift Media, 25 Jan. 2006. Web. 30 Nov. 2013. .]


 * Procrastination **

Procrastination is every college students nightmare. Students find themselves beginning a five page paper due in less than an hour because he or she procrastinated doing it for the past week. According to Dictionary.com: "**Procrastination** is the act or habit of putting off, or delaying, especially something that requires immediate attention."

The result of procrastination all comes back to the way he or she uses their time. Again, the use of good time management skills will avoid every college student having to face their nightmare, procrastination.

According to USA Today, author Borenstein (2007). "After 10 years of research on a project that was only supposed to take five years, a Canadian industrial psychologist found in a giant study that not only is procrastination on the rise, it makes people poorer, fatter and unhappier."

A study said "In 1978, only about 5% of the American public thought of themselves as chronic procrastinators. Now it's 26%" (Borenstein, 2007).

A second study done by Bryn Mawr College posted an online survey by The Procrastination Research Group posted the question: "To what extent is procrastination having a negative impact on your happiness?" Out of 2,700 responses: 46% - "quite a bit"or "very much" 18% - "extreme negative effect"

From this study alone taken from Bryn Mawr College supports the idea that procrastination is a very large problem for every student. From this study, not only does procrastination effect school work, but it also impacts the happiness of a student.

Below is a video "How to Stop Procrastinating" done by W__atchwellcast__. This video states, that 20% of the population identify themselves as chronic procrastinators. This video suggests very helpful ways to put a stop to procrastinating and begin proper time management.

media type="custom" key="24546088" [|"How to Stop Procrastinating"]

In a recent study published by W__atchwellcast__, says that two groups of students at a University were assigned to write three papers in three weeks. Group A- Given the opportunity to turn in any of the three papers at any given time during the three weeks. Group B-Assigned strict deadlines for each paper. Overall: The ones who did best of the papers were the ones given the strict deadlines on the papers. (Watchwellcast, 2007).

Another study found on __The Assosication for Psychological Science__ relates to upset feelings due to procrastination. A study published in Journal of //Social Behavior and Personality//. A group of 45 students were given pagers and trackers until a school deadline. Eight times a day, when the pager beeped, students were ask to record their level of procrastination and the way they felt at the moment. As the work load became more tedious and time consuming, students began pushing off their work for interests of their own. When students did this, they recorded high levels of guilt. This result made Pychyl realize that procrastinators know what they are doing, by pushing off things that need to be done, but cannot overcome the urge that needs to be done to change. (Pychyl 2000).

The studies above relates to time management in several ways. First, putting things off will only cause added stress and goes against all proper time management skills. Like the study from __Watchwellcast,__ students did better on the paper they sat down and finished before the strict deadline. Here, students managed their time well and use it to accomplish a paper. Secondly, the study from __ The Assosication for Psychological Science __ shows that procrastination leads to not only poor use of time, but also unwanted feelings of guilt. Relating back to time management, students who use time in the proper way find themselves living a healthier lifestyle. Students find time to get work done, spend time with friends, and exercise living a happier life also.

=**How to Stop Procrastinating**= Putting a stop to procrastination is easier than you may think. Using skills for proper time management is all you need to do.


 * Students:**
 * Make a to do list
 * Set deadlines for yourself
 * Break your time up
 * Get rid of things that do not help you accomplish a goal
 * Plan out your day, week, and long term goals

In support of this, a journal article from __Social Behavior & Personality__ studied the relation between time management and behavior. In this study, time management was defined with setting goals, priorities, and the control of time. In this study, 65 university students (between the ages of 18-47 years old) filled out a self report questionnaire. This report was based on how much students participated in activities when he or she intended to study or do homework. (Lay, Schouwenburg,1993). The others related their poor use of time to procrastination from improper behavior and use of time
 * The results:** Higher scores were related to setting goals and time management

This article supports the fact that setting goals relate to time management and a higher self report. Procrastination again, shows a poor use of time and improper time management skills.

=**Conclusion**= Relating back to every study done, journal article, videos, and pictures, time management is such an important skill to acquire. With consideration of everything college students must use their time in a productive manner to accomplish goals. From this Time Management Wikipedia, one would conclude that setting goals, planning ahead, and making a to do list are all simple ways, yet so helpful for proper use of time and using time to its fullest potential.

In the future college students need to be prepared for how he or she uses their time. The future of education is growing and becoming more and more competitive. Because of this, students need to became aware of their surroundings and be mature enough to sit down in a quiet place and get work done on time. College puts a lot of responsibility on a student, which is much different than high school, but it is up to you how much you want to succeed in the future.
 * === In the Future... ===

All of the studies done and information above give reliable, real life examples as to why time management is so important. If is not a feeling of organization, it is a feeling of accomplishment and happiness. On the opposite side of the spectrum, procrastination gets a students no where except to a feeling of guilt. In college, a student can get caught up in many ways than one and procrastination beings to take a toll on he or she. The students finds that they are up until all hours of the night trying to finish a paper than was assigned weeks ago. Here, a student that did not procrastinate and managed their time well would have started their paper days ago and already finished. In college, proper time management shows maturity and a step in the right direction for a bright future. A student using their time wisely will find that they have much more time for enjoyable things in life, rather than spending their time in a crunch for time. Overall, time management for college students will pay off in the end. Just take your time, plan, and make every single day an opportunity for success.
 * === Why is Time Management So Significant For Coe College Students? ===


 * Bibliography (APA Style)**

Borenstein, S. (2007, January 12). Study is a put off: Scientists research why procrastination is getting worse -

USATODAY.com. //Study is a put off: Scientists research why procrastination is getting worse -//

//USATODAY.com//. Retrieved November 26, 2013, from http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/tech/science/ 2007-01-12- procrastination-study_x.htm

Lay, C. H., & Schouwenburg, H. C. (1993). Trait procrastination, time management, and academic behavior.

//Journal of Social Behavior & Personality//, //8//(4), 647-662.

MD, S. (2013, November 21). Rethink Time Management: 11 Ways to Make the Most of Your Time. //The Huffington Post//.

Retrieved November 25, 2013, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/samantha-boardman-md/time-

management- tips_b_4296921.html

Publishers, S. (n.d.). Time Management. //Psychology Today//. Retrieved November 25, 2013, from

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

Pychyl. (n.d.). Why Wait? The Science Behind Procrastination. //Association for Psychological Science RSS//. Retrieved

November 30, 2013, from http://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/publications/observer/2013/april-13/why-wait-the-

science-behind-procrastination.html

Skube, D. (2012, May 27). Time management tips for the overloaded. //Chicago Tribune//. Retrieved November 25, 2013, from

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-05-27/features/sns-201205172000--tms--interprnctnie-a20120527-

20120527_1_boss-time-management-miracles

Student, S. (n.d.). Procrastination: Habit or Disorder?. //Procrastination: Habit or Disorder?//. Retrieved November 25, 2013, from

http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/neuro/neuro02/web1/jmaryasis.html

Time Management Exercises. (2006, January 25). //TrainingZone.co.uk//. Retrieved November 30, 2013, from

http://www.trainingzone.co.uk/anyanswers/time-management-exercises

Wade, F. (2013, March 18). Is It Time For a Time Management Upgrade?. //Lifehack RSS//. Retrieved November 27, 2013, from

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifehack/is-it-time-for-a-time-management-upgrade.html

Watchwellcast. (2012, November 9). How to Stop Procrastinating. //YouTube//. Retrieved November 27, 2013, from

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qvcx7Y4caQE

//APA formatting by BibMe.org.//