Outdoor Education…Character development through the outdoors

SELF Management STRATEGIES

We all have the same number of hours in each day. It is how we use them that makes the difference to how we live. The following self management strategies are effective ways to ‘Do what you have to do so you can then do what you want to do’. Put another way, ‘Pay now so you can play later’.

Self management strategies:

Organise your emails
Maintain one prioritised task list
Use checklists
Use a personal planning tool i.e. Google Calendar
Block out time for high priority activities
Reduce procrastination - it is like a credit card - it’s a lot of fun until you get the bill.
Manage time wasters such as your phone, social media and gaming
Avoid multi-tasking

TASK: Follow the instructions below to help implement the above self management strategies:

Master these three first...

1. Organise your emails

Most people find that disorganisation results in poor time management. Professional organisers recommend that you first get rid of the clutter. With the clutter gone, the next step is to implement a system that allows you to handle information less and only once when possible.

There are THREE steps:

Read it
Action it
File it or Delete it

2. Maintain one prioritised task list

Managing your time effectively requires a distinction between what is important and what is urgent. Experts agree that the most important tasks usually aren't the most urgent tasks. However, we tend to let the urgent dominate our lives. Our activities can be catergorised into four quadrants: urgent, not urgent, important and not important. While activities that are both urgent and important must be done, we should spend less time on activities that are not important (regardless of their urgency) in order to gain time to focus on activities that are not urgent but important. Focusing on these important activities allows you to gain greater control over your time and possibly reduce the number of important tasks that do become urgent.

Tips:

One of the easiest ways to prioritize is to make a "to do" list. Be careful not to allow the list-making to get out of control and do not keep multiple lists at the same time.
Rank the items on your "to do" list in order of priority (both important and urgent). You may choose to group items in categories such as high, medium and low, number them in order, or use a colour coding system.
Keep in mind that your goal is not to mark off the most items; rather you want to mark off the highest priority items. Having a prioritised "to do" list allows you to say "no" to activities that may be interesting or provide a sense of achievement but do not fit your basic priorities.

3. Use checklists

Checklists are tools used to better organize your assignments and to verify, easily, your most important tasks. They help reduce errors and ensure consistency and completeness in carrying out a duty.

To be easy to use, each item must be clear and succinct.
Organize the items by category. This allows you to navigate easily between the different sections and quickly find the ítems you are working on.
Keep it easy to understand and use. Create simple steps that reminds the user, in a straightforward way, which steps to follow.
Keep refining the checklist. Continuous improvements will make your checklist more effective.

Rogaine gear list

Once you have those three sorted add these...

4. Set up a personal planning tool with a task list displayed

Time management experts recommend using a personal planning tool to improve your productivity. Writing down your tasks, schedules, and memory joggers can free your mind to focus on your priorities.

Tips:

Always record your information on the tool itself. Jotting notes elsewhere that have to be transferred later is inefficient.
Review your planning tool daily and carry your planning tool with you.
Remember to keep a list of your priorities in your planning tool and refer to it often.
Use the repeat function for recurring dates such as lessons, practices, birthdays and regularly scheduled meetings.

How to set up your own Google Calendar

On your computer, open Google Calendar.

2. At the left, next to "Other calendars," click Add other calendars. Create new calendar.

3. Add a name and description for your calendar.

4. Click Create calendar.

How to set up your own Task list in your Google Calendar

On the right, click Tasks
Click Add a task.
Enter a task.
To add details or a due date, click Edit .

4. Block out time for high priority activities

Even the busiest people find time for what they want to do and feel is important. Scheduling is not just recording what you have to do (e.g. meetings and appointments), it is also making a time commitment to the things you want to do. Good scheduling requires that you know yourself. Consider the times during the day when you are most productive and alert. Plan your most challenging tasks for when you have the most energy. Block out time for your high priority activities first and protect that time from interruptions. If you know you will have waiting time or commuting time, schedule small tasks such as writing a letter, jotting down a shopping list, reading or listening to educational audiotapes to capitalize on the time loss. Try to limit scheduled time to about 3/4 of your day, leaving time for creative activities such as planning, dreaming, thinking, and reading.

5. Reduce procrastination

You may be putting off tasks for a variety of reasons. Perhaps the task seems overwhelming or unpleasant. Try breaking down the task into smaller segments that require less time commitment and result in specific, realistic deadlines. If you're having trouble getting started, you may need to complete a preparatory task such as collecting materials or organizing your notes. Also, try building in a reward system as you complete each small segment of the task.

6. Manage time wasters i.e. phone, social media, gaming

Your time may be impacted by external factors imposed by other people and things. You can decrease or eliminate time spent in these activities by implementing some simple tips. Research has shown that student gamers spend 30% less time reading and 34% less time on their homework.

Tips:

Complete your work first and then set aside a specific time to look at social media and play games
Put rules in place for yourself
Create obstacles that give you pause before you deviate from your rules
Stick to your intentions
Use only as a reward after completing important tasks

How to manage your use of social media and games

Track Time Spent on Social Media

iOS has a built-in tool called Screen Time that tracks how much time you spend on your iPhone, including the exact number of minutes in different apps.

Use Browser Extensions to Block Social Networking Sites

On desktops and laptops, one of the best tools you can use to limit your social media usage is a browser extension that blocks access to sites you choose. Some of them also track time on sites and apps, so those can do double duty. StrictWorkflow (free, Chrome) blocks you from sites that you choose whenever you opt into a phase of focused work by clicking the icon in your browser bar. StayFocusd is another good one. It lets you block sites permanently or set daily time limits for different sites. It also lets you block specific subdomains, specific paths or pages, and even certain kinds of content on a domain, such as videos. Another way to block websites is to do it through your home router. Typically, there is a section for domain filtering. If you block a main website, such as Facebook.com, no web browser on your network will be able to open any pages on Facebook.

Activate Time Limits

The mobile apps for Facebook and Instagram have a time-tracking function. This feature tracks how many minutes per day you use each of the apps and gives you a daily average. It also has an optional time limit you can set for how long you want to spend on the app per day. When you hit the limit, an in-app notification lets you know.

Observe a Digital Detox

Rather than limit your social media usage to a few minutes per day, why not try cutting it out completely for a set period each week? Digital detox is a time period each week when you eliminate certain things to focus on others. For example, you could eliminate all social media or all internet usage, over the weekend to focus on family, relaxation, and so forth. With a digital detox, you get to make up the rules. You could say, "No internet from Saturday until Sunday, except for video calls and GPS maps to get around." Or your rule might be, "No phones or laptops after dinner and never in the bedroom." Make rules that not only work for you but also give you the desired outcome.

Disable Notifications

The majority of people who own a smartphone don't change the default notification settings. Everyone should adjust at least some notifications, and if you're trying to manage your social media usage, you definitely should. Certainly disable audio notifications for social media apps that are giving you trouble. Also disable badges and banners. The next time you log into the app or website, you'll see all your new notifications; you don't need to get them first on your phone and then a second time in the app. Once will do.

7. Avoid multi-tasking

Recent psychological studies have shown that multi-tasking does not actually save time. In fact, the opposite is often true. You lose time when switching from one task to another, resulting in a loss of productivity. Routine multi-tasking may lead to difficulty in concentrating and maintaining focus when needed.

Dedicate a set amount of time to each specific task and only complete that task, nothing else.

Report abuse