Time Management is a compilation of strategies we use to prioritize our goals, to focus on developing our decision-making skills to be able to ensure we are taking on a path which supports academic success and wellness. In other words, to organize your time by activity and prioritize your goals (University of Toronto, 2022; Team Asana, 2021).

What is the importance of developing time management skills in virtual learning environment?

In online synchronous and asynchronous course, they are paced with the lack of habitual high school routine and are expected to maintain the course expectations and deadlines with reduced in-person instructor guidance. Without proper attention to time management students may find themselves falling behind and unsure how to catch up on course material (University of Toronto, 2022; Team Asana, 2021). We hope to take this time to highlight our 5 tips that can help support you navigate online courses and learning opportunities.

1. Make a Task list: Look at your course syllabus and make a list of all your academic deadlines which may include; assignments, discussion posts, participation marks, presentations, essays, midterms and end of term exams. Then, look at any other responsibilities or activities you may want to accomplish outside of school and make another list. Examples of external activities could include; going to the gym, volunteering to support the organization of an event on campus, your work schedule, deadlines for work study applications etc.

2. Prioritize: For each month of the term, reflect on the Eisenhower Matrix Model (please see Image 1 below) and categorize your deadlines and tasks into groups of importance. You can start by colour-coding your tasks in accordance with importance – you may decide which colour you would like to assign to four categories (high priority tasks, second-highest, third highest and lowest priority tasks). An example of what a finalized product may look like is Image 2.

3. Visualize your Calendar: Place your colour coded prioritized tasks in a calendar or agenda. This may depend on your personal preferences, as some students find it valuable to purchase a large calendar to place on their wall as a visual agenda, others may choose to utilize Google Calendar, Outlook, Notion or other online platforms. There are many mobile applications that can provide students notifications on their devices of an upcoming deadline and task. Examples include; Todoist, Alarmy, myHomework and so many more (University of Toronto, 2022; Team Asana, 2021)!

4. Track your Progress: This may also be an opportunity to track your progress! A great opportunity to ensure we are maintaining balance is to ensure we are being mindful of the amount of time allotted to accomplish each task. A great resource that may be supportive in this aTimeLogger or Flat Tomato (University of Toronto, 2022; Team Asana, 2021). Furthermore, this will be ensuring we are balancing time for our interests outside of academia.

5. Supports & Resources: Connecting to resources and supports available to you is extremely important at this time. Managing stress and building productivity healthy habits can be challenging – you are not alone in this process as there are many student affairs professionals and departments that can provide mentorship, guidance and support. For instance, at the University of Toronto, there is a program titled “5 Keys to Succeed at U of T Online Course” to support students through this learning experience (University of Toronto, 2022; Team Asana, 2021; Ziegler, 2021).

References:

Team Asana. (2021). The Eisenhower Matrix: How to prioritize your to-do list • asana. Asana. Retrieved July 20, 2022, from https://asana.com/resources/eisenhower-matrix

University of Toronto. (2022, June 10). Time Management. UofT Student Life. Retrieved July 20, 2022, from https://studentlife.utoronto.ca/task/time-management/

Ziegler, C. (2021, November 1). 5 keys to succeed at U of T Online Course. UofT Student Life. Retrieved July 20, 2022, from https://studentlife.utoronto.ca/program/5-keys-to-succeed-at-u-of-t-online-course/