Uses of Time in Daily Life

As most students discover, college is not the same as high school. For many students, college is the first time they are “on their own” in an environment filled with opportunity. And while this can be exciting, you may find that social opportunities conflict with academic expectations. For example, a free day before an exam, if not wisely spent, can spell trouble for doing well on the exam. It is easy to fall behind when there are so many choices and freedoms.

One of the main goals of a college education is learning how to learn. And to be successful in college, it’s imperative to manage your time effectively.

There are three important steps in learning to effectively manage your time:

Step 1: Identify Your Time Management Style

Below are descriptions of the four basic time-management personality types. Which style do you identify with the most? The least? Do you think any of the styles match the student you've been in the past? Has your previous way of doing things worked for you, or do you think it’s time for a change? Remember, there is always room to improve!

Step 2: Create a Schedule

Now that you’ve evaluated how you have done things in the past, you’ll want to think about how you might create a schedule for managing your time well going forward. The best schedules have some flexibility built into them, as unexpected situations and circumstances will sometimes arise.

Your schedule will be unique to you, depending on the level of detail you find helpful. There are some things—due dates and exam dates, for example—that should be included in your schedule no matter what. But you also might find it helpful to break down assignments into steps (or milestones) that you can schedule, as well.

Your schedule will also vary depending on the course you’re taking. So pull out your syllabus and try to determine the rhythm of the class by looking at the following factors:

• What are the course activities (e.g., assignments, discussions, quizzes, etc.), and when are they due?

• Are there any group or collaborative assignments? You’ll want to pay particular attention to the timing of any assignment that requires you to work with others.

You can find many useful resources online that will help you keep track of your schedule. As Westmoreland students, you have access to Google Calendar, which you can use to help you schedule. You can also use the calendar in your D2L course to keep you on task.

Note: D2L course calendars rely on instructors using the Dates feature in D2L. If they do not use that feature, the D2L calendar will be empty. Encourage your instructor to use this feature to help you manage your time.

Step 3: Get Better at Prioritizing

Due dates are important. Set your short and long-term goals accordingly. Ask yourself the following:

• What needs to get done today?

• What needs to get done this week?

• What needs to get done by the end of the first month of the semester?

• What needs to get done by the end of the second month of the semester?

• What needs to get done by the end of the semester?

Your time is valuable. Treat it accordingly by getting the most you can out of it.

• Turn off your phone, close your chat windows, and block distracting websites: The best advice we’ve ever heard is to treat your studying as if you’re in a movie theater—just turn it off.

• Set up a reward system: If you read for 40 minutes, you can check your phone for 5 minutes. But keep in mind that reward-based systems only work if you stick to an honor system.

• Study in a place reserved for studying ONLY: Your bedroom may have too many distractions (or temptations, such as taking a nap), so it may be best to avoid it when you’re working on school assignments.

• Use checklists: Make your incremental accomplishments visible. Some people take great satisfaction and motivation from checking items off a to-do list. Be very specific when creating this list, and clearly describe each task one step at a time.