Time Management - Anderson University

I’m in a hurry to get things done.

I rush and rush until life’s no fun.

All I really have to do is live and die.

But I’m in a hurry and don’t know why.

(Alabama)

MANAGING YOUR TIME WELL INCREASES THE QUALITY OF YOUR TIME.

Success or failure in college depends in large part upon how well one uses time. The management of time is probably the most essential skill to master in college. The mismanagement of time is the leading roadblock to student success in college.

The goal of this study skills segment is to help you the student become conscious of how you use your time and to understand how to plan your time wisely.

A QUIZ TO GET STARTED

Give yourself one point for every “YES” answer to the following questions.

Do you own a calendar, Palm Pilot, PDA, or planner?
Do you enter important events, due dates, and tasks on that calendar or planner?
Do you carry this calendar/planner with you everywhere?
Do you refer to the calendar/planner frequently and regularly?
Do you write or enter lists of things that need to be done?
Do you check off what has been done on the list?
Will you say to someone next week, “No, I can’t go with you; I need to study?”
Will you set an alarm to wake you every morning?
Will you get up as soon as the alarm goes off?
Will you stay up and begin your day?
How did you do? If you scored at least a “5,” then you are on your way toward good time management skills!

SETTING THE SCENE FOR SUCCESS

When students enter college, it is common for them to think that they have huge amounts of FREE time and tend to put off doing work for classes, thinking that there will always be enough time. This is a misconception; instead of FREE time, students need to think of how they can USE this very EXPENSIVE time to accomplish what they need to do to succeed.

Now is the time to think through how you want and need to structure your time.

At the beginning of college, and often at the beginning of every semester, many students feel the way this cartoon character feels. It is true that nearly ALL students feel frazzled at some point during any semester. Now let us continue the search for good time management and study skills so that you may postpone feeling this way for as long as possible.