Time Management or Crisis Management? It’s Your Choice
By Roberta Amos, M.Ed.
Performance and Strategy Consultant
Managing our time and activities reduces the likelihood that we will have to manage the stress and anxiety of a last minute crisis. Because we don’t make the time to plan, we are often working last minute, and the quality of our work suffers. There are many effective strategies and tools for managing time. Putting things onto a calendar helps us remember when we have commitments and when tasks need to be completed. Scheduling is easier when we chunk large tasks into smaller steps and spread them over a period of time on our calendars.
One of the most effective ways to manage our time is to put the important things onto one calendar and check this calendar daily. This helps to ensure we don’t forget things and frees up our memory for other items. A system that incorporates semester, monthly, and weekly calendars as well as Task and Today Lists can assist us to manage our time and avoid managing a crisis. These steps can be used as a complete system or as independent units.
Step 1: Complete a four or five month Semester Calendar that provides an overview of all major tasks and exams for the entire semester. Enter all assignments and exams from each of your Course Outlines along with their values onto the due dates. Add additional items as your teacher supplies them. Place this calendar where you view it regularly, so you know what’s coming up, how much each item is worth, and how much time you have to complete everything.
Step 2: Complete Monthly Calendars that are more detailed. The Monthly Calendar shows all due dates as well as the activities required to complete each task by that date (see the section on scheduling to learn about chunking larger tasks into these smaller activities). Use either a paper or an Internet calendar. An Internet calendar often synchs to your phone and allows you to view your schedule wherever you are. When you make a commitment to do something or learn of a new due date, enter it directly onto your phone calendar and the information will appear on your Internet calendar. Put an “alert” on all events when you enter them; you will then be reminded ahead of time that you need to do something or be somewhere.
Step 3: Create a Weekly Calendar template. Start by blocking out all the times you are committed to a weekly activity such as class time, a sports event, yoga, etc. You also want to block out time for sleeping, eating and traveling. Make copies of this template, so you don’t have to do it again this semester. At the beginning of each week, take one of the copies and enter any additional activities for the current week. Once all the busy times are blocked out, the remainder of the week is for scheduling schoolwork and fun.
Step 4: Maintain a Task List and a Today List. The Task List is an ongoing list of prioritized activities you need to complete over the next few weeks. From this list, create a Today List of things you are going to complete today; make the list first thing in the morning or the night before. Look at your Weekly Calendar to determine what’s happening today and at your prioritized Task List to see what needs to be done first. Based on the activities of your day choose one or two things from your Task List and schedule them at available times throughout the day.
Scheduling all the tasks we need to complete over a period of time requires us to be able to estimate how long it will take to complete each project. Many of us are not effective at this estimating. Chunking a large task into smaller activities is an easier way to estimate how long it will take to complete the larger task. The following steps create an effective strategy for chunking and scheduling.
Step 1: Chunk all the small activities required to complete the larger task
Step 2: Estimate how long each activity will take and add 50 or 100% more time. If you don’t need the extra time, you will find some other place to use it.
Step 3: Schedule each activity into your calendar. Starting at the day before the assignment is due work backwards to calculate when you must start the activity. Your estimated times may have to be adjusted to accommodate other activities already on your calendar.
Step 4: List your procrastination temptations. These are the things you do to procrastinate and sabotage your plan.
Step 5: Create a deliberate plan to overcome procrastination. We usually enjoy our procrastination temptations so scheduling them on the calendar reminds us we can do them later and helps us to stay focused on our current task.
Step 6: Reward yourself for accomplishing your goals. This reinforces your positive efforts and creates Success Cycles. When you complete a major assignment, schedule a major reward such as a day of skiing. If it is a short assignment, a cup of coffee with a friend may be appropriate.
Tracking exactly how long it takes to complete each task can assist you to better estimate your time for a similar project in the future. Check out a tracking template from thrivewithadd.com
The University of Minnesota’s Assignment Calculator chunks your essay and provides completion dates for each activity. Links that teach how to complete each activity are provided. The calculator is at: https://www.lib.umn.edu/help/calculator/
This time management system requires flexibility and practice in order to create an effective system. However, it can save you time as well as the anxiety and stress of managing a last minute crisis and the disappointment of a lower grade.
Click for a Fall 2012 Semester and a Weekly Calendar template
Scheduling example: Write an essay that’s due September 28
Step 1: Chunk Step 2: Estimate Step 3: Schedule
a. understand the assignment ½ hr + 50% = ¾ hr complete by Sept 15
and choose topic
b. create an outline 1 hr + 50% = 1 ½ hrs complete by Sept 19
c. research 1 ½ hrs + 100% = 3hrs complete by Sept 21
d. write a draft 2 hrs + 100% = 4 hrs. complete by Sept 25
e. edit and finalize paper 1 hr + 50% = 1 ½ hrs complete by Sept 27
Step 4: Procrastination temptations Step 5: Plan to overcome procrastination
· Internet searching -disconnect from internet while writing
· social media -schedule time to chat with friends
· hanging out with friends -practice saying “not now” and re-schedule
Step 6: Reward
· go to a movie with friends on September 28
Resources:
Roberta Amos, M.Ed.
Performance & Strategy Consultant
One of the most effective ways to manage our time is to put the important things onto one calendar and check this calendar daily. This helps to ensure we don’t forget things and frees up our memory for other items. A system that incorporates semester, monthly, and weekly calendars as well as Task and Today Lists can assist us to manage our time and avoid managing a crisis. These steps can be used as a complete system or as independent units.
Step 1: Complete a four or five month Semester Calendar that provides an overview of all major tasks and exams for the entire semester. Enter all assignments and exams from each of your Course Outlines along with their values onto the due dates. Add additional items as your teacher supplies them. Place this calendar where you view it regularly, so you know what’s coming up, how much each item is worth, and how much time you have to complete everything.
Step 2: Complete Monthly Calendars that are more detailed. The Monthly Calendar shows all due dates as well as the activities required to complete each task by that date (see the section on scheduling to learn about chunking larger tasks into these smaller activities). Use either a paper or an Internet calendar. An Internet calendar often synchs to your phone and allows you to view your schedule wherever you are. When you make a commitment to do something or learn of a new due date, enter it directly onto your phone calendar and the information will appear on your Internet calendar. Put an “alert” on all events when you enter them; you will then be reminded ahead of time that you need to do something or be somewhere.
Step 3: Create a Weekly Calendar template. Start by blocking out all the times you are committed to a weekly activity such as class time, a sports event, yoga, etc. You also want to block out time for sleeping, eating and traveling. Make copies of this template, so you don’t have to do it again this semester. At the beginning of each week, take one of the copies and enter any additional activities for the current week. Once all the busy times are blocked out, the remainder of the week is for scheduling schoolwork and fun.
Step 4: Maintain a Task List and a Today List. The Task List is an ongoing list of prioritized activities you need to complete over the next few weeks. From this list, create a Today List of things you are going to complete today; make the list first thing in the morning or the night before. Look at your Weekly Calendar to determine what’s happening today and at your prioritized Task List to see what needs to be done first. Based on the activities of your day choose one or two things from your Task List and schedule them at available times throughout the day.
Scheduling all the tasks we need to complete over a period of time requires us to be able to estimate how long it will take to complete each project. Many of us are not effective at this estimating. Chunking a large task into smaller activities is an easier way to estimate how long it will take to complete the larger task. The following steps create an effective strategy for chunking and scheduling.
Step 1: Chunk all the small activities required to complete the larger task
Step 2: Estimate how long each activity will take and add 50 or 100% more time. If you don’t need the extra time, you will find some other place to use it.
Step 3: Schedule each activity into your calendar. Starting at the day before the assignment is due work backwards to calculate when you must start the activity. Your estimated times may have to be adjusted to accommodate other activities already on your calendar.
Step 4: List your procrastination temptations. These are the things you do to procrastinate and sabotage your plan.
Step 5: Create a deliberate plan to overcome procrastination. We usually enjoy our procrastination temptations so scheduling them on the calendar reminds us we can do them later and helps us to stay focused on our current task.
Step 6: Reward yourself for accomplishing your goals. This reinforces your positive efforts and creates Success Cycles. When you complete a major assignment, schedule a major reward such as a day of skiing. If it is a short assignment, a cup of coffee with a friend may be appropriate.
Tracking exactly how long it takes to complete each task can assist you to better estimate your time for a similar project in the future. Check out a tracking template from thrivewithadd.com
The University of Minnesota’s Assignment Calculator chunks your essay and provides completion dates for each activity. Links that teach how to complete each activity are provided. The calculator is at: https://www.lib.umn.edu/help/calculator/
This time management system requires flexibility and practice in order to create an effective system. However, it can save you time as well as the anxiety and stress of managing a last minute crisis and the disappointment of a lower grade.
Click for a Fall 2012 Semester and a Weekly Calendar template
Scheduling example: Write an essay that’s due September 28
Step 1: Chunk Step 2: Estimate Step 3: Schedule
a. understand the assignment ½ hr + 50% = ¾ hr complete by Sept 15
and choose topic
b. create an outline 1 hr + 50% = 1 ½ hrs complete by Sept 19
c. research 1 ½ hrs + 100% = 3hrs complete by Sept 21
d. write a draft 2 hrs + 100% = 4 hrs. complete by Sept 25
e. edit and finalize paper 1 hr + 50% = 1 ½ hrs complete by Sept 27
Step 4: Procrastination temptations Step 5: Plan to overcome procrastination
· Internet searching -disconnect from internet while writing
· social media -schedule time to chat with friends
· hanging out with friends -practice saying “not now” and re-schedule
Step 6: Reward
· go to a movie with friends on September 28
Resources:
- ADD-Friendly ways to Organize Your Life by Judith Kolberg & Kathleen Nadeau, Ph.D.
- Where’s My Stuff? by Samantha Moss & Lesley Schwartz
- Check out a tracking template at: http://www.bonniemincu.com/thrive/pdf/3_time_sense_time_managme.pdf
Roberta Amos, M.Ed.
Performance & Strategy Consultant
