Managing your time

Clarify your purpose

Ask yourself, 'Why am I here?' This may seem an obvious question, but it can easily be overlooked, especially when you're facing many competing demands.

Being clear about your purpose helps to determine the relative importance of the tasks you need to do.

Clarify your tasks

1. List your tasks. Make them as specific as you can.

Where appropriate, break down large tasks - eg writing an essay - into smaller units (see below).

2. Prioritise your tasks. For each task ask:

• 'How important is this?' If you have trouble answering this, refer to your purpose. The importance of a task helps to determine how long you should spend on it.
  
• 'How urgent is this' - ie when must it be finished?

3. Decide how long you need to spend on each task. This will be determined by:

• the task's importance
  
• the amount of time available.

Produce a timetable

1. Provide yourself with a blank timetable. This could be:

• a diary or personal organiser
  
• a monthly or weekly schedule (word docs)
  
• a wall chart or calendar giving an overview of the week / term / year ahead.

2. Fill in times of:

• paid work
  
• lectures, workshops, etc
  
• exams
  
• other activities / commitments that are fixed and predictable.

3. Allocate time for:

• domestic tasks such as shopping and laundry
  
• regular breaks for leisure and relaxation.

4. Decide on the periods you'll use for independent study and mark them in.

Check that the timetable looks realistic. Are the study periods of a reasonable length? Are they at times of the day when you study effectively? Have you allowed yourself breaks for relaxation, meals, etc?

5. Refer to your list of tasks. Allocate specific tasks to the periods you've allowed for independent study. Be as precise as possible.

The urgency and importance of each task (see above) will determine when you do it and how much time you allocate.

Act!

It has been said that time management is more a discipline than a skill! Once you've drawn up your plan, do your best to follow it.

If you fall behind, review your plans and amend them.

Review

Set aside a regular time for reviewing and updating your plans. A brief weekly session often works well.

Occasionally review how successfully you're managing your time (see 'Keeping a time log' in this Study Skills unit). Check that your approach to time management is enabling you to make the best use of your time.

See also:

• Breaking down a task
  
  
• For guidance on overcoming difficulties with study and time management, see Overcoming obstacles to effective study at each level of 'Being a student' on this site.