Timekeeper | Time management Resource Suite
Becoming skilled in time management is critical to your long-term success at the University of Maryland, but for some, a bigger question is raised: what does effective time management actually look like?
DAVID ALLEN, American Author and Productivity Consultant
Mindfulness and Wreflex 3-STEP
The typical college experience—from coursework to extracurriculars—can be busy, fast-paced, and with its own unique surprises. This makes being present and aware for the ride incredibly important.
Mindfulness can be defined as: working to develop an acute awareness of where you are and what you are doing at a given time by noticing and focusing on your thoughts, senses, and surroundings without judgment.
WATCH the brief video playlist below to learn more about Mindfulness.
Mindfulness is a critical skill for time management
Being fully present affects your ability to hear and receive tasks from your instructors, employers, and colleagues at any given time. Moreover, effective planning for what you need to accomplish is proactive and habitual.
To encourage planning for tasks proactively, remember WREFLEX 3-STEP (REE-flecks THREE-step).
Numbers. Be Specific. Action Verb.
Ownership and The NBA Method
Research shows that our perception of time compresses and quickens as we age (see here).
As an emerging adult dabbling in coursework across several disciplines, who may also be working a job, and is forming and exploring new relationships, you'll realize that as the volume of your personal and professional responsibilities increases, you begin to plan for the week rather than the day.
With this compression of time, the soft transition to planning by the week, and an explosion of tasks from all different corners of life, "taking ownership" of what you need to complete is incredibly important.
Owning your work starts with defining what that work looks like
by breaking down assignments, projects, and chores into smaller, actionable tasks.
To learn how to do this effectively, you can incorporate the NBA Method while building a to-do list for your tasks.
Preferred Tools for Task and Time Management
Review some of the most popular task and time management tools that your classmates trust and prefer.
—Both thought and care went into including a mix of digital tools that are FREE and accessible to Apple, Mac, Android, and PC users who're managing their tasks from either a mobile phone, laptop, or desktop.
ProTips for Implementation
A practical way that you can reflect on how long a task will take to complete is by simply timing yourself.
Self-time your study sessions, your working on a specific kind of assignment, and note the days of the week when you complete most of what you set out to accomplish.
For example, think:
Do you complete most of your assignments at the top of the week?
OR
Do you typically finish your work as the days inch closer to the weekend?
Reflecting on the patterns in your current workflow can help you to identify and establish routines for your semester—which can help you further manage your time.
Moreover, if you suspect something isn't working in your current routine or you can't seem to finish what you start on time, then consider the changes that YOU can make in your schedule to manage your tasks and time more effectively.
CONSISTENCY IS: being open and flexible to trying new strategies that will help you overcome the unique challenges in your schedule and to accomplish your goals.
What should remain consistent in your time management journey is THE EFFORT that YOU put into...
1). Learning what habits work and do not work in your current routine for you to manage your time effectively
2). Proactively planning for and completing your tasks
AND
3). Being okay with making mistakes along the way!
As is with learning any new life skill, growing pains are normal. While Terps near and abound have Mastered Tasks and Time through trial and error, know that so can you! Watch the video from Cajun Koi Academy below, which summarizes the ProTips discussed.
