Effective

Time Management
Balancing Time
&
Commitments
Learning Assistance Center
120 University Pavilion
513-556-3244
 Tips for Effective Time Management
Spend time in Planning and Organizing:
• Think and Plan
• Organize in a way that makes sense to you
Set Goals:
• Decide what you want to do
• Take a “SMART” approach
• Goals give you required direction
Prioritize:
• Prioritize and identify what you value
• Flagging/Highlighting can be very helpful
• Once prioritize, concentrate on those that would add
value
Use a to do list:
• Find out what is urgent and important
• Put them in order of preferences
• One completed delete them from your list
Be Flexible:
• Allow time of interruptions and distractions
• Save larger block of time for priorities
• Ask yourself questions and get back to your goal
Consider your Biological Time:
• Find out which is the best time for you study
• Are you a morning person?
• A night owl?
• Late Afternoon?
Do Right Things Right:
• Doing things right is Effectiveness
• Doing things right is Efficiency
• Focus first for Effectiveness
• Concentrate on Efficiency
Eliminate the Urgent:
• Urgent tasks have short term Consequences
• Important tasks are long term and goal related
• Flagging and or highlighting items are important
• Attach deadline to each of the items
Conquer Procrastination:
• Learn to say “NO”
• Reward Yourself
 Time Management
Steven R. Covey’s “Time Management Matrix”
• Urgent: An activity that you or others feel requires immediate attention.
• Important: An activity that you find valuable and that contributes to your
mission, values, and high-priority goals.

Urgent Not Urgent

THE PROCRASTINATOR THE PRIORITIZER
• Study for tomorrow’s exam. • Go on a date with a friend
Important

• Pay overdue cell-phone bill • Work on an essay due in 30 days

• Work on project due today. • Call home
• Visit a roommate or family member who has been in an • Visit with academic advisor
accident.
THE YES MAN THE SLACKER
Not Important

• Engage in idle conversations. • Engage in too much TV, web surfing, or

• Respond to all instant messages. video games.
• Respond to all phone calls. • Engage in time wasters.
• Spend time on trivial questions. • Become absorbed in escape activities.
• Procrastinate.
 Personal Survey
To begin managing your time you
first need an idea on how you now
use your time. The personal time
survey will help you to estimate how
much time you currently spend in
typical activities. To get a more
accurate estimate, you may keep
track on how you spend your time
during a week. This will help you get
a better idea of how much time you
need to prepare for each subject. It
will also help you identify your time
wasters. But for now complete the
Personal Time Survey to get an
estimate.
The following time survey shows the
amount of time you spend in various
activities. When taking the survey,
estimate the amount of time spent
on each item. Once you have this
amount, multiply it by seven. This
will give you the total amount of time
spent on each activity during the
week. After each item’s weekly time
has been calculated, add all this
time for the grand total.
Subtract this from 168, the total
possible hours per week.
 Survey
1.Number of hours if sleep each night ___x 7=____
2. Number of grooming hours per day ___x 7=____ Now ADD UP the Totals: ______
3. Number or hours per meal/Snack ___x 7= ____
(Include preparation time)
Subtract the above number from
4.A Total travel time week days ___x 5=____ 168 -______= _____
4.B Total travel time weekends ____
5. Number of hours during the week for
regularly scheduled functions (clubs, Church, The remaining hours( number
get-togethers, etc) ____ inside the block) are the hours
6. Number of hours of work per week ____
you allowed your self to study
7. Number of hours of class per week ____
8. Number of hours per day for chores,
errands, extra grooming, etc. ___x 7= ____
9.Number of hours per week socializing,
dates, etc. BE HONEST!! ____
 Study Hour Formula
To determine how many hours you need to study every week to get A’s, use the following rule. Study
two hours per hour in class for an essay class, three hours per hour in class for an average class
and four hours for an hour in class for a difficult class. For example basket weaving 101 is a relative
easy 3 hours course. Usually, a person would not do more than 6 hours of work outside of class per
week. Advance calculus is usually considered a difficult course, so it may be best to study the
proposed 12 hours a week. If more hours are needed, take away hours from easier courses.

Easy class credit hours ________x 2 = ______

Average class credit hours ________x 3 = ______
Difficult class credit hours ________x 4 = ______
Total _________

Compare this number to your time left from the survey. Now is the time when many student might
find themselves a bit stressed. Just a note to ease your anxieties. It is not the quantity of study time
but also the quality. This formula is a general guide line. Try it for a week, and make adjustments as
needed.
 Completing the Daily, Weekly, and
Quarterly Time Management Grids
Weekly Time Management Grid:
1. Current class schedule. Write the name of the
class on the day it occurs, please include any
lab times.
2. Current work schedule. Include any weekend
hours, and also give a copy of your schedule
to your employer, noting exam days so you
can get off work and have adequate study
time.
3. Write the times you eat breakfast, lunch and
dinner.
4. Actual study times. Identify routing homework
and study days. Make sure this is the best
time for you to study. Be sure to include
regular breaks.
5. Schedule social time. All work and no play can
make college life pretty boring. While it is
important that you schedule time to study and
complete your assignments, it is equally
important to have a balance of activities that
are fun! (Church, Club, Organization
meetings, leisure activities, etc.)
Quarterly Time Management Grid:
1. Date each box. Write the actual date for the
current quarter in the upper right
hand corner of each box.
2. Holidays. Use a highlighter to mark the
university wide recognized holidays.
3. Due dates of assignments. Using your syllabi
for each class, write in the dates in
which every assignment is due. This also
includes any tests and quizzes, as well
as final exams.
4. Lastly, color code each class with the
corresponding assignment.
5. Work backwards from exams and papers to
map out study/writing time.
 Completing the Daily, Weekly, and
Quarterly Time Management Grids
Daily Time Management Grid & Things to Do
List:
1. Current Day. There is a grid for each day of
the week. Write the actual day.
2. Plan. What are you planning on doing today?
Write it down. This is the same
information from your weekly planning grid.
3. Monitor. What did you actually did in those
hours? Record and track!
4. Prioritize. On the reverse side is a “things to
do list.” You should record everything else you
need to do on this day, (phone calls, checking
mailbox, going to the bank, meeting with a
friend or professor). Decide what items is
high,
medium, or low priority
Other important tips:
• Remember that fall quarter usually has an
additional week. This means you will have to
write another line for the 11th week.
• Add special notes for each weekend’s tasks
and study times.
• Consider enlarging this grid or using a large 3
month calendar to fully track your
assignments.
• Remember your schedule will change during
finals week. That’s why it is important to
include this information with item #3 above.
 Weekly Time Management Grid
Time Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

6:00
7:00
8:00
9:00
10:00
11:00
12:00
1:00
2:00
3:00
4:00
5:00
6:00
7:00
8:00
9:00
10:00
11:00
12:00
 Quarterly Planning Grid
Date Week Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

5th

6th

7th

8th

9th

10th

Finals
 Daily Time Management
Things to do list
Date: Monday __/__/__ Date: Tuesday __/__/__
1.________________________________ 1.________________________________
Priority Priority
□High □Medium □Low □High □Medium □Low
2.________________________________
2.________________________________
Priority
Priority
□High □Medium □Low
□High □Medium □Low 3.________________________________
3.________________________________ Priority
Priority □High □Medium □Low
□High □Medium □Low 4.________________________________
4.________________________________ Priority
Priority □High □Medium □Low
□High □Medium □Low 5.________________________________
5.________________________________ Priority
Priority □High □Medium □Low
6.________________________________
□High □Medium □Low
Priority
6.________________________________
□High □Medium □Low
Priority
□High □Medium □Low
 Daily Time Management
Things to do list
Date: Wednesday __/__/__ Date: Thursday __/__/__
1.________________________________ 1.________________________________
Priority Priority
□High □Medium □Low □High □Medium □Low
2.________________________________ 2.________________________________
Priority Priority
□High □Medium □Low □High □Medium □Low
3.________________________________ 3.________________________________
Priority Priority
□High □Medium □Low □High □Medium □Low
4.________________________________ 4.________________________________
Priority Priority
□High □Medium □Low □High □Medium □Low
5.________________________________ 5.________________________________
Priority Priority
□High □Medium □Low □High □Medium □Low
6.________________________________ 6.________________________________
Priority Priority
□High □Medium □Low □High □Medium □Low
 Daily Time Management
Things to do list
Date: Friday __/__/__ Date: Saturday __/__/__
1.________________________________ 1.________________________________
Priority Priority
□High □Medium □Low □High □Medium □Low
2.________________________________ 2.________________________________
Priority Priority
□High □Medium □Low □High □Medium □Low
3.________________________________ 3.________________________________
Priority Priority
□High □Medium □Low □High □Medium □Low
4.________________________________ 4.________________________________
Priority Priority
□High □Medium □Low □High □Medium □Low
5.________________________________ 5.________________________________
Priority Priority
□High □Medium □Low □High □Medium □Low
6.________________________________ 6.________________________________
Priority Priority
□High □Medium □Low □High □Medium □Low
 Time Management Grid
Date: Day___/___/___
Plan Monitor
7:00 7:00 1:00 1:00

7:15 1:15

7:30 1:30

7:45 1:45

8:00 8:00 2:00 2:00

8:15 2:15

8:30 2:30

2:45
8:45
3:00 3:00
9:00 9:00
3:15
9:15
3:30
9:30
3:45
9:45
4:00 4:00
10:00 10:00
4:15
10:15
4:30
10:30
4:45
10:45
5:00 5:00
11:00 11:00
5:15
11:15
5:30
11:30
5:45
11:45 6:00 6:00
12:00 12:00 6:15
12:15 6:30
12:30 6:45

12:45 7:00 7:00