This section has been designed so that you can follow your own pathway to manage your time. You will begin by taking a quiz to help you identify which path would be most helpful for you. After you complete the quiz and discover your results, click on the link to jump to your pathway.

• Pathway 1 is for students who would like some strategies to try and find some balance as they engage in studying while working.
• Pathway 2 is for new students who may be unfamiliar with how time in college differs from that of high school.
• Pathway 3 is for those who tend to put tasks off until the last minute and have come to realize that the strategy is not working for them.

Pathway 1: “I’d like some strategies for studying while working.”

This pathway is for students who are currently trying to find some form of balance between their work life, family commitments, their social life and their studies. In this pathway, you will:

• Identify how you currently spend your time
• Examine and set your priorities
• Implement strategies for making the most of those 168 hours that we all have over a week

Where did the time go?

Few people have the time to sit down and consider how they are using their time. Most of us move from one task to another and try to prioritize as we go, but have you ever considered how you actually spend your time?

Given that taking four or five courses is a full time job, it is important to budget how you will spend your time and where you will focus your attention so that you get the best value from your studies. Consider that a day has 24 hours and there are 168 hours in a week. How are you spending it? Here are a few tools to help you to log your time.

Consider the following common items that each person has in a week. How many hours did each item take? What percentage of your 168 hours did you use?

Click on this link for our Scheduling Grid in Excel or use any other scheduling tool to identify when these activities occur. 

If you find it easier to use, you may also download this simpler pdf of a weekly schedule template.

Evaluate Your Work, Study, and Other Priorities

Working while studying can be challenging. The most important thing to do is prioritize, and then follow through with your plan. The following video goes into more depth around these concepts and gives you some strategies to try.

Click on the video below to learn more. If you prefer reading to watching videos, scroll below the video to find a transcript. After you have watched the video, answer the questions to continue down this pathway.

College life is busy. Work, study, family, and friends. How do you manage all these and what are your priorities?

Video Transcript: Work, Study and Priorities

Work, study, family, friends, healthy living… how do you make everything fit?

In this video, you will consider strategies to evaluate your personal schedule to determine whether it is aligned with your life goals.

We all have the same 168 hours of time each week. How do you want to budget that time?

• Consider your goals for your study program. What grades are you hoping to achieve in your courses? Think also beyond grades – what are you hoping to learn?  What difference do you hope that learning this will make in your future?

Many students become stressed because the amount of time they have allowed for study doesn’t allow them to achieve these goals. A typical student will require 2-3 hours of study time outside of class for every hour spent in class. So, if you are taking 3 courses, you would want to budget 27-36 hours each week for study.

Perhaps your main goal is to complete your program quickly. In this case, you’ll want to budget more time for study. Perhaps work or family commitments are more significant at this point in your life. You may wish to take fewer courses, in order to achieve your learning goals while keeping other elements of your life in balance.

• Working part-time, or maybe even full-time is a fact of life for many students. However, you’ll want to consider realistically what the best balance of work and study for you will be. Re-taking a course and paying tuition a second time can be a costly mistake – it may be better in the long-term to work fewer hours so that you can achieve your study goals. Also – consider that scholarships may be an available funding source in addition to work.  Another option is to choose to work on campus.  In addition to having an easy commute between classes and work, you’ll also develop a stronger network of relationships at school.
• Create a time balance that is sustainable in the long term. Maintaining friendships, social activities, hobbies, and time for exercise all contribute to your life success in the long term.

So, how do you determine whether your time budget is serving your goals? Estimate how much time you are spending now on each area of your life. The next activity in the workshop will give you the opportunity to do just that.

If your current time budget isn’t quite working, keep reading. You’ll discover some practical strategies for managing the time you have more effectively so you can achieve your goals while maintaining a balanced life.

Now that you have an idea of your time budget, we will look at how to find time for independent study in your busy schedule.

Determine Your Major Priorities

Now we will consider ways to use smaller blocks of time to ensure that all of your priorities are given time and attention.

Click on below to add to the list. What are your priorities? If you wish, you can use this tool to print a list of your key priorities for your reference. When you are finished, click the next section arrow to continue.

 

Make Time for Your Studies

Making time for your studies can be overwhelming. The following video introduces you to ways to use smaller blocks of time to get your tasks done. If you prefer reading to watching videos, scroll below the video to read the transcript.

Watch the video and answer the questions that appear on screen to continue down this pathway (click on the icons that appear throughout the video). After you have finished this video quiz, click on the next section arrow to continue on and review another approach to managing your time in ‘chunks.’

 

Each class typically requires 2-3 hours of independent study for each lecture. How do you fit that into your schedule? What are some tips for having effective independent study sessions?

 

Video Transcript:  Making Time for Independent Study

You may have heard that you should budget 2-3 hours of study time outside of class for each hour you spend in class. How can you fit this into your week?

By the end of this video, you will be prepared to implement an independent study schedule that incorporates proven time management and learning principles.

Okay – so you think you need to budget 9 hours of study time for your class. How do you fit that all in? As you listen to the principles below, consider how you would implement them into your weekly study schedule.

First of all, a good principle to keep in mind is the value of regular review and repetition. Repeated shorter sessions are more effective for learning than one or two long sessions in a week. Why?

• Repeatedly encountering the same material more than once reinforces your memory
• With shorter sessions, you are able to focus well on learning for the full study session. Rather than losing focus and taking breaks within your session time, you able to commit your full session (for example, 1 hour) to study, before taking a well-deserved break.

Here’s some other tips for scheduling independent study sessions:

• It’s a good idea to allow time for a brief review session within 24 hours after your class. This avoids the problem of forgetting what you learned in lecture, and having to re-learn material later.
• On a similar note, schedule some time to prepare for each class before you go to lecture. If you’re able to pre-read the material that will be covered, you’ll benefit more from the time in class.
• Consider the times of day when you learn the best. If you’re not a morning person – no problem! Schedule your study blocks at times when you’re most able to engage well with the content you’re learning.
• If you have a longer period of time scheduled for study, consider alternating between subjects. For example, study Accounting for one hour, before moving on to an hour of work on your English class.
• Take breaks! You may find it helpful to set a timer for each study period. When the timer goes off, take your well-earned break.

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Use Small Blocks of Time Productively

Through using smaller blocks of time you can cover material in chunks (more on the next page) and not have to worry about the larger whole. A mistake that many people make is that they try to cram information into their minds in one large session. This isn’t a successful strategy for most students.

Look for smaller blocks of time to study. If you are a public transit user, you can likely spend 20 minutes on your bus ride to read or review for your upcoming class or exam. You could even listen to an audio recording of your notes. In the evening, instead of watching three episodes of your favorite TV show, you could watch one and spend the remaining time preparing for your studies. Going out to eat often? Consider making something simple at home that you could put in the oven to cook without needing tending to; that time could be used doing some work for class and still leave you time for other activities once dinner is done.

Making time for your studies can be overwhelming. The following video introduces you to ways to use smaller blocks of time to get your tasks done, while not using up numerous hours at once.

Click on the video to learn more as you continue down this pathway. Answer the questions (by clicking on the icons that appear) to further your learning.  When you are finished, click the next section arrow to move ahead.

 

This video will introduce to you different ways of increasing your studying productivity. You will also learn how to use your spare time for studying.

Video Transcript: Using Small Blocks of Time Productively

One trick to balancing work and study is taking advantage of small blocks of time to get things done.

In this video, you will consider the small blocks of time in your schedule, and identify strategies to increase your productivity during these moments in your day.

Often, we think we need to have a lot of time available for study, or we think that we can only study at home or in the library. By adjusting your thinking, you’ll be able to open up additional productive learning time.

• Do you commute by transit? Though it wouldn’t be ideal to try to master detailed or complicated reading material on the bus, perhaps you can do some initial scanning or skimming while in transit, to prepare yourself for class or deeper reading later.
• Consider creating flash cards for material that you need to learn. You can take a set of flash cards with you and work whenever a few minutes become available. If you use one of the many flash card or self-testing apps available on your phone, you’ll be able to easily pull out your phone and make use of those small blocks of time.
• Self-testing is one of the most effective ways to learn. Create a list of study questions for your course. Pull out the list when you have time available, and review a few questions.  Keep track of those you answer correctly, and those you need to study more.
• Does your course include access to online videos that explain and review key concepts? Watch a video or two to review, or to improve your understanding of a key course idea.
• Some courses also include access to online self-study questions. Try answering a few review questions in your spare moments. These online quizzes usually provide immediate feedback on what you understand, and what you should study further.
• Do you like to learn by listening? Make an audio recording of the important points you want to remember, and listen while you commute or exercise. Maybe audio books are for you – are any of your course materials available in this format?

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Find The Time to Get Tasks Done

Now that you have a clear idea of what you need to do and what your schedule looks like, the next step is to break down the assignment into manageable “chunks”.  The idea of completing a major research paper may seem overwhelming, but if you can divide the task into achievable steps you will be on your way to success.

Use the chart below to break your assignment into smaller steps. You will want to create steps that can be done easily in one day, and preferably in a single work period. Consider the following example breakdown for a research paper.

 

Assignment Task	Target Completion Date	Complete?
Read assignment instructions and rubric	October 2	Y
Review course materials and choose topic	October 3	Y
Library research – find 3 peer reviewed articles and two books	October 5
Read and take notes on two articles	October 7
Read and takes notes on final article and books	October 8
Organize notes; write thesis and outline	October 9
Write body paragraph 1	October 10
Write body paragraph 2	October 10
Write body paragraph 3	October 11
Write body paragraph 4	October 11
Write conclusion	October 12
Write introduction	October 12
Self-edit content and organization (use the rubric)	October 14
Writing tutor appointment	October 15
Edit and proofread assignment	October 16
Submit final assignment	October 18

 

In the above example, the assignment is divided into smaller pieces, with a manageable amount to complete each day. It is also clear when each task will be completed. A daily work goal like “work on research paper” is not well-defined, and can seem overwhelming.  This can make it easy to procrastinate.  By choosing specific and achievable goals, you may become more motivated to get started, and you will be able to measure your progress each day.  Remember to reward yourself for meeting your goals along the way.

Now, develop the assignment planner template, and fill in information based on one of your upcoming assignments (link will open a PDF document).

Plan Your Next Steps

You’ll finish this pathway by reflecting on what you have learned, and by identifying what you want to start doing as a result of the new strategies you have explored. Committing to small changes can lead to big results!

Click below to add to your list.

 

Why is reviewing your syllabus important for planning your semester? College requires a lot of reading and assignments. It is a good idea to plan ahead so you don’t fall behind.

Congratulations

Congratulations! You have completed Pathway 1. If you have completed the activities in this section, you will now be able to:

• Identify how you currently spend your time
• Evaluate and set key priorities
• Use small blocks of time effectively
• Break down large projects into manageable tasks
• Use tools to schedule your day

Pathway 2: “I’m a new student at LaGuardia. I’d like some strategies for organizing my time in college.”

While there are 168 hours in a week, the way that you view your time in college may require you to adopt some new time management strategies.

By completing this pathway, you will be able to:

• Create and use a semester schedule
• Balance study time with your other obligations
• Create and use a weekly schedule
• Consider how you manage daily tasks, finding what works best for you in your educational journey

Use Your Course Syllabus to Prepare for the Semester

A course syllabus is prepared by your instructor, and is like a roadmap for your learning journey ahead. You will receive it on the first day of class. Sometimes, instructors will email them to you in advance or put them on a course website.

The following video will help you to better understand how to read your syllabus and how to plan for the semester ahead. If you prefer reading to watching videos, scroll below the video to find a transcript.

 

Why is reviewing your syllabus important for planning your semester? College requires a lot of reading and assignments. It is a good idea to plan ahead so you don’t fall behind.

Video Transcript: Using your Course Syllabus to Create a Semester Schedule

Hello, in this video we are going to discuss how to use the course syllabus also called the course presentation, to create a semester schedule.

First, let’s begin with some questions for you to consider: Have you ever forgotten to do a reading for class? Have you ever forgotten, until a few days before, that an assignment was due? Have you ever spent hours slaving away on an assignment worth 2% of your final grade, but in doing so, neglected a different assignment for a different class worth more much more than 2%? These are common questions and common phenomena for students, which take place throughout a semester.

There are three main reasons why students can struggle to keep up with course requirements (i.e. required readings, homework, assignments, and so on) during a semester up to 16 weeks in length.

First, students today are busy with multiple commitments, from classes, to part time jobs, to family. Second, students today try to “remember” important details in their head rather than writing down in an agenda. Third, for those students that do “write down” important details such as required readings, or assignments, they do so by using smartphone calendar apps, which never show everything that needs to get done, but simply what can fit on one small screen at a time.

It is therefore important to record the important details from the course presentation (or course syllabus), in a central and easily accessible semester schedule. This semester schedule can then be used to record the details from other courses, as well as other commitments, so a student can see all of their commitments for the semester, in one central place.

Here are 5 STEPS to use your course syllabi to create a semester schedule.

Step 1: First, determine how many weeks are in the current semester (i.e.  are you registered for a long semester, Fall I or Spring I which is 12 weeks or are you registered for a short semester Fall II or Spring II which is 6 weeks).

Step 2: Second, find or draft a grid table, with 7 columns, for each of the days of the week, and with 12 or 6 rows (depending on the semester) of each week of the semester. Label the days, Monday, Tuesday, etc., across the top of the table. Then label the 12 or 6 weeks, along the side of the table. At this point you can also add the specific dates for each week.

Step 3: Third, gather up all of your course syllabi for that semester. You should have one for each course you are taking, which includes details about the weekly schedule, and assignment due dates and percentages. If you have a part time job, and know your schedule, as well as family commitments which have a regular schedule, gather up those schedules as well.

Step 4: Fourth, work with only one course syllabus at a time. Go through the syllabus looking for important details and commitments that take place in Week 1 of the semester. This could include required course readings, homework, assignments, etc. On your semester schedule table, find the day of the week these commitments need to be completed by. Write down the commitment details. Make sure to include the short hand name of the course, what you have to complete, and what it is worth if it is a graded assignment. Now do the same for Week 2 of the semester for this course, then Week 3, Week 4, and so on for the remainder of the semester.

Step 5: Fifth, move to the next course syllabus, and repeat Step 4, adding details of commitments one week at a time. Repeat these steps for every course syllabus until you you are scheduled in for the semester. If you have a job and have a regular schedule, add those details to your semester schedule. If you do not have a regular job schedule, add the details you currently have, and then add new details as you receive them from your boss. Finally, if you have family commitments that are regularly scheduled, as an example, weekly family dinner, or even your mom’s birthday, add those details in to your semester schedule so you do not forget.

In summary, once you have completed these 5 steps using your course syllabi to create a semester schedule, you will now have a central and easily accessible schedule that includes all of your commitments, in one place. By including details like the percentage values of homework, assignments, and tests, you can more easily decide which tasks are most important for you to concentrate your energy on during busy weeks. You will not have to go searching through piles of paper, or online through the course website, to remember what you have to get done for your courses. As well, being able to see, in one place, what your commitments are today, this week, and in the up coming weeks, can help you organize your time in the most efficient many possible.

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We will now look at how to create an effective semester schedule that will allow you to better manage your time in college.

Schedule Your Semester

A semester schedule gives you a visual picture of the assignments, projects, tests, exams, and field trips that will happen during the semester. If you are taking a number of classes, this is a tool to be able to see what is coming up next.

A semester schedule includes important assignments, tests, exams, and other key events that will happen in your life during the next months. You may wish to use color to indicate different classes, or to distinguish between your academic events and personal events.

Look at the example semester schedule below. What do you  notice about what the student chose to include? What will you include on your semester schedule? 

 

 

After viewing the example schedule above, download the Semester Schedule Template to create your own schedule (link will open a PDF document). Alternatively download your own schedule builder using CUNYFIRST.  Guidance on how to download your schedule builder (link will open a PDF document). You can also watch a video on how to register for classes and use Schedule Builder in CUNYFIRST.

 

This video will help you with registering for classes. You will find out how you can use Schedule Builder, find helpful information about each class, and drop classes so you create your ideal class schedule.

 

Try it!

To create your semester schedule, gather the course syllabi from all of your courses. These will tell you the dates of examinations, tests, assignments, and presentations. Add all of these dates to your semester schedule. Use color to distinguish different classes if you wish. Print out this schedule and post it in a place where you will see it often.  You may wish to download and fill out the Semester Schedule Template.

Semester Schedule

Time	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
Week 10
Week 11
Week 12
Week 13

Manage Daily Tasks

Now that you can see the big picture of your semester and weekly priorities, the next step is to create a daily to-do list to prioritize your tasks. The video below introduces you to some principles for creating daily task lists. If you prefer reading to watching videos, scroll below the video to read the transcript. When you are finished, move to the next section to choose strategies for managing your tasks.

There are many ways to organize your daily tasks. This video will help you explore different ways that you can use to organize your time for all your tasks.

Managing Daily Tasks Video Transcript

By the time you’ve finished the day today, what will you have accomplished? In this video, you will learn to create a system to manage your daily to-do list, so that you can prioritize effectively and use your time efficiently. For every task you have to complete, you need to decide:

1. When do I need to finish this by?
2. How much time will it take?
3. Is this task a priority, or can it wait until later?

A good to-do list helps you make sure that you complete all of your high priority tasks, and that you allocate a manageable amount of work to each day. So, how do you make a daily task list? First, you will want to find the format that works best for you. Some people prefer to use a paper planner. Others prefer to use the reminders function on their phone, or another task list app. Choose the format that meets your needs the best. Second, you will need to divide your work into tasks that are specific, measurable, and achievable. In general, a task should be anything that you can complete in a single work period – for example, in an hour or less. If you have a large project, break it down into smaller tasks.

Third, you will need to assign your tasks to a specific day. Make sure that each day’s task list is reasonable and achievable.

Fourth, prioritize each day’s tasks.  What tasks must be finished today? Be sure that you complete these before moving on to lower priority tasks.  After the most important things have been done, move on to the less urgent tasks.

At the end of the day, decide what to do with any tasks that aren’t yet complete. Most often, you will move the task to another day. You might also decide that the task isn’t important, and delete it from your list.

Finally, be sure to reward yourself for a day’s work well done. If you are able to create an effective motivational system for yourself, you will be less likely to procrastinate, and more likely to finish your most important work each day.

To summarize, a daily to-do list can help you stay on track and achieve your most important goals. Choose a tool that works for you, organize your tasks, prioritize them, and work through your list each day.

Choose Strategies for Managing Tasks

Now that you are aware of some strategies you can use to manage your tasks to achieve the things that are most important to you, make a commitment to try out your new time management system. After you have implemented your system for one week, re-evaluate. Continue what works for you, and make any modifications needed.

Plan Your Next Steps

Consider how you spent your time before coming to LaGuardia Community College. What worked well? What didn’t work well? What can you change? What are your first steps?

Congratulations

Congratulations! You have completed Pathway 2. If you have completed the activities in this workshop, you will now be able to:

• Create and use a semester schedule 
• Balance study time with your other obligations
• Create and use a weekly schedule
• Consider how you manage daily tasks, finding what works best for you in your educational journey

Pathway 3: No Longer Finding the ‘Pros’ in Procrastination

This pathway is for those who find themselves studying for exams or doing major projects at the last minute and would like to change that habit. By following this pathway, you will be able to:

• Identify common causes for procrastination
• Reflect on why you might procrastinate
• Make a commitment to change
• Practice the Pomodoro technique to get started on important tasks

What is procrastination?

Definition: To delay an intended course of action despite expecting to be worse off for the delay (Steel, 2007, p. 65-94).

Why do we procrastinate?

Procrastination is not a “one size fits all” problem.  We procrastinate for a variety of different reasons. The first step in tackling procrastination is to do some detective work – to figure out – without judgment – why it might be that you procrastinate.

Reasons for Procrastination and Possible Solutions

Identifying the cause of procrastination can help you move towards a solution. Click on the common reasons for procrastination below to view suggested solutions (Oregon State University Academic Success Centre, n.d.).  If you would prefer to learn this information through a video, skip ahead by using the next section arrow.

Next you’ll learn more about reasons for procrastination, and how you can commit to change.

Explore Causes and Solutions for Procrastination

In the video below, you will have the opportunity to explore the causes and solutions for procrastination in greater detail. This video also encourages you to commit to change. After watching the video, make your commitment.  

This video talks about procrastination. Some of the questions that the video will explore are: What is procrastination? What causes procrastination? What are some techniques that you can follow in order to limit procrastination?

Video Transcript: Exploring Procrastination 

Hi, everyone. My name is Nadia Sulaiman. I am currently studying Business Administration in LaGuardia Community College, and I’ll be transferring to Baruch. I’ll be talking a bit about procrastination and some of the ways we can deal with that.

Procrastination itself isn’t the problem. It’s how much we wait before we do a particular task. The reasons for procrastination can be, you may be unsure of how to do the task. Another reason could be it could be not interesting, the lack of motivation. I feel like everyone goes through this. It’s just how we deal with it. First, it’s like having a priority list of items and doing things in order. So if you have a few a few assignments, you can always know, label the assignments in priority in terms of what comes first. That has helped me a lot, having a priority list.

Another way you could be working on your skills and developing them in certain areas and seeking out resources, the Writing Center, tutoring, or even having a study buddy to keep yourself accountable.

If the cause is your lack of motivation. For me, I try to think about why I am here and what made me pursue my career. So like going to the root of why I started this, I like having some sort of motivation to go, just to kind of push myself and just like finish the assignment.

Procrastination is also linked with time management, so managing your time effectively can help you feel in control of your workload, increase your productivity, and improve your confidence. As a result, you’ll see you will feel less inclined to procrastinate, and you’ll be able to enjoy that healthy balance between studying and your other activities in life and your personal life. I also work two jobs, and I’m a full time student, so I must keep all of that in balance to keep my mental health and everything in check. And I think time management is vital for college students because we already have so much on our plate with assignments, work, having a good time management skill does really contribute in your college life and also going ahead.

Few primary techniques I use to better my time management, Personally, I like to figuring out what I’m currently spending time on, for example, how much time I’m spending on social media. Can I decrease that a bit or can I increase a bit more time studying or also like being de-stressing activities for myself? Also creating a daily schedule helps and being able to stick with it. Another would be assigning time limits to tasks. So you can assign yourself like 30 minutes to do something and then see how it plays out. I study and work in intervals, so I will study for 30 minutes, take a ten minute break and study again for 30 minutes.

One of the biggest tip I have is eliminating distractions where I will go to the library or I will go to a cafe to study. And it’s also really motivating to see other people working around me. It’s very normal to procrastinate and feel like stressed or a certain way. We have the Wellness Center to help as well.

These are some of the things that has helped me in keeping my procrastination and time management on check. And also, please be kind to yourself and just take one day at a time.

Thank you.

Commit to Change

In the last video, Nadia  encouraged you to identify a next step, and the date when you commit to complete this action. She suggested that you write this down. Take time to do this now. If you prefer, you may also wish to use the audio recording tool below to record your commitment verbally.

Use the Pomodoro Method to Get Started

A key aspect of overcoming procrastination is developing strategies to get started. Often, committing to complete one small task can be enough to begin moving ahead.  For example, just taking out your laptop, creating a document, and typing the title can create some forward momentum.

A well-known technique for managing time that can help with procrastination is called the Pomodoro Technique. This technique is a method of managing procrastination by breaking down your work periods into small, manageable units. This video explains how the Pomodoro technique can work for you. After watching the video, you’ll test your new knowledge with a short quiz.

Have you heard about the Pomodoro Technique? What is this technique and how can it help you with studying?

Video Transcript

Welcome back. Let’s pick up where we left off. You had made a commitment to make one small change and had written it down with a date to make your goal timely. Good for you!

Now I would like to share a technique that has worked for me.

Have you ever heard of the Pomodoro Technique? Take a look at this cute little kitchen timer. How could something like this help you?

The technique has been around for a while and I have used it to help in a critical point in my studies. I was completing an individual studies project. Those of you who have taken a course like this will know that it is like a distance education course with very little structure and limited support from a professor. It is the perfect kind of course to go and explore new ideas but it is also a course that takes a lot of self-directed effort and procrastination can lead to failure. Unfortunately, I was going down that failure road. So I applied all my learning strategies and nothing that I had learned to that point really helped me. I knew why I was procrastinating. I knew that I should divide my tasks into chunks. I had talked it over with my mentors. But still the procrastination continued. I wanted a change.

The pomodoro (or tomato) description was used because the inventor of this technique (Francesco Cirillo) first used his mother’s kitchen timer, which looked like a pretty red tomato, to set aside chunks of time to work with focus on one part of a task. This gets to the basics of dealing with the procrastination monster, divide your task into small chunks, baby steps, and work to complete the steps.

A word of warning… Do NOT use your phone to time you. What will probably happen is that you will get distracted from your work and start using social media or Youtube. Technology can be our friend, but if you have a big problem with procrastination, you must put your phone down and concentrate on your task.

Step One: Choose the task

Step Two: Set the timer for 25 minutes- no interruptions are allowed! Turn off your phone

Step Three: Work until the timer rings- put a check mark on the paper

Step Four: Take a short break

Step Five: Do up to 4 pomodoros and then take a longer break.

Apply the Pomodoro Technique

What do you know about the Pomodoro Technique? Complete the quiz below to test your knowledge.

Another helpful strategy for beating procrastination is using a daily to-do list to manage your workflow and priorities.

Next you’ll explore strategies for daily task management.

Manage Daily Tasks

In the video below, you will explore some principles for managing daily tasks. Throughout the video, you will have the opportunity to answer questions to strengthen your knowledge.  If you prefer to learn by reading, scroll down to read the video transcript. After you are finished watching the video choose strategies you would like to implement.

There are many ways to organize your daily tasks. This video will help you explore different ways that you can use to organize your time for all your tasks.

Managing Daily Tasks Video Transcript

Managing Daily Tasks By the time you’ve finished the day today, what will you have accomplished? In this video, you will learn to create a system to manage your daily to-do list, so that you can prioritize effectively and use your time efficiently.

For every task you have to complete, you need to decide:

1. When do I need to finish this by?
2. How much time will it take?
3. Is this task a priority, or can it wait until later?

A good to-do list helps you make sure that you complete all of your high priority tasks, and that you allocate a manageable amount of work to each day. So, how do you make a daily task list? First, you will want to find the format that works best for you.  Some people prefer to use a paper planner. Others prefer to use the reminders function on their phone, or another task list app. Choose the format that meets your needs the best. Second, you will need to divide your work into tasks that are specific, measurable, and achievable. In general, a task should be anything that you can complete in a single work period – for example, in an hour or less. If you have a large project, break it down into smaller tasks.

Third, you will need to assign your tasks to a specific day. Make sure that each day’s task list is reasonable and achievable.

Fourth, prioritize each day’s tasks. What tasks must be finished today. Be sure that you complete these before moving on to lower priority tasks. After the most important things have been done, move on to the less urgent tasks.

At the end of the day, decide what to do with any tasks that aren’t yet complete. Most often, you will move the task to another day. You might also decide that the task isn’t important, and delete it from your list.

Finally, be sure to reward yourself for a day’s work well done. If you are able to create an effective motivational system for yourself, you will be less likely to procrastinate, and more likely to finish your most important work each day.

To summarize, a daily to-do list can help you stay on track and achieve your most important goals. Choose a tool that works for you, organize your tasks, prioritize them, and work through your list each day.

Choose Strategies for Managing Tasks

For the next week, commit to a system for daily to-do lists.  After you have implemented your system for one week, re-evaluate. Continue what works for you, and make any modifications needed.

Reflection and Evaluation

Now that you’ve learned about some effective strategies for managing your time, it is up to you to decide where you want to go from here. Create steps to meet your plan: click and use the boxes to write down 3 strategies that you would like to try and commit to doing them. Think about how you can make each strategy happen and what tools you may need.

Congratulations

Congratulations!  You have now completed Pathway 3 in the Time Management workshop.  If you have completed the activities in the workshop, you will now be able to:

• Identify common causes for procrastination
• Reflect on why you might procrastinate
• Make a commitment to change
• Practice the Pomodoro technique to get started on important tasks
• Use a system to manage daily tasks

Many students who struggle with procrastination find that looking at additional strategies for time management helps them achieve their goals.  If this is true for you, review Pathway 2.

References, Licenses, & Attributions

1. Kwantlen Polytechnic University Learning Centres. (2018). Time Management for Busy Students. Surrey, BC: Kwantlen Polytechnic University. Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.
2. Oregon State University Academic Success Centre. (n.d.) Six Reasons People Procrastinate. Retrieved from https://success.oregonstate.edu/sites/success.oregonstate.edu/files/LearningCorner/Tools/6_reasons_procrast_20.pdf. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerical-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
3. Steel, P. (2007). The nature of procrastination: A meta-analytic and theoretical review of quintessential self-regulatory failure. Psychological Bulletin, 133, 65-94.