Task 7 Time management

“Time management is commonly defined as the various means by which people effectively use their time and other closely related resources in order to make the most out of it.” (Wikipedia,2009) For any studies it is important to use time management effectively to make sure you are organised and work is completed on time. Managing study, assignments, exams, social life and events will make life as a student more efficient. There are many ways of managing time whether it is using a wall planner, a diary or a “to do list”. We are all different and have our individual ways of managing time.

Personally I am a planner and this is the tool I use when managing my studies. I plan ahead and try my best to stick to it. I feel planning is the most well-organised way of managing time as I then don’t feel rushed or leave things to the last minute. I use a wall planner to highlight important dates such as; assignment due dates, examinations and social events. I also have a diary in which I plan each week. I work out what I am going to do each day and what is coming up that week. This way I keep to schedule and am up to date with study requirements. The week that I have classes I have to make sure I am really organised and have planned well so I can also fit in my own study. I think that planning ahead is a strength of mine and I have found it a worthwhile skill so far this year. Planning makes life less stressful and helps to complete work on time. This tool helps to motivate me and avoid procrastination. If I have not planned what to do for the day I tend to procrastinate. Having a plan motivates me to do my work as I feel satisfied when I have completed everything. Flexibility is required with this method of time management as no matter how well you plan ahead, unexpected events such as sickness may occur which requires reprioritisation and rescheduling.

Prioritising is an essential part of time management. Prioritise is “To arrange or deal with in order of importance”. (Free Dictionary,2009) I try to prioritise time for each different topic taught throughout this course. Prioritising study over social life is one of my strengths as I find it easy to say no to people and put my study first. For many students this is hard as they can easily give in to peer pressure but I know how important it is to put as much time as possible into study. I find that I struggle when it comes to prioritising study and practical work. I tend to spend the majority of time studying and less on practical. I recognise that I need to change this and create a more even balance as practical work is as crucial for my learning as study. To do this I need to set out a certain time each week for practical massage and then work my studies around this. Rewarding myself with a special treat for work achieved helps to maintain a healthy balance between study and social life, which I need to be aware of.

Completing this course would be extremely difficult without having any understanding of time management. For myself I find planning with both a wall planner and diary very worthwhile as I feel motivated to do the work set out for each week. Without this plan I would fall into bad habits such as procrastination. Prioritising is critical and is something that I am beginning to grasp. I need to put in some time to prioritise my study and practical work and with the help of more planning I will be able to achieve this.

Free Dictionary.(2009).Prioritise.Retrieved May 19,2009,
from http://www.thefreedictionary.com/prioritisation

Wikipedia.(2009).Time Management.Retrieved May 18,2009,
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_management

Time management learning modules