Appendices

Appendix III: Time Management

Here are some techniques that have helped others manage their time well:

Try a Time Log.

• First, list your activities: studying, classroom teaching, preparing, grading, reading for pleasure, relaxing or goofing off, performing household tasks, building personal relationships, sleeping.
  
  
• Then, throughout the day for several days, note how much time you spend in each category, adding as much detail as you like, and adding categories when necessary. Of course, your time log will not be completely accurate, but it should give you a good idea of how much time you give to different activities and how closely your ideal matches reality.
  
  
• Consult with a friend or colleague to see how to rearrange your schedule to accomplish more each day: Do you think best in the mornings or at night? Are you losing time by lingering in the department when you might accomplish more at home or in the library?Are you having enough fun to be productive?

Make a Plan for Action.

With or without your personal time log, you need to manage your life, perhaps by setting up a plan for action:

• First list your long-term career goals and your short-term work goals, remembering to include goals imposed from the outside (qualifying exams or compositions to grade, for instance).
  
  
• On each list evaluate the importance of each goal to you, from "A" (highest) to "C" (lowest and, in fact, perhaps not really necessary). Consolidate goals that are similar and reconcile goals in conflict with each other.
  
  
• Identify the actions necessary to accomplish each goal, and list those tasks in order.
  
  
• Consider what resources you need to accomplish each task (time, money, people), and decide when you hope to accomplish each step. This final list—complete with goals, tasks, necessary resources, and time line—constitutes your plan of action from which you fill out part of your calendar and your daily "To Do" list.
  
  
• Concentrate on your "A" and "B" goals, remembering that you cannot successfully schedule more than half your time without becoming frustrated. High achievers commonly have a plan and priorities for each day and are thus less inclined to muddle through their days.

Reassess When Necessary.

Certainly, even the best-conceived, goal-oriented action plan will not always make your days run smoothly. The end of the semester is a high-pressure time for most academics. When faced with more than you feel you can possibly do, decide what you absolutely must do and let the rest slide. If, on the other hand, you find that you often procrastinate or rarely finish your "To Do" list, reevaluate your plan of action. Do you truly care about the goals you have set for yourself? Have you set a number you can expect to accomplish in the time allotted? Are you avoiding a particular type of task? If you find you dodge writing activities, for example, seek help for writer's block.

If you feel overwhelmed by all you have to do, spend the time necessary to set up a system like this one. If, on the other hand, you are satisfied with the way your days go, you are probably managing time effectively in a less structured way or even unconsciously. In either case, you should find yourself controlling rather than controlled. (For more information, see Hedrick, 1990, or Winston, 1991.)