How You Spend Your Time Is How You Spend Your Life
The specific actions that you choose to take each hour, each day, each week, throughout each year, define your life. Your moment-to-moment choices accumulate to determine whether you succeed or fail as an academic.
Skillful management of your time is not superficial but fundamental. Instead of aimlessly allowing external events and pressures control you, make deliberate choices about your use of time. The way to create a life that is consistent with your deepest values and desires is to set priorities, make plans, and then follow through on those plans.
Time Management Tips
Set Long Term Goals - Turn dreams into reality by allowing yourself to craft a vision for your future. Aim high. Post your goals a visible place to stay motivated.
Determine Priorities - Use your long term goals to create concrete, short-range actions that will take you in the direction you wish. Rank those steps so that you can work on the most important items first.
Pose an Essential Question - Continually ask yourself "What is the best use of my time right now?" If it is not important, or urgent, don't do it.
Tackle the Worse First - To craft an effective life, begin each day working on whatever makes you the most anxious. Once you've confronted the most difficult work, subsequent activities will seem easy.
Think Ahead - Planning time is never wasted time. Reserve regular weekly periods for assessing both short- and long-term goals. Schedule time each day to work on your top priorities. Review how the previous week went and see what you need to change in order to be more effective.
Postpone Minor Tasks- Resist the temptation to clear up small "to do" items first. Start with top priorities. The quick things can wait until you take a break.
Write Down Results - If huge "To Do" lists make you feel overwhelmed, try writing "Did Do" lists at the end of each day. Keeping track of your accomplishments may help you stay motivated.
Reserve Your Prime Time - Allocate your most alert times of the day for the most challenging tasks. Carve out, and cherish that time.
Pick Your Bird - Are you a wren or an owl? Most of us are at our intellectual best in the morning. Starting the day with a period of productivity also helps us feel good about ourselves for the rest of the day. However, a few of us are true "night-owls" who are most productive late in the evening when distractions subside. Use your prime time wisely.
Practice Telling Time - Estimate before starting and then record how long it takes to complete a task. Note when you tend to underestimate or overestimate the amount of time activities will take. When you can predict how long it will take you to accomplish something, you can schedule it accurately.
Use Little Bits of Time - Keep a list of small "To Do" items for gaps between appointments. Always have an article to read for times when you are standing in line, on a bus, or waiting for an event to begin.
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