TIMEKEEPER RESOURCE SUITE
Becoming skilled in time management is critical to students’ long-term success at the University of Maryland, but for some, a bigger question is raised: what does effective time management look like?
Mindfulness, WREFLEX 3-STEP
The typical college experience—from coursework to extracurriculars—can be busy, fast-paced, and with unique surprises. This makes being present and aware for the ride incredibly important.
Mindfulness can be defined as: working to develop an acute awareness of where you are and what you are doing at a given time by noticing and focusing on your thoughts, senses, and surroundings without judgment.
WATCH the video playlist below to learn more about mindfulness:
Mindfulness is critical for time management
Being fully present affects your ability to hear and receive tasks from your instructors, employers, and colleagues at any given time. Moreover, effective planning for what you need to accomplish is proactive and habitual.
To encourage planning for tasks proactively, remember WREFLEX 3-STEP (REE-flecks THREE-step).
The NBA Method
—NUMBERS, BE SPECIFIC, ACTION VERB
Research shows that our perception of time compresses and quickens as we age (learn more).
As an emerging adult who is balancing rigorous coursework, a social life, and maybe even a job, you’ll learn that as the volume of your responsibilities increases, you begin to plan for the week rather than the day. Consequently, "taking ownership" of what you need to accomplish is incredibly important.
Owning your work starts with defining what that work looks like by breaking down assignments, projects, and chores into smaller, actionable tasks.
To learn how to do this effectively, you can use the NBA Method while building a to-do list for your tasks.
Preferred Tools for Task and Time Management
Review some of the most popular task and time management tools that your classmates trust and prefer.
—Both thought and care went into including a mix of digital tools that are free and accessible to Apple, Mac, Android, and PC users who're managing their tasks from either a mobile phone, laptop, or desktop.
ProTips for Implementation
An easy way to reflect on how long a task will take you to complete is by simply timing yourself. Self-time your study sessions or your working on a specific kind of assignment, then note the hours where you seem to accomplish most of what you have planned.
THINK:
Do you accomplish most things during the morning, afternoon, or in the evening?
AND
Do you accomplish more during the top of the week, or as the days inch closer to the weekend?
Reflecting on patterns in your current workflow can help you to identify and establish routines for your semester—which can help you further manage your time.
If you suspect that something isn't working in a current routine or that you can't seem to finish what you start on time, then consider the small changes that you can make in your daily schedule to manage your tasks more effectively.
What should remain consistent in your time management journey is the effort that you put into...
1). Learning which habits work and do not work in your daily routine
2). Proactive planning while recording your tasks (do not waste mental energy trying to remember anything and everything that you need to do)
AND
3). Being okay with making mistakes along the way
As it goes with learning any new skill, practice makes perfect. Science Terps near and abound have mastered tasks and time through trial and error, and so can you! Watch the video from Cajun Koi Academy below, which summarizes the ProTips discussed.
