Gestión del tiempotit

Time management

Gestión del tiempo

Definition:

(This first section contains an explanation of this competence and some comments about why it is important)

The ability to define, prioritize, organize, concentrate and finish tasks to achieve the desired objectives.

REFLEXIONAR

REFLECT

Tiempo_Evaluacion

Evaluation

(This is a list of behaviors observed in people who possess this competence)

  • They define goals they want to achieve in the short and medium term.

  • They combine their academic duties with other activities.

  • They know how to rest (they sleep at least seven hours, nurture friendships, etc.).

  • They prioritize the most important tasks.

  • They distinguish between important and urgent activities.

  • They use a diary to schedule activities and assign time frames to complete them.

  • Their schedule is realistic and includes time to study, rest, be with friends, exercise, etc.

  • They are realistic when it comes to allocating time.

  • They know how to take advantage of waiting or travel time.

  • They analyze whether tasks have been carried out in the allotted time.

  • They identify the causes of wasted time.

  • They have the willpower to study at least two hours in a row without getting up.

  • They set challenging goals to make each work session intensive and productive.

  • They know how to say no when a proposal may be a waste of their time.

  • They focus on accomplishing the task in hand.

  • They avoid activities that waste time and distract from the goal of the task.

  • When they work, they avoid using Facebook, emails, mobile phones and other distractions so that they can focus on the task at hand.

  • They are punctual; they start and finish tasks according to the schedule.

  • When they start a task, they get right to the point and don’t get bogged down by details.

  • If the task takes longer than expected, they schedule it to finish later and continue with the plan. 

  • They take a note of the time they spend on a task and compare it with the plan with a view to improving.

Behaviors in the assessment questionnaire

  • They analyze the tasks to be carried out and assign time frames to complete them.

  • They analyze whether tasks have been carried out in the allotted time.

  • They avoid activities that waste time and distract from the goal of the task.

  • They use a diary to plan their activities.

(This is a list of negative behaviors observed in people who do not possess this competence to a sufficient extent)

  • They don’t have clear priorities: tasks to carry out, deliverables, exams, etc.

  • They don’t spend enough time relaxing (sleep, exercise, hobbies, friends, etc.).

  • Their work piles up.

  • They never have time for anything, even though their performance is poor.

  • They spend much of the time completing urgent tasks that are not always important.

  • They postpone issues until they have no choice but to solve them, then they act rashly.

  • When they have a lot of things to do, they don’t know where to start.

  • They don’t set deadlines to complete a task or project.

  • They set unrealistic schedules that prevent them from completing anything.

  • They don’t know how to say no to unplanned tasks or interruptions.

  • They don’t respect deadlines and their productivity is low.

  • They don’t know how they spend the time to complete a task.

  • They don’t take account of unforeseen events that may arise.

  • They let their imagination wander rather than concentrating.

  • They are always “connected,” they check their emails, surf the web and check their mobile phone while they are working.

  • When they are working on a task, they are thinking about the next task to be done or issues with the previous task.

  • They spend a lot of time on irrelevant things. They tend to digress and beat around the bush.

  • They don’t take time to rest.

  • They don’t finish tasks on time and continue to work on them, thereby neglecting other tasks that are due.

(Suggestions for questions that mentors can ask students to reflect on and, therefore, propose ways they think they can improve)

  • Name a person you admire for his or her time management skills. What makes you think that he or she manages time well? What do you think his or her trick is?

  • Do you spend five minutes at the beginning scheduling your time? Do you set challenging goals that motivate you to focus 100%?

  • Do you use your working/studying time productively? Do you think you could be more productive? How?

  • Do you regularly spend time reflecting on things to see how you could improve? Do you think about how you could work better?

  • Do you focus when you work? Do you turn off distractions that prevent you from working harder (mobile, Wi-Fi, environments that affect your concentration, etc.)?

  • After studying, do you analyze whether or not you have met the objectives? If you did not fulfill them, do you wonder why? (For example, you didn’t plan well, you were distracted or you got stuck on a particular task.)

  • When you are working, do you usually think of other tasks you have to do?

  • Do you feel pressured to get tasks done (because you don’t have time)?

  • Do you set time aside for leisure, exercise, relaxation and activities with family and friends?

  • Do you spend time on culture and growing as a person? Does your diary include activities involving learning about aspects that are relevant to your future career or personal interests?

  • Is there an activity you have given up to study (learning a language, playing a sport, playing the guitar, etc.)?

  • When you step away from your studies for a while, are you able to refocus on them when you resume?

  • Do you prioritize the most important tasks or the most urgent tasks every time?

CAMBIAR

CHANGE

Tiempo_PlanAccion

Improvement Plan

  • Choose a way to organize your time and schedule study and activities (diary, the calendar on your mobile phone, Google Calendar, mobile apps).

  • Think about your academic duties (midterm exams, final exams, assignments to hand in) and add them to your calendar. Also include extracurricular events and events you want to attend at the School.

  • Show your calendar to your mentor and compare your opinions about how many hours are required for each subject and how to allocate your time.

  • From time to time, assess whether you are sticking to or deviating from the schedule.

  • Spend some time making a list of the tasks or milestones you have to accomplish over the coming week.

  • Estimate how much work is required to accomplish each task, then assign a duration.

  • Arrange the list in order of importance and deadline (if applicable) before creating your study schedule.

  • Establish your weekly schedule by indicating how much study time you are going to spend on each task in the list. Include breaks and time to do other activities in your calendar.

  • At the end of the week, check whether or not you stuck to the schedule.

  • After completing a task, write down the time it took you to complete it.

  • Count how many hours you actually spent working during the week and compare this to the goal you set at the beginning of the week.

  • Think about the reasons for the deviations. Talk to your mentor to fix the deviations and work out a better weekly schedule.

  • Organize your work space. Put away distractions and leave only what is necessary.

  • Set the objectives or steps needed to complete the task, as well as an estimated time.

  • Use a watch to manage the time you spend on tasks, as well as breaks and their duration.

  • When you move from one task to another, take some time to adjust to the change of context.

  • When you notice that you are not being productive, don’t waste time. Try to reorganize yourself and resume the task when you feel able.

  • Set time aside for leisure activities, spending time with family and relaxing. Also take the opportunity to reflect on what you are going to do the following week.

  • Take the opportunity to carry out tasks that you haven’t been able to do, are incomplete or require more time than you included in your weekly schedule.

  • Spend time catching up on subjects by revising your notes. 

  • Ask your mentor for advice on how to organize your time for each subject. Then create two schedules: one that shows what you are going to study each day, and a weekly schedule broken down hour by hour (the latter will have to be done weekly).

  • Adjust your study plan according to whether you are ahead in your studies with respect to initial expectations, or you need to spend more time on a subject.

  • It is essential to include rest in your schedule, since this “is not inactivity, but a shift in activity to a more enjoyable one” (Sarráis, 2013). This rest applies to both the body and the mind.

  • To rest physically, make sure you get enough quality sleep and look at your dietary and exercise habits. Plan to improve these aspects if necessary.

  • With respect to your psychological well-being, schedule breaks from work to do individual activities you enjoy (reading, walking, cooking, hobbies, etc.) and also group activities (plans, team sports, etc.). This is essential to avoid being under pressure all day.

PROFUNDIZAR

DEEPEN

Tiempo_Recursos

Resources

Note: At work, everyone wants to fully focus on what they are doing and devote their energy proportionally to what they are doing. This article explores the concept of “flow” and how to achieve it.

Note: This article takes a simple, step-based approach to explain how to create a good schedule.

Note: This article looks at the different reasons we spend time unequally and offers solutions to each one.

Note: This article lists the reasons we are most likely to miss deadlines.

Note: If we identify what time of day we work best, we can increase our productivity in all tasks.

Note: This article presents five ways to improve day-to-day decision-making and organize ourselves to make our day more productive.

  • First Things First, Stephen R. Covey

Note: In this book, the author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People offers ideas to improve time management skills and presents different plans and methods to get things done on time, with a special focus on the importance of priorities.

Note: This expert in cognitive behavioral therapy explains the neural processes that occur when we are carrying out an activity and how to focus more attention on it.

Note: This IESE video explains how to pursue your goals through proper prioritization and effective schedules.

Note: We never have time for things we really want to do... Or is it just that we don’t really want to do them? This talk explains the elasticity of time and how to achieve the most important goals.

Note: After analyzing different time management methods, Rory Vaden outlines a method he has developed, which bypasses the shortcomings of other techniques.

Note: This entertaining talk explains how people who tend to postpone tasks act and the consequences of this behavior.

  • The Martian, Ridley Scott

Note: Astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is isolated on Mars and has to survive until the next spacecraft arrives. Both he and NASA must manage their time to ensure Mark survives, by finding food and water and preparing for a mission to bring him back before it’s too late.

  • The Little Prince (2015), Mark Osborne

  • Groundhog Day, Harold Ramis

Note: These two films encourage us to reflect on the value of time and how poor time management can affect our own and others’ lives.

  • Template to create a schedule

  • Templates to keep track of study hours

  • Post-it notes: these can be used to create your task list, assign times and prioritize tasks.

  • Google Calendar.

  • Evernote and Any.do: applications that allow you to create quick notes and to-do lists. They can be synced across your mobile phone and computer.