Sandi LevinsonE-mail: slevinson@kaplan.edu

AIM: slevinson4kaplan

Academic Strategies for the

Health Care Professional

Unit 5

Welcome to Unit 5Welcome to Unit 5Time ManagementTime Management

If you want to make good use of your time, you’ve got to know If you want to make good use of your time, you’ve got to know what’s most important and then give it all you’ve got.what’s most important and then give it all you’ve got.

~~Lee IacoccaLee Iacocca

Unit 5 AssignmenUnit 5 Assignmentsts

Discussion Board Question

Reading Assignments

*Announcements on the Course Home page. *Power Up Text:  Chapter 4 and "Keeping Time in Mind" on pages 72-73 in

Chapter 10

Online Learning Activities *This week, your learning activities will help you increase your time

management skills. Be sure to begin working on the Unit 5 Mini Project and click the buttons under Learning Activities for a helpful article about Time Management and to hear guest speaker Ann Leach discuss time management.

Seminar Option 1 or 2

Unit 5 Mini project

Unit 5: Time ManagementUnit 5: Time ManagementIn the previous units, you have learned about setting In the previous units, you have learned about setting

goals,goals,

your learning style, your strengths and limitations as ayour learning style, your strengths and limitations as a

learner and your test taking skills. How you manage all oflearner and your test taking skills. How you manage all of

these areas is important to your college success. these areas is important to your college success.

  

Personal management involves using time managementPersonal management involves using time management

tools and strategies to plan, organize, and prioritize yourtools and strategies to plan, organize, and prioritize your

daily activities.daily activities.

Time Management Time Management QuestionsQuestions

1. What distractions/interruptions make study time difficult?

2. What are some ways to keep distractions to a minimum?

1. What distractions/interruptions 1. What distractions/interruptions make study time difficult? make study time difficult?

Make a list of 5 things that distract Make a list of 5 things that distract or interrupt you during your study or interrupt you during your study time.time.

2. What are some ways to keep distractions 2. What are some ways to keep distractions to a minimum?to a minimum?

Next to each distraction or interruption that Next to each distraction or interruption that you listed, write down how it can be you listed, write down how it can be avoided or eliminated.avoided or eliminated.

Time Management:Time Management:The Pickle Jar Theory by Jeremy Wright

There’s something about a nice crunchy pickle, isn’t there? I mean the aroma may make some people sick, but for me it’s the taste and the juice forcing itself into your mouth like a divine cascade of flavor. As a wise man once said, “It’s

like a taste explosion in your mouth!”

Well, this article really has nothing to do with pickles, nor does it have anything to do with eating or wise men at all. In fact this article has nothing to do with anything tangible, unless you choose to follow along. Though you don’t have to, I would strongly suggest it as you could have quite the nifty little craft project by the end of this piece!

The JarThe Jar

Time Management theories have come and gone. I’ve tried many of these and most have failed because of the sheer amount of time I needed to commit to the theory in order to save some time. The return just never seemed to justify the cost, if you know what I mean.

The latest theory of Time Management I heard has actually caused me to stop and think about how I run my entire life. This kind of thing doesn’t happen very often, and no I don’t mean thinking, cheeky readers! The theory that was recently taught in a Leadership course I’m taking is called the Pickle Jar Theory.

The TheoryThe TheoryImagine if you will an, or for those crafty people among you just go get an empty pickle jar. Big pickle jar, you could fit at least three of the largest pickles you’ve ever imagined inside of it. For those of you who don’t like pickles, I apologize, feel free to substitute the words “pancake jar” for “pickle jar” as needed.

Okay, so you’ve got yourself a pickle jar. Now, put some large rocks in it. Put in as many as you possibly can. Let me know when it’s full. Now, I know you think it’s full, but put a couple more in anyway.

Okay, you’ve got a full pickle jar that you can’t fit anything else into, right? Now, put some pebbles in. Put as many in as you can possibly fit.

Now, take your full jar and take sand and, you guessed it, fill that jar until you can’t possibly fit anymore in, and then add some water.

I am sure the significance of this little exercise hasn’t escaped any of you. Each of us has many large priorities in our life, represented by the large rocks.

We also have things which we enjoy doing, such as the pebbles. We have other things we have to do, like the sand.

And finally, we have things that simply clutter up our lives and get in everywhere: water.

None of these are bad things. After all, we need the gamut of these objects-from large priorities to times of rest—in order to feel truly fulfilled.

No Time Management theory should be without balance, and the Pickle Jar theory is all about balance. You make time for everything, and everything simply fits well where it is supposed to fit.

Me and my day

As an example of my pre-pickle day, my little to-do list looked a lot like this:

8:00: check and respond to email8:30: check various community sites and respond where required9:00: ensure all web properties are running properly9:15: set priorities for the day9:30: go for a walk, grab some water10:00: do website maintenance, remove outdated content11:00: draft an article11:30: polish next article to go out12:00: ensure all things web-related are handled, running well and all questions are answered12:30: lunch1:30: do programming on latest large project2:30: write letters to clients to keep them abreast of changes in the last three days to their projects3:30: check with team on progress, deal with issues4:30: … etc., etc., etc.

Now, I may have actually accomplished a lot in this type of day; in fact, I typically did. All my websites were running properly, I’d written an article or two, I’d done actual work, I’d built client relationships, I’d ensured my team was working properly, so what could be wrong?

Well, take a look at the first five hours of my day. Between 8am and 1pm, all I manage to actually get done that couldn’t fit into other times when my mind tends to wander (and I tend to do these things anyway) was a little bit of article writing.

This part of the day was really a supreme waste of time. I often went to lunch feeling like I was convincing myself that I had been productive. At the end of the day I always believed that a lot got done, but my lunch times always felt slightly depressing.

Beyond that, this schedule did not work if a client walked in and needed an exceptional amount of work done, if a site had crashed overnight, or if I had an email that required more than five minutes of attention. If anything unexpected happened, which we all know should actually be expected, my whole morning and often my entire day fell apart.

My new, improved day

In these post-pickle days, my schedule looks rather different. I now schedule in times when my rocks should get done and let my other priorities, the unexpected and little things I do all day, like surf the web, fill in the gaps. New schedule:

800: figure out rocks for the day (literally, this is what it says!) and deal with emergencies830: article writing as appropriate1000: programming1300: client correspondenceSuddenly I have what feels like a more open day. I have more time for programming, I get things done earlier, I am more relaxed, my schedule is more fluid. It all works incredibly well. In the post-pickle days I realized that I needed to really figure out what my big rocks were during the day and not schedule time for anything else in my daily routine. Email is not a rock: I can go a few minutes and, wonder of wonders, even a day or two without touching it. Email is a lot like the phone in that even though we all have our phones on just in case an important call happens, when we look back on our year it is rare that we can remember more than one or two occasions where we absolutely needed to answer our phone or email at that precise instant.

The detractors

There are of course those in the audience who will never have practiced Time Management techniques in the past. They feel they are productive enough and get “enough” done. I’m glad, way to go, give yourselves a hand. Now, grab your jar again. Empty it.

Fill your jar with water until it is completely full. Now, try and add some sand. What do you mean it didn’t work?

This is the essence of the Pickle (or Pancake) Jar Theory. By first ensuring that your large priorities are tackled, scheduled, and done for the day, you can then let the smaller but less important things in until you have somehow allowed time in your day for everything you needed to do, while still relaxing and having fun.

The value of waterI strongly encourage everyone to use at least one Time Management System. It empowers you to actually do instead of scurrying about without any goals in sight. Whether you choose this particular system or not, remember: eat the pickles before you empty the jar, they are so good!

Discussion Board QuestionDiscussion Board QuestionBefore participating in discussion this week, click the Website button under Discussion in Unit 5 to learn how to create a To Do list. Then, construct a To Do list of 5- 10 tasks that you need to complete this week in your academic, personal and/or your work life. Rank them by priority. For example, your number 1 task should be the one that is most important to get done this week.  When you are ready, respond to the discussion questions in unit 5. Your initial responses should be in the 100-word range (approximately 7-10 sentences). Of course, you are welcome to elaborate further.  Take time to review the responses of your classmates and reply with comments to a minimum of two of them.

How Well Do You Plan?How Well Do You Plan?DIRECTIONS: FOR EACH QUESTION, CIRCLE THE NUMBER THAT BEST DESCRIBES YOU.

Never Seldom Sometimes Often AlwaysHow often do you plan in an effort to keep life from running out of control?

1 2 3 4 5

Do you putdaily plans on paper? 1 2 3 4 5Do you allow flexibilityin your plans?

1 2 3 4 5

How often do you ac-complish all you plan for a given day?

1 2 3 4 5

How often do you plan time for what matters most to you?

1 2 3 4 5

How often is your daily plan destroyed by urgent interruptions?

5 4 3 2 1

SCORING: Add the numbers next to your answers.

INTERPRETATION:INTERPRETATION:

6-10: Terrible Planner. You should consider using new tools and processes to help you plan effectively. A great first step would be to take a time management course.

11-15: Below average planner. You may already have a planning system, but using it more effectively will help to reduce the stress and lack of control you feel in your life.

16-20: Average planner. Your planning system is working, but you can do better. You may need help focusing on priorities, dealing with urgent interruptions or writing your daily plan.

21-25: Above-average planner. Your planning system is working well. Keep up the good work, with periodic reviews to be sure you’re planning around what matters most in your life.

26-30: Excellent planner--or candidate for burnout? You have mastered planning and should experience the serenity that comes from taking charge of your life. But make sure you’re in control of your planning rather than letting it control you.

Quiz written for USA WEEKEND by time management expert Hyrum Smith, chairman of the Franklin Covey Co., whose Franklin Planners, agendas and planning software are used by 15 million Americans.

Five Steps to Successful Time Management

1.Set specific academic and personal goals.

2.Create a term calendar, recording major events.

3.Create a weekly schedule of your classes, labs, drill, meetings, etc.

4.Decide on specific times to work on each course.

5. Make a to-do list for each day the night before or during breakfast.

Academic Skills Center, Dartmouth College 2001

View: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~acskills/videos/video_tmcap.html

Unit 5 Mini ProjectUnit 5 Mini ProjectCreate a Weekly Study Schedule

For this week's mini-project, you will use the template found in the Unit Project button to create a weekly study schedule for both of your courses, including what is due for each course. You can type directly into the boxes, and you can change the times if necessary. The schedule may

run over to a second page. Feel free to print it out as well. At the end of the week, go back and answer the questions below the schedule.

Weekly Study ScheduleFill out weekly study schedule for both of your courses including what is due for each course. You can type directly into the boxes. You can change the times if you need too. The schedule may run over to a 2nd page. Feel free to print it out as well. At the end of the week, go back and answer the questions below the schedule.

At the end of the week (Monday or Tuesday), answer the following questions. Please write in complete sentences.

* What did you learn in creating the schedule?* Did you stick to the schedule?* Are you spending enough time studying or do you need to schedule more?* What distractions/interferences came up when you had schedule study time?* What changes can you make on future study schedules?

 Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday  

7:00 AM                    

 

8:00             

 

9:00             

 

10:00             

 

11:00             

 

12:00 PM             

 

1:00              

 

2:00             

 

3:00             

 

4:00             

 

5:00             

 

6:00             

 

7:00             

 

8:00             

 

9:00             

 

10:00             

 

11:00             

 

Total Study Hours/Day

       

 

Due This Week:Course CS119:Course 2: 

ProcrastinationProcrastinationAccording to the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, the following are strategies to manage procrastination:

Identify what is necessary to accomplish task in a given amount of time; get a sense of the entire project and what is required to complete itSet goals for what is to be accomplished Break goals into smaller sub-goals (e.g., concentrate on one section of a paper at a time) Accept that there are no magical cures

Procrastination Procrastination ContinuedContinued

Fear of Failure: Acknowledge strengths skills Recall previous successes Work on weaknesses Take risks

Fear of Success: Get accurate perspective of what your success will mean Focus on your own needs and expectations rather than

those of others. Perfectionism:

Examine your standards. Are they realistic? Are they set so high that they are causing you distress?

Adjust your expectations and set realistic goals. http://caps.unc.edu/

Organizing Your Study Organizing Your Study TimeTime

Did you know that there are 168 hours in a week? Observe how you use them. Decide how many hours a week you want to spend studying.

  Try a little affirmation. “I have plenty of time for the things that

matter to me.” It will help you a lot more than saying, “I don’t have any time.”

  Tape a calendar inside your notebook and keep track of your

pattern of studying. This may help you to create a realistic plan for yourself, based on your already existing pattern. Ask yourself what you could do to make one small increase in your study time.

  Schedule a block of time that is non-negotiable. This is a sacred

appointment that you spend studying. Don’t let anything interfere.

Organizing Your StudyingOrganizing Your StudyingTime ContinuedTime Continued

Allow for the unexpected. Life is full of surprises, so be sure to complete your studying early in the week. If you put it off until the last minute, something unexpected could occur to change your plans.

Delegate everything not related to studying that you can. You can’t do it all, so ask friends and family to help out with chores and other tasks so you will be free to work on your studying. Remind them and yourself that it is only temporary!

  Live deliberately rather than racing around, putting out

fires. Make a plan. Get a little organized. Stay focused on the path you have chosen and don’t let distractions steer you in wrong directions.

 

Time Management TipsTime Management Tips Interesting website with a ton of

time management suggestions. You never know what might work for you.

http://www.inspirationbit.com/33-timeless-time-management-strategies/

Questions?Questions?

Motivational QuotesMotivational Quotes

We make a living by what we get. We make a We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.life by what we give.

~~Winston ChurchillWinston Churchill What lies behind us, and what lies before us, are What lies behind us, and what lies before us, are

tiny matters compared to what lies within us.tiny matters compared to what lies within us.

~~Ralph Waldo EmersonRalph Waldo Emerson We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence,

then, is not an act but a habit.~then, is not an act but a habit.~AristotleAristotle