Motivation and Learning Strategies for College Success : A Self-management Approach

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TIME MANAGEMENT 141

HOW DO YOU USE YOUR TIME?

Everyone wastes some time. A problem occurs, however, when the

amount of time that one wastes interferes with the attainment of per-

sonal goals. The purpose of the following exercise is to identify your

major time wasters. Next, you will be asked to account for your time

in a typical week to gain further insights into your use of time.

Directions: The following list identifies on a scale of 1 (highest) to

10 (lowest), the greatest time wasters reported by college students

EXERCISE 6.1: SELF-OBSERVATION: ASSESSING

TIME WASTERS

(Chaney, 1991). As you review the items, identify the time wasters

you think give you the greatest difficulty. Rank them from 1 to 5

with the number 1 as your greatest time waster. Identify additional

time wasters that you think should be added to the list since this

study was conducted in 1991. Have you tried to eliminate your time

wasters? If so, how successful have you been? Share some of your

successful strategies with students in your class.

Time Wasters My Rank

1. Procrastination


2. Watching television


3. Visiting with friends/socializing


4. Daydreaming


5. Figuring out how to do an assignment


6. Physical problems, such as lack of energy


7. Sleeping too much


8. Lack of planning


9. Waiting for others


10. Talking on the telephone

Directions: Students who have difficulty with time management often

lack awareness about how they spend their time. This exercise gives

you an opportunity to evaluate your actual use of time. Fill in your

EXERCISE 6.2: SELF-OBSERVATION: ASSESSING

USE OF TIME

activities last week in the following calendar. Next, using the Time