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

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TIME MANAGEMENT 147

earlier, you will find it easier to determine how you will spend your

time. Do not just write the course name or study topic (e.g., psy-

chology) in your schedule. Specify what you plan to do during the

time.

Alternate Subjects When You Have a Long Time Block Available for Study

There is no reason to complete studying a given subject before mov-

ing to the next subject. If you have a number of tasks to complete in

a subject, you may find you can better control motivation and con-

centration by completing certain aspects of the assignment in one sub-

ject area and coming back to another part of the assignment at a later

time. In addition, you should determine the sequence of studying dif-

ferent subjects so that you do not end up doing the same things for

long periods of time (e.g., solving math problems and balancing chem-

ical equations).

Estimate the Time Needed for Each Assignment

Successfully estimating the amount of time needed for each subject

comes with experience. The better you estimate time, the more real-

istic your study plan will become. However, no one can be on target

every time. It often is not until you begin studying or writing that you

find that you underestimated the time needed to complete the task. If

this occurs, there is nothing wrong with adjusting your schedule the

next day.

Prioritize Tasks

One of the most important factors in developing an effective time-

management system is prioritizing tasks. Not everything you have to

do is of equal importance. You need to decide what task should be

completed first. Smith (1994) discussed the difference between urgent

and vital tasks:

You need to understand that there’s a big difference between

important tasks and urgencies. Some tasks are never going

to be urgent, even though they may be extremely vital. Other

tasks may never be important, but they will be urgent. The

secret is to identify your vital activities and infuse them with

a sense of urgency built into them.... The only way to do

these is to set up a system that takes your deepest values and

translates them into daily activities. (p. 45)

An urgent task requires immediate attention. The most common urgent

task is the telephone. When a phone rings, you say to yourself: “I need