Managing Your Time

Time is your most valuable possession. Use your time effectively. What's the work? record... Plan the work! prioritize and schedule... Work the plan! do it...

1. RECORD. If we do not make a record, we will not know what we need to do. Why? Our memory fills up. We forget. It slips our mind. So write it down!


2. PRIORITIZE. Imagine, you are mowing the lawn and it needs it. It is important. Then the telephone rings. That is urgent. When you answer it, you find out that the call is not important, but you chat for an hour.
   

Now what? You do not have enough time now to mow the lawn and the sun is going down. What was urgent overruled a more important matter.

Remember, urgent is calling for an immediate action or attention. Important is necessary, of great value, having significance.

Remember to Prioritize

• Spend time on important things before they become urgent.
• Do not be ruled by urgency. Never avoid important work because of merely urgent tasks.
• Do important things early. Waiting until they are urgent just increases your stress level.
• Right after school, check what you have for homework.
• Number your tasks (1,2,3) in order of importance. Complete them in that order.
  


3. SCHEDULE. All right, you have written the tasks down. You know what is important. Now what? Estimate how long it will take to complete each task. Then plan when you will do it. This way, you will always know when you have work and when you have time for other things you enjoy.
   
   Scheduling Tips:
   • Set up a schedule for yourself. It is much easier to motivate yourself to work and complete tasks when it is a habit.
   • Pick a time that works for you. Example: many runners prefer to run in the morning, while others prefer running in the evening. Choose what works for you.
   • When you have few chores or tasks, work ahead or prepare for upcoming bills and other work.
   • Spend more time on things that require improvement.
   • LONG-TERM PLANNING
     Big projects, like painting a room or moving, can seem threatening. They are large, difficult and they take a lot of work. Make it easier on yourself by breaking them up into smaller, more manageable steps. Then just do each step one at a time. Pretty soon, you will have finished the whole project.
     
     • Find out exactly what is expected.
     • Research, if needed (find out where you can get information).
     • Organize your project into smaller units and plan when you will do each.
     • Check yourself before you wreck yourself.
     • Seek help or a second opinion if you feel that you are offtrack.
       
   
   Make the Agenda Your Own:
   
   • Write down events that you need to remind yourself of, like birthdays, parties, trips, sporting events, club meetings and so on.
   • Include family-related activities.
   • Check ahead in your agenda for upcoming events. That way you avoid "double-booking" two events at once.
   • Plan for fitness and HEALTHY LIVING each month/week/day, right in your agenda.
     
   
   
4. DO IT!
   Avoiding Procrastination:
   
   • Just start! Once you get going, it is much easier to continue.
   • Find motivators or muses. Example: listening to music while you work.
     
   • Reward yourself with a treat (healthy snack, television, movie) for working on a project.
   • Work with others. Encourage them and let them encourage you.
   • Think about your goals. Where does this task fit in?
     


5. CHECK AND REVIEW.
   
Check if you missed anything:

• Check off all finished tasks.
• Transfer unfinished tasks to a future date.
  

FranklinCovey

Personal Goals

Generally, if you have a pulse, you have a desire to improve. You may want to be more physically fit or maybe you want to learn to play guitar. Whatever it is, setting goals can help you achieve it.

Once a week (e.g., Saturday or Monday), review your goals. What can you do this week to achieve them?

• I want to learn a new song on guitar.
• I want to run for a minimum of 15 minutes at least once this week.
• I want to find a place to live in Allston and pack a lot more of my stuff.

FranklinCovey

S.M.A.R.T.

S - Specific: specific goals state exactly at what you are aiming. They are not vague or confusing.

Example: My goal is to buy a bass guitar.

M - Measurable: measurable goals state what you want and when you want it.

Example: My goal is to buy a bass guitar by five months from today.

A - Action-oriented: action-oriented goals spell out exactly HOW you will achieve the goal. What will you do?

Example: To buy my bass guitar, I will save $50/month from my earnings.

R - Realistic: realistic goals are possible. They may be hard, but they are not just wild dreams.

Example: If I do not forget about this goal, it is very realistic.

T - Timely: timely goals give you enough time to achieve them, but not too much!

Example: Five months will give me $250, enough for a solid bass guitar.

FranklinCovey

Setting Your Goals

Why? .. How? .. Where?

Goals are simply tools. Like a hammer or a saw, they help you do the things that you want to do. Goals focus your efforts. They take dreams from the air, and plant them on the ground. Make your dreams come true. Set a goal.

FranklinCovey

If I Plan to Learn, I Must Learn to Plan.

What is important to you?

Why are you here?

What do you want to become?

It is important to take a few minutes to think. What does your life hold? Where would you like to be in five years? What kind of life do you want to live?...

What are some of the most important things in life for you?
Well, while I would like to consider other things first, the most important thing to me is myself and my well-being. In order to achieve health, I need to avoid stress or at the very least manage it well. This, above all others things, is quite important to me. I feel that all other things would fall into place if I had good health and peace of mind.

Music is also a very important thing to me. It helps express me in form other than words; it supplements the way I feel; it helps pass the time and makes me feel a little less lonely; and it is a sweet motivator. There is something in music that just cannot be found in other things and I love it for that reason. I do not know what I would do without rock & roll because I do not even want to imagine it. Even when I cannot listen, I still have it in me.

Name three of your dreams.
I want to change the world for the better and have an impact.
I want to see many far and away lands.
I want to be a musician/artist.

What jobs or careers are you interested in?
I am a behind-the-scenes person. I enjoy the fulfillment in creating something for an audience. This is a great way to make perfection in an otherwise imperfect world. In high school I really enjoyed stage crew and newspaper editing. Recently I have helped Televandals during setup for their shows. I like that. I also used to like doing production stuff @ IDL before I moved to support. Correcting and editing is clutch.

What education would you need?
Experience is what I have and would need.

Imagine: You are 25. Where you are? Boston! What are you doing? Living, learning, loving....rockin' out! Where are you going? Wherever the day takes me.....

FranklinCovey