Time Management

Preparing For An Online Graduate Program:

Helpful Hints and Guidance
Time Management Self Assessment
● Do you make lists to help organize things that need to be completed?

● Do you procrastinate when faced with tasks?

● Do you make use of small blocks of time? Do I use my time wisely?

● Do you prioritize tasks that need to be completed?

● What motivates you to complete a task?

● Do plan how you will reach your goals?

● Do you have balance in your life?

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Objectives
● Define time management.

● How do graduate students spend their time?

● Common time management mistakes.

● Prioritizing important tasks and school assignments.

● Identify what are the time wasters. http://sr.photos2.fotosearch.com/bthumb/CSP/CSP272/k19

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● Identifying effective time management for graduate students and online courses.

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Lack of Time Management Skills:
What Can Happen
● Chronic procrastination (lack of motivation and priorities)

● Declining academic performance (due to classloads, family, work, and personal obligations).

● Lack of sleep (the brain is unable to fully understand meaning and concept).

● Poor diet/unhealthy eating habits (increase in high fat and high sugar foods).

● Risk of dropping out or taking longer to complete a degree (30% of students leave college or
take longer to complete a degree).

(Heibutzki, 2018)

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Defining Time Management
● Ask yourself: How do you define time management? How do you manage your time?

● You need to be realistic about online courses.

Online courses are not easier nor will they take less time than face-to-face
courses.

● There are ways to make online graduate learning work. Organization is the key.

● What resources can be found in your (a) family, (b) work, and (c) school to help you
with course work and scheduling?

(Online Universities, 2018)

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How Do Health Science Graduate Students
Spend Their Time?

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 Time Management Mistakes

Failing to Keep a To-Do List Not Setting Personal Goals

Not Prioritizing Failing to Manage Distractions

Procrastination Taking on Too Much

Thriving on “Busy” Multitasking

Not Taking Breaks Ineffectively Scheduling Tasks

(Mind Tools, n.d.)

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 Prioritize Tasks and Assignments
● Respect Deadlines. Meeting deadlines and due dates is an important part of online graduate
school success.

● Set Milestone Deadlines. Break down the assignment and complete in small chunks in allotted
time frames.

● Consider the Consequences. What happens of you do not complete your assignment/task on
time?

● Consider the Time Required. Make a to-do list allocated the time required for each
assignment/task.

● Set Goals: What type of reward comes if you meet your goals in your courses?

(Snell, 2016)

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Quit Wasting Your Time. What are Time Wasters?
● Not knowing what your priorities are before a class or project begins.

● Amount of time spent on social media.

● Computer and software requirements for an online course.

● Interruptions and distractions. Find a quiet place to study and read.

● Not saying “no.” Do not take on too much.

● Not having a game plan for success. In other words, bad planning.

● Poor organizational skills (lack of time management).

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 Graduate Student Time Management Strategies
• Create daily individual tasks/plans . Make separate to do lists to help prioritize.

• Take larger tasks and break them down into smaller tasks. Complete one task before moving
on to the other.

• Prioritize tasks according to importance. Graduate students will schedule too much in small
timeframes.

• Prioritize school assignments. Spend more time working on larger assignments than smaller
ones. However, all assignments are important.

(College Atlas, 2014)

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 Graduate Student Time Management Strategies
• Set deadlines for yourself. Be realistic when setting deadlines. Deadlines can change with
work and personal circumstances.

• Create flexible daily schedules to account for unexpected distractions.

• Study at your mental peak. In other words, are you a morning person or night person. You do
not want to tackle a project when you are mentally fatigued.

• Learn to say “no.” Graduate students will often assume excessive workloads.

• Make use of wasted time by. Every moment counts, so look for opportunities to review notes
and class readings.

(College Atlas, 2014)

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 Time Management Tips for
Completing an Online Course
● Make your course a priority for the duration of the course.

● Set aside a certain amount of time everyday for course work.

● Make a study plan.

● Get rid of distractors.

● Jump ahead and do what you can when you can. Do not procrastinate.

● Be mindful of assignments and task due dates and times. Make a calendar or schedule.

(Burns, 2015)

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More Helpful Tips for Online Success
● Find out what is expected of you from each professor/course.

● Do not be afraid to ask for help.

● Self-pacing (Studying and reading too long can wear you down. Know when to take breaks).

● Back everything up in multiple ways (i.e. external hard drives, memory sticks, a second computer).

● Getting your work done in a timely manner can lead to other rewards, such as more sleep, leisure
time, and family time.

● Check in daily. Log in to your online course management tool (Canvas).

(Yager, n.d.)

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References
• Burns, M. (2015). Completing and online course: 13 time management tips. E Learning Industry. Retrieved
from https://elearningindustry.com/completing-online-course-13-time-management-tips

• College Atlas. (2014). Time management strategies fro graduate students. Retrieved from https://
www.collegeatlas.org/time-management-graduate-students.html

• Heibutzki, R. (2018). How lack of time management affects college students. Seattle PI. Retrieved from
http://education.seattlepi.com/lack-time-management-affects-college-students-1093.html

• Mind Tools. (n.d.). 10 common time management mistakes: Avoiding common pitfalls. Retrieved from
https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/time-management-mistakes.htm

• Online Universities. (2018). The psychology of time management. Retrieved from

https://www.onlineuniversities.com/articles/students/the-psychology-of-time-management/

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References
● Snell, S. (2016). 7 tips for how to prioritize tasks effectively. Vandelay Design. Retrieved from
http://www.vandelaydesign.com/how-to-prioritize-tasks/

● Yager, J. (n.d.). Time management for online learners-10 tricks. E Learners. Retrieved from
https://www.elearners.com/education-resources/online-learning/time-management-for-online-learners
/

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