Three Rules of Time Management:
1. Manage Yourself
2. Schedule Based on Responsibilities and Values
3. Read and Write More Strategically
Managing yourself entails discerning your core values and your commitments. Make a list identifying 3-5 core areas of responsibility and then arrange them according to priority and importance.
An example of prioritization might be:
1. Personal
2. Church
3. Family
4. Academic
5. Social
How do you discern what a responsibility for you is? Consider what the Lord has entrusted to you, i.e. family, your household, your money. Make sure to define the limits on these responsibilities. For example, when concerning family, is extended family also considered a priority? Are aunts, uncles and second cousins all considered part of your family and a priority?
Break these larger categories down into smaller categories and tasks. Discern within these what is necessary to maintain this area of your life and what is not.
Example:
Personal
Other ideas for discerning responsibilities are writing a mission statement for each category and then evaluating each task against the mission statement to determine if they coincide or not. Resolve yourself to reevaluate your mission statement and duties in each category every so often. Another idea is to ask yourself what your core values are. Pray about this and when you come to a conclusion, write them down and prioritize them.
1. Learn to Read Faster:
Most people read an average of 200-300 words per minute. By increasing your words per minute read to 150-250, you can cut your reading time in half.
Some helpful tips to increase your wpm:
2. Practice Skimming
The purpose of skimming is to gather an idea about the book as a whole without reading the entire book.
Some How-Tos for skimming:
3. Learning to Skim:
4. Learn a Good Research/Writing Process
Researching (50%):
Writing (50%):
Use Zotero Citation Software
Create a schedule for yourself with your core responsibilities by:
Maybe you are not a schedule person but a to-do list person!
Some helpful apps and desktop programs include:
The important thing is to try a few and determine what works best for you.
Other things to remember when scheduling:
Minnesota Assignment Calculator
From their website, "The Assignment Calculator breaks down research and writing projects into manageable steps based on your due dates. Each step includes hints and "how-to" links. You can also sign up to get text reminders for each step."