Time management

Dear students,

we mentioned the issue of time management in the second module devoted to information hygiene. As this is a current and useful topic not only for university students, we have decided to devote an entire module to it. With regard to the fact that the topic falls more within the category of soft skills and its e-learning teaching is thus slightly “complicated”, we will give you rather practical advice and recommendations. The material will also briefly mention the issue of procrastination. The module objective is not for you to start applying all rules immediately; you should rather think about them, choose one which suits you best, and start using it step by step.

At the completion of the module you should:

• know the meaning of time management
• be able to determine your own aims and priorities
• be able to describe the Pareto principle
• be able to describe the basic tools for the organization of personal tasks
• know what procrastination means
• be able to apply the basic methods of the fight against procrastination

 

You need two hours for the study of this module.

 

Key concepts

Time management - a set of general recommendations, instructions and tools for an effective organization of your time with the purpose of its more effective use

Procrastination - a pathologic postponement of tasks and decisions accompanied by unpleasant feelings, most often anxiety.

Study material

 

Recommended bibliography

Read some of this books:

 

• David Allen: Getting Things Done
• J. B. Burka - L. M. Yuen: Procrastination: Why You Do It, What To Do About It Now

And a lot of web pages about time management, procrastination, time organization etc. 

 

Homework

• Download documents below.
• Fill in the table three times. First tabel will be your real typical day (e.g. your school day or work day), second your dream day (you can dream about everything) and third will be your real day with good time management (without procrastination but with relaxing!). 
  Tip: Watch some of your typical day and write almost every your activity. 
• Then find some tool (online or offline) which is ideal for your time management. Do not remember to write your chosen tool to your homework document. 

 

Send your homework in .pdf format as one file to e-mail dchytkova@phil.muni.cz till 7. 4. 2013.