Deciding What Is Actually Important
January 26, 2015Life is full of meaningful moments, moments when you connect with others and achieve your personal and professional goals. Between those moments, the rest of life happens: the commute, the checkout line, the small talk about celebrities or sports, and the other trivial things that rush in to fill time that you don’t fill yourself. If you’ve been feeling insignificant, under-appreciated, or stressed, your priorities may be out of balance.
For years, the FranklinPlanner system has promoted the Time Matrix chart, a construction that lets you divide your daily tasks and actions based on urgency and importance. Quadrant I is where Important and Urgent tasks intersect. The more time you spend on these tasks, the higher your stress level.
Quadrant II is where the meaningful moments reside. Your most important and productive actions happen when you stay ahead of deadlines and focus on what matters most.
Quadrant III combines the constant pressure with little importance, for a truly frustrating experience. People who spend a lot of time in Quadrants I and III often end up spending the rest in Quadrant IV, trying to ease the burnout with entertainment while passing the time until the next deadline.
So how can changing your plans help you get into the sweet spot of completing your important tasks before urgency strikes? Consider a weekly planning session before your week starts. Review your top priorities, such as upcoming work projects and events in your personal life. Visualize how you’d like each to play out, and then write the corresponding tasks on each day in your planner.
Inevitably, some work projects, emails, and meetings will be urgent and out of your control. But you can plan ahead on the projects you control directly, spreading them out and delegating as needed before they become urgent. Then when the fires crop up, putting them out won’t push your normal work into your personal time.
Sometimes, adjusting your life means deciding on whether something is truly important to you, or whether you’re trying to live up to someone else’s expectations. As you evaluate each task, ask yourself which priority it fulfills for you, or for those around you. Completing tasks for the sole reason of pleasing others tends to be unfulfilling. When you plan your important tasks first, you end up with the satisfaction of completing them.
I have adjusted my work and home schedule to increase my study time. As of today it has not worked out, because of the past snow storm. I had to stay at work for 24 hours, and I have worked 6 days in a row . I\’m happy to say everything is back to normal.
I hope you and yours are safe. Hopefully, you were able to find a silver lining amongst the chaos.
This is interesting, now that I am thinking about it I really need to plan ahead, this will save me a lot of stress.
I can plan my schedule for the week so I won\’t end up stressing and struggling to complete my assignments. In planning my schedule set so many hours to study and time to complete all assignments. I will not complete task so it will be pleasing for others. The task that I do will be for me.
Seems like a good plan
Sounds like a great plan. Do you have any buffer in your plan for unexpected circumstances?
It’s crazy cause I find pleasure in pleasing others. Even though I haven’t yet learned how to only think about Myself, I’ve come to the conclusion that old dogs CAN learn new tricks.
I CAN SO RELATE!!! 🙂
Well said.
-Brandon
I love the part about \”completing certain task for the sole reason of pleasing others.\” I tend to struggle with this as it relates to non-family members. My goal is to correct it immediately! I will also work to not engage in meaningless conversations.
#suckerFREE23
I have so many things that need to be done. I need to prioritize my work. This may free up wasted time that I am constantly using.
I can relate!
Planning ahead of time, the beginning of the week setting top priority tasks up to succeed and manage.
Agreed.
I agree with you. Because I like to plan myself ahead of time, and constantly check if I don’t live anything’s out and set a reminder on my phone or my e-mail wish I check every minute.
I agree with you completely. Preplanning is key.
Same here
I plan my schedule to complete my assignments then unplanned tasks I did not anticipate arises and takes my time away. I try to schedule time a block at a time, and with distractions I have to reschedule. I am dealing with the limited time I have and sometime I do things unscheduled just to readjust from the scheduled time that I could not use.
.I have set days and time to work on my assignments. I use have music to help me keep my focus. Classical music helps me concentrate better than other music
I know for me, it’s too hard to focus on anything while you are listening to music.
I try and set certain blocks of time each day to study and complete homework and if something does pop up I adjust on the fly.
That is a great schedule you have planned out for yourself. I usually plan out my week and allow one day to play “catch up” if in the event I am delayed on my schedule I have set aside for myself.
I can relate, specially in my line of work.
I need to get a handle on my time, prioritizing the way my life NEEDS to work.
I like to plan ahead of time and normally I get important things done. Things that are not so important but I would like to get done, I normally rush through it and burn myself out. I still need to work on managing my time for school as this is an important task for me.
I need to make sure I organize my work over my outside work fun.
Planning ahead and being organized appears to be important factors to a happy and successful life.
I agree! this the key to success.
Always stay one step ahead of stress and frustration.
Planning ahead ahead of Time and setting goals make your daily life much easier.
Thank you. This is helpful.
I try to not engage into idle conversations because it slows me down from what needs to get accomplished. My life is very busy and even though I do like to communicate with people and have fun, I try to priorities what is more important.
I try to not engage into idle conversations because it slows me down from what needs to get accomplished. My life is very busy and even though I do like to communicate with people and have fun, I try to priorities what is more important.
I normally plan everything way in advance, which I normally keep a monthly calender and I try on taking care of the matter prior to the date of the actual event. Thats one thing that the military showed me and thats time management and prioritizing.
I like to drift cars and put my plans in a planner.
I like your style
I plan out my schedule within a week ..i mostly leave to weekend to relax or catchup on certain family issues/ personal life. I do need to get a little better with time management and procrastination throughout the week.
Now, I have how problem with managing my time, so I have write schedule for a week .
Can we learn somehow procrastinate procrastination?
honestly, for some reason I wait till the last minute to start my homework. not good. I must change that.
I have never planned out my daily schedule, this will all be new to me, I’m looking forward to not stressing over time. I plan to start scheduling my weeks out for better time management.
I have a planner that I record important dates and events in so I don’t forget. I never keep up with the amount of time it takes to finish or complete activities on my list, but keeping a time management sheet would definitely help allocate time to other areas of interest or need.
I have never scheduled my week. I have always just done things through out the day and hope to get everything done in time before I go to sleep. But I might have to start scheduling my week.
I’m learning that I need a planner and a weekly plan to stay on schedule. I will dedicate my time more appropriately, giving myself the amount of time for each class.
I have constructed a plan where in the mornings I do as much as I can as far as my schooling. I make sure my phone is not interfering and my other priorities are already token care of. Then I stop at a certain time and focus on the other areas, then return to my remedial tasks a hand. So far this has proven quite effective.
I’m usually on point with time management and prioritizing. This tool will help to enhance my list of prioritizes.
it’s so much easier having your week planned out versus going day by day. Although being in the military it’s hard to plan out a week’s work without something changing. So using my time wisely has been a key factor for my success.
I have never thought of scheduling my daily activities but this is something that will give a try. Hopefully it will make the week go by more smoothly.
i actually keep a budget planner and also a monthly/weekly calendar/scheduler and I use it faithfully! I even went ahead and bought these really cool budget books and calendar books that have stickers and cute little post it packs to make my scheduling almost like scrapbooking. It is alot of fun to get into my calendar and write things in, and the same goes for the budgeting! I actually look forward to digging into that schedule!
The burnout often places me in quadrant four in the evenings and weekend mornings. I think I need to plan better in order to not feel overwhelmed
I have always been able to plan ahead, time management has never been a problem for me, however, I always got the quadrant 1 and 11 mixed up and applied them interchangeably to suit my needs. My meaningful moments reside on my Saturdays, the day is spent mostly with family for pleasure/entertainment. This exercise is an eye opener for me, some things need to be shifted around
I would have to say quadrant four. I need to manage my time my at nights after work.
I keep a planner all the time. it helps me out immensely. I also try to update my reminders in my phone once a week so it will set an alarm for important things like an appointment, or an assignment. I also use it for my customers who are on vacation leave. the reminders help me to know when to redeliver their mail.
I tend to be highly stressed all the time. I have more to do in my day than I do hours. I rely heavily on apps in my phone to remind me of things that are coming up. I set reminder alarms for anything that I can’t move to another day or time. I also have a dry erase calendar in my kitchen where I write everything down so I can see it every day. I’ve also recently started putting sticky notes on my wall by my computer for reminders as well.
I will have to cut back in some non-urgent activities but I feel confident the fruit to my decision will be rewarding down the road.
It seems planning ahead of time is the way to go but the act of accomplishing these plans are sometimes a challenge.
I planned ahead before enrollment. I try to make sure I had my lab top ready to use. Set a place to work.
I have found out that I do better if I write things out and pre plan my day/ week. I end up getting more things accomplished when I do that VS just going with the flow. I have to prioritize my days and my activities on what is most important.
I have short term and long term goals for accomplishing the task of being an online student. I know which days of the week I can devote more time to course work and study and will focus those times on being a student. During the busy work hours during the week, I will focus on work and rest and less time on student activities.
This matrix was definitely an eye opener. I find myself waiting to pay that bill because it is not urgent causing it it go into the important but urgent box in the following weeks to come. Procrastination does cause unnecessary stress. I will try harder to keep important task out of the urgent box to avoid the additional stress. I am pretty good with my down time which would fall in the “not urgent”, “not important” box.
I am still trying to figure out how I’m going to juggle everything between work and school, as well as my personal life. My current job doesn’t leave too much time to do much and my one off day during the week I’m usually trying to cram everything into that one day. Hopefully I can get it together and figure things out so that I am successful at what I’m trying to accomplish.
I recently rearranged my work schedule so I have to commute 4 days instead or 5 or 6. This saves me an hour of drive time a day. Of course my days are longer so I get less time to see my family but more blocks of time to get important things completed. It will take some adjustment time to get everything accomplished and work out the kinks.
Finding time to perform well at work and school will be a challenge. All it take is one crisis at work to throw off my entire schedule.
I have made my education my top priority; of course family time, work, exercise will be part of my daily routine.
Easier said than done. Making time is a big challenge but worth it if only you what to achieve anything of value in life.
I feel like I set certain small goals of things I want to accomplish daily. For example on a Saturday I don’t have work I will first priority go to the gym at nine am. after that it may be grocery store, some food prep, laundry, vacuum and study. I try to prioritize whats important on my list and go from their. I try to keep the list in the range of doable tasks that don’t overwhelm me. My friends try to distract me a lot by inviting me or trying to convince me to do other things not on my list. I’ve gotten pretty good at sticking to my guns and staying focused but it is hard sometimes!
Small grocery runs, meal planning on the day of, things like that i need to plan ahead to better have the more time for the daily most urgent things. Starting a visual planner on hand instead of mentally trying to keep track of a week of family activities, work, household chores, study and homework time has also been helpful.
I have a work calendar and a personal calendar. And a paper planner. Personal calendar is electronic and the whole family uses. Paper planner has week view at a time. Has meal planning incleded, area for notes, things to remember and is custom built the way I make it, cant live with out it. But I am finding it hard to find the time to put every thing in it.
Well said.
Having been a teenage mother of 6 daughters, I have mastered the technique of prioritizing as well as time management. This has been such a habit that I implement this on a daily basis. Even though they are all grown and on their own, I still implement my daily tasks with my every day life through time management. As the saying goes,” old habits are hard to break” and I must say this is a good one to always have.
I plan my weekly schedule the Friday before the following week. Therefore I’m able to space out time for the very important tasks, basically I plan my time based on what is needed to be done with having the things I consider first priority such as myself, job, school. Without setting time for yourself you can’t be productive.
I recently was promoted at a new location and I have a lot to learn to live up to the promotion. Finishing my degree is very important so I’ll have to use grit and better schedule discipline.
I find it less stressful to get ahead of deadlines in all areas of my life(school, work, etc.) just in case something comes up that I have to handle, or there is something that I have to do that I know is going to take a long time or require more focus.
My job is consistently changing so planning can be hard. What I do is map out the goals and tasks I have upcoming for the week and strive to meet those deadlines. I understand that change and last minute urgency will always be there but being able to plan out my tasks and briefing them to my boss can make for a less stressful environment.
I write out my task to accomplish at each morning and prioritize them in order from most important to least. This has helped me stay on task and get the most out of my work day.
I try to plan a daily depending on my work. Sometimes I adjust my workout schedule or modify the activities to manage schoolwork better. This provides me with more time for my assignments and personal time.
I plan my days weekly and daily with the family calendar, work schedule and class calendar for due assignments. My children have schedules and there are multiple things going on daily including weekends. I set up reminders in my calendar to remind me through my phone and this is helpful.
I try to plan my days according to the tasks that I have to complete that day. One thing to note about my job is that things are always changing and nothing is ever set in stone so it makes it kind of difficult to stick to a specific routine. I’m working on having a flexible study schedule to mitigate the effects of my hectic work life.
I realized that M-F i am at the mercy of my work. Being a soldier out in the field one week to late nights the next week can be extremly challenging and unpredictable., However, i now know that the weekends i need to dedicate to school work first.
I like to hit the ground running and work ahead, it’s a learned trait from two decades of not enough time in the schedule, so front loading is necessary to ensure enough work gets done. Unfortunately with the most current situation, now my wife is working from home and the kids are not in school and it is defiantly messing with me that I have to accomplish this assignment at the last possible minute because this is the time available to me.
I try to manage my time and my schedule, however, there are times that the world goes bonkers.
I try to get the more important things done earlier in my week to leave the rest of the week more stress free and to give myself time to do other more enjoyable things
I have learned to manage my schedule as life occurs. That is to say, my work and lifestyle dictate my schedule. What I have found to be effective is priority management. I prioritize key events, work & college suspense’s and family obligations then add them to my phone calendar with reminders. It’s been working for the past four years or so. However, I have realized that work commitments have intruded into academic and quality time. Incidentally, I will attempt to adhere to a strict 9-4 office schedule for a week in order to determine if I can sustain my work load and improve academic and quality time in the process.
I learned the concept of important non-urgent tasks. I will try to spend most of my time in that area; that would allow me to spike my productivity as well as limiting the level of stress.
I find it less stressful to stay ahead of deadlines, because it allows me time to focus on more difficult tasks before they are do.
I agree with that, Thomas.
Setting priorities is a must! Now can I follow what I have written down??? Well, I sure hope so! I can see how taking out the ‘clutter’ in my day can help me focus on the important goals I have for myself.
As a returning college student in my second week of online classes I am learning again to prioritize my time and schedule. I do not have children living at home any longer so this makes a huge difference in limiting distractions and being able to stick with my tentative plan.
I have a job where i am scheduled only on the weekends, i work a total of 24 hours but the bonus is we get paid like we worked a 40 hour week. I like to pick up another 16 hours as its a bonus to my check for vacations. When i began college classes again i quickly realized how time consuming it is and I needed to better prioritize and work less during the week to open my study time for during the day while my husband and kids work so i have the evening with them all. I also learned to have my surroundings quiet with no distractions except the fan running for the quiet noise. I start with assignment in the am, take a break, come back in the afternoon and sometimes the evening.
I’m scheduled to work 40 hrs a week, but always end up working more. I’ve set a timer, a reminder for me to log off at the 8 hr mark. I haven’t been back to school in a very long time so I forgot how time consuming it can be. I too needed to better prioritize as well to gain more study time. I am still a work in progress, but I’m confident I’ll get there.
This is exactly where I’m at at this point. I haven’t got it together yet and I’m a work in progress also.
Using a calendar to write down all of my “must be done” tasks, forces me to prioritize my day and is also rewarding when everything is accomplished. If a task is not completed, it is added to another day to finish so it’s not forgotten.
Business before pleasure is key in my life. I find that when I accomplish the business aspect of my day, the pleasure(fun) part is so much more rewarding.
I agree with that. I myself have looked into starting budget for my finances but never thought that I can do the same for my time. Reading about making a budget for my time is totally required and need to become successful.
I try try try but fail to get the necessary work completed when I want to.
Ii think that you have given a good example of how most people prioritize their days.
When I made the decision to return to school I did an exercise similar to this. I still don’t feel like I have enough time in the day or week but applying this exercise regularly to my schedule really helps.
I have a set schedule and routine for work so that part of my day always stays the same. However, I am now doing home schooling with my 6 yr old and no 2 days are the same. The hours can literally drag. I wake up early to work on assignments and after dinner as well.
I make time to study. I make a time where I have to really focus more so I keep at it. I sometimes have to write down stuff so I can remember it. I have some difficulties at time but I keep pushing myself to make time to do my class work and make sure I study harder as well.
I have learned that with multiple requirements in my life, family, work, and college work will have to be monitored closely in order to be successful. I will need a planner/calendar and calendar reminders to keep a good time management skills.
I am taking my lunch to work with me and closing my door at lunch to work on homework and study. Also when after my kids go to sleep I go over assignments for at least 30mins a night.
When I did the how many hours a day do you really have task… I ended up with more to do in a day than hours if I got any more than 5.5 hours of sleep which is sadly what I average. Maybe the key for me in the future will be to only take one course at a time.
Before reading the material I actually started a schedule and routine but I have realized it can change and that has happened frequently. I find it challenging to do school work during the main business hours as there are phone calls, paperwork, emails,etc. that need to be attended too. I set a time a day that I try to end all other activites and focus on school related material, whether it’s reading, computer work, writing.
I knew that once i started online college i would have to set aside a good amount of time during the week to focus and complete my work. I think i do well with time management however there is still never enough hours in the day sometimes with 2 kids and multiple other daily responsibilities. Using these tools will give me other ideas.
I will need to prioritize by putting myself first. Learn how to let my children tackle situations on their own. It’s a challenge and I’m gonna make every effort to stick to my plan.
I like a lot of the ideas on here, planning time each week based on priorities is a great idea. I’ve never been much of a planner, and it showed after I did the time management exercise.
I work FT Mon – Fri in addition to home “duties”, I find that my school time starts at 6 pm and go until I can barely keep my eyes open (I know this is bad). The sad part is that I’m unable to do any school work during my lunch time due to portions of assignments being restricted on work computers. I’m working on spending alternating nights a week just focusing on one class instead of trying to do both classes on the same night. If anyone has a better solution, I’m open to hearing it in order to be a better student.
At a glance, I believe that I could utilize the planner if my schedule was the same every day and every week. The problem is my normal day is a constant adjustment of priority to meet deadlines. Sometimes it’s uneventful and other times, it’s controlled chaos.
there are a lot of good tips on here for time management. After 5pm till about 9pm is when I’m able to do school work without making my kids feel left out, however the last 3 days I’ve been waking up at 5am since I don’t have to be at work till 9am I use that time to either reflect on what I read the night prior or read again if I’m still not understanding it.
Time is not something I like to admit. Having the kids home from school is an ongoing process and time is not on my side. One day we are on schedule and the day flies. The very next day my Kindergarten thinks the world is about to end, and I have to hold him…all day! Patience is a virtue is what I was told one time.
Time management is very important especially when deciding what I must do first. There are only so many hours in the day available to me since work, the family, and emergencies require their allotment upfront. Deciding what I do first is paramount if I desire to do my best at college work, such as studying, writing, and researching.
I like to write out everything on a planner. This way I know what work is ahead of me!
The chart is insightful but in my opinion not realistic to execute continuously. Work, parenting, and life happens without warning and most times you have to be reactive to situations as they occur. When these curve balls happen, I am not actively thinking about putting them in the appropriate qaudrant, I react to resolve and get back on track.
Definitely a great tool and in most cases if asked, what quadrant is most important, the answer would be “I” which lead to headaches. My answer now would be quadrant “II” as it would lessen the stress!
The time matrix plan seems to be a strong system. Implementing this system will be a great help in managing my time.
i definitely need to manage my time better. I’ve never been able to plan things out in my life. Its always been hurry we’re late. i think using a planner is probably my best bet now.
I agree time management is a problem, I plan out my week and weekend to study and homework. It never fails that something comes up to take away from my study time. I am taking test to get my RAC certification, and taking two classes in addition to working a full time and part time job. I will have to make my plan and stick to it. If it is not an emergency it can wait, that is what my way of thinking now.
Annie,
Time do feel like it goes by fast. But what I’ve learned in this lesson is Urgency should be your number one priority and Importance is you can always come back to it. Put all your time on the task that you know you really need to get it done. The importance task are the once that falls under your spare time.
After using the time planer, it made me realized how much time I was wasting. I am now going to adjust my time to spend less doing other unimportant stuff. Timer spent at work is unpredictable and can not be controlled considering the type of profession you are in. I think i need to concentrate on how to divide the rest of the time into a fix schedule which will be invested into my studies. This will reduce my stress level.
I have completed several online classes and I have learned to have a plan of attack for the week and it works 75% of the time. Unfortunately life gets in the way of my plans and creates more urgent work on my part but with a full-time job and family I have to roll with it and spend some late nights catching up.
David,
I have struggled with time for awhile now, and that is so true about “just roll with it”. I’ve put a stop on one of my important goals, due to me not having enough time. I had 4 goals to get done this year, but i decided that I have next year to complete what i haven’t accomplish, it made me sad but at the same time it’s a relief.
Life always gets in the way of my plans even when I do not speak my plans out loud.
I find it interesting and always surprising when I read someone else’s blog and think “I know what they mean when they say that”. I can agree with so many of these posts. One in particular that I found that I could relate to was one that had made a comment to spend less time in meaningless conversations. I have learned that sometimes those meaningless conversations could turn in to something more meaningful if you just let the conversation play out.
“Life is full of surprises” as I filled out the time matrix plan to see why am I struggling with time management, it shows that I have had no time for myself or time to spent with my family. I have always struggling with time due to changes, and suddenly surprises. For example I signed up for 2 college classes that starts from 1pm-5pm and i go to work from 0630-1230 that will give me 30 minutes to refresh and prepare for class. But it’s hard in the Army, out of nowhere we got called we are leaving for a mission in a week with no time or schedule. I told myself I can do it because I will be taking my laptop with me, but that was a whole new story there was no internet the only time I can get on internet was through my hotspot and that is from 2pm-10pm. Just to say I’m still struggling planning my time management due to unexpected and unknown plan.
Good to notice that lot’s of students have similar problems as I do. I need to prioritize and seriously manage my time well in order to be successful in my course
Managing time is very important to complete your online course, especially if you are a full time worker as well. The information in the above is helpful information. I will apply a time metric into my schedule and utilize wisely.
Life always happens, but keeping a plan ahead of time keeps you in front of most obstacles.
I need to put quadrant II into quadrant I in order to complete tasks in a timely fashion.
Hi
Even with a hectic schedule I have to try to see how I can incorporate more to complete task timely without stresd
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I keep a full schedule and this helped me figure out how to prioritize so I don’t become overwhelmed.
I have a full schedule between, school, work, and my family. I tend to be good at time management, but it seems the days fly by. But trying to plan my week ahead seems to prevent me from getting overwhelmed by it all.
I am lucky I work from home and have the ability to adjust my schedule as needed.
I have a day planner I refer to every day plus all my devices are synced so I can’t forget anything
This is a neat strategy of thinking about stress and organizing tasks. I like it.
Keeping an advanced schedule always helps make the work not as overwhelming.
I am so busy I always feel like I am running behind or late on things I should be doing.
There seem to always be competing requirements in my life. Finding the balance is always a daily struggle. There are only so many hours and things do not stop. I am working constantly on trying to prioritize issues at work with other requirements that are important as well. At the end of the day it is one bite at a time.
I plan in advance and always leave time for relaxing and self care. I also am very ok with things not getting done that are not urgent. I am very flexible.
I am lucky to have recently retired; I no longer have to get up and go to work! My children have been independent for several years. I have no excuse but to be successful in organizing my time in order to complete these last 15 weeks of school.
I’ve been listing out my “needs” vs “wants” to help prioritize tasks.
I’ve never planned anything on a schedule but I see the benefits of it. I will challenge myself to stay above schedule so I won’t fall into the habit of stressing myself to finish tasks.
I’ve never planned anything on a schedule but I see the benefits of it. I will challenge myself to stay above schedule so I won’t fall into the habit of stressing myself to finish tasks.
Since COVID-19 have been around, it’s hard
to schedule anything outside of inside family time.
I have a problem with managing my time efficiently , so I have write schedule for day to day
Appears to be a great approach to trying to figure out how to prioritize your time, then life happens.
I’m usually really good with a weekly/daily planner. but with covid and teleworking i think i have more time. but its actually the same i just find myself with more distractions
I have adjusted my schedule to allow the time for studying and completing the necessary assignments. It is easier for me to break it down by allocating at least 2 hours a day to classwork.
I have now put everything into my Levenger to stay more organized. I will commit to looking at this on a regular basis.
I was once pretty good at time management but a 2019 baby and a year like 2020 just blow my method out of the water. I’m hoping that a calendar and reminders will help.
Currently, going through more classes than I thought I would have time to complete, and although I am tight on time, it’s going well. I am also currently working on a coffee brand, which also takes a lot of time and it is difficult to incorporate into the daily schedule, however, it is also showing promise. It has taken time, but I have been able to implement the quadrant to my daily life in a productive manner.
I struggle with time management. I work better in an office at a desk for studying. I fool myself everything I try to sit in my room on my bed to study beside my phone, I get so easily distracted and bored that way.
I just started, this is all new to me, not sure how many classes I should take at one given time. Currently one class gives me a lot of free time so I will be pick more classes as I go . Managing my time has to be a priority, working full time and taking classes is a challenge I need to be on top of,
I have set aside time to complete my course studies. I have numerous doctor appointments so I have to cut out my exercise and my socialization to keep the time I set aside for my courses for this week. To better keep my self on schedule I am relying on my phone reminder to help me keep organized.
This is my first class in years and I have made my schedule and posted it on the refrigerator door so that my family can see. It goes as followed: Mommy needs 2 hours of quietness in the office from Monday to Friday during the evening. (8-10pm)
Mommy needs 4 hours on Saturday and Sunday mornings, so tell your father to take you out for breakfast. (8-12pm).
So far, I have managed to stick to this schedule! Yeah me!
Time management is essential yet so challenging
Well said, planning ahead of time and not procrastinating is the main thing I need to do. I’m a nurse and I work long hours so when I get home I am tired. I am trying to set aside time to focus more on schoolwork.
I’ve always used a planner to keep myself organized, especially when it comes to remembering things for my children, like school events, days off, and doctors appointments. Now I have to add in assignment due dates for the courses I am and will be taking.
I am going to try a beginning of the week planner and see how that works out.
I made a schedule for the upcoming weeks which have increased my exercise, increased daily time for upcoming assignments and consolidates much of the time I spend cooking by having a couple of designated food prep days. This cuts down daily cooking and kitchen cleanup. Rather than procrastinating on cleaning I scheduled it right after morning exercise so that my 2 least favorite things aren’t hanging over my head all day or skipped. It will feel good to keep a tighter schedule. It should help me succeed.
I struggle with managing My time. I manage two nutrition stores and run social media for a supplement company. I also workout six times a week and train people on the side. I need to set reminders on My phone and set time aside to get work done.
I have set up specific times for course work in the morning before the day gets away from me and I am scrambling to get school work done.
I am trying to keep my priorities straight and not to engage in idle talk, unimportant or check my emails and messages while I am doing college work.
I plan ahead, and I set a specific time aside for the big things. I try to be as specific as possible, be flexible.
At work I am able to create a pritoritized to do list in order to get my work done efficiently. However, once I get home I start to feel burnt out and I have a hard time prioritizing my studying. I am going to try creating a planner at the beginning of each week to make my school work feel less daunting.
I tend to be and last minute, to sit down for two hours everyday and do work so things shouldn’t pile up.
I will do weekly planners in addition to my daily planners which I sometimes forget to do, with every time slot to plan out my days and get more accomplished in my current life.
i seem to prioritize well its just when changing gears from work speed to then home and trying to study after a long day at work of 12-13 hours is hard. My job is very demanding both mentally and physically. i need to find ways to not take work home with me and then focus on my class and son and home stuff.
I am usually a procrastinator. I will definitely try this time matrix.
I work a split shift now. Next week is going to be hard because I will have 1 day off because of the nurse being gone and I was just informed I would have to work. supposedly the other nurse forgot she had something schedule that she can’t’ unschedule for her own day off. So im put in a bind at work. So I’m hoping to get as much done over the weekend for next week so that I can continue with my school work.
I found I waste a lot of time doing tedious cleaning around my house. I also waste time on social media. I will try to better prioritize my time so I have enough time to complete my class assignments.
Looking at this matrix, I see myself in Quad I/II….but I will drift into Quad IV…looking for that mental escape from everything. Can’t really spend time there to escape because Quad I always seem to reset..quickly or there is a new requirement.
I have the tendency to procrastinate and take a “brain dump” break when it may not be needed. Utilizing this quadrant will definitely help set aside time for studying to ensure I am not already looking for that “brain dump” break 5 minutes into it.
I am a person who likes to get ahead or get things done on time. I don’t like to procrastinate. This quadrant seems like it will be very helpful with juggling your daily task. The quadrant is also a good visual to look at instead of looking at a to-do list.
I find that when I go home having made someone happy, it motivates me to be better, but sometimes I feel like I’m not present at home because I end up having to bring work home, and although she doesn’t say it, I totally know my wife gets annoyed.
I work full time, am a wife and mother to 6 kids, and am the main housekeeper of our family (cooking, cleaning, laundry, packing lunches, etc.) because my husband owns his own business and is our primary source of income. I really struggle with determining what is the most important task/tasks in a week because I think everything needs to get done at the same time, rate, and with the same amount of quality. I really want to try to use the methods I have learned through these readings to help organize priorities to feel less overwhelmed by my responsibilities to the many tasks I have in a weeks time.
I am a procrastinator and I will give the time matrix a try. I have not mastered the time matrix yet!
I have a very busy schedule therefore, It’s easier for me to prioritize and schedule everything I need to get done on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. I like like the reminder feature on my iCalendar.
Lukus
I changed my schedule at work, to be able to have more time. I feel as though I spend my time wisely. I am able to get everything done and still have more time than I thought I would. I’m actually working four more hours than my previous shift, but gained a day by working twelve hour shifts instead of eight hour shifts. Grouping my days together gives me a good stretch to be able to accomplish the things that I want and have to do.
Well since I knew ahead of time how strained my job was I cut down to two days a week, on weekends night shift. Occasionally they need help but I have to remind myself to limit working extra. Starting in the evenings on Monday after I sleep from the weekend work I get prepared and organized for the week ahead. Like meal plan, What is priority for college assignments, due dates. Then I plan house hold chores and my husband priorities around what’s important for me. So for the majority to since I have two classes I study and write assignments for 3-4 hours each and in between with a break for cooking and catching up on other task like emails, work reminders, such. I try to give myself at least a 2 hour break then I will switch to the other class. That is my plan everyday of the week Monday through Friday unless I have to travel out or something but I have been making sure that I don’t have to right now and for the next 6 weeks or so. If something comes up I will plan it for late Monday or early Friday. Cause currently I have no assignments due on those days. So I can say it’s working studying between two courses 20 hours a week. When I have more time I use it to help with managing my time. My goal is never to be up pasted 1AM in the morning studying and that way I at least can get up to 6 hours of sleep. I try and nap too when I can. if I get 6-8 hours in the day done. that is my break and I rest for 2 hours then start studying again. It’s not bad but My focus is only self right now and this goal is getting closer.
I got off to a late start. I had a little technical issue plus some human errors. I am now doing things a little ahead of time in order not to be late. It is working so far.
I see the importance of being organized. It is something I am starting to do.
I must manage my time better and stop procrastinating!
I have to agree with Sara, I have a tendency to procrastinate myself and with my situation, time management is key for me or I will fail miserably.
As long as I keep my time management in check I will accomplish what I want to accomplish, which is to earn my BS degree.
This is actually on the whiteboard in our conference room. The sections short and long term goals are listed. As drive by request come in they are categized against existing items. Very effective system to stay on track.
I have to plan my schedule better. There alot of tasks / goals that I have to get to. If I wont use my time wisely Ill fall behind.
Being a nurse for a number of years now has taught me a lot about time management. I am normally an organized person. I write things down and try to plan ahead. I have learned over the years that, at times, I can be a procrastinator. I work best under pressure. Sometimes leaving things until the last minute has proven successful for me. As I get older, I have learned this could also back fire. One thing goes wrong and then what? There’s no extra time. I have become much better with planning and time management and prioritizing is key.
I find that having a full understanding of all of my obligations, even down to the details of how much effort is is going to take to accomplish things whether it be with work, school work or family life, makes my life much less stressful. There will always be things that crop up that you can not plan for, but by planning out all of the things that you can anticipate, more times than not, you will be able to find time to solve these unforeseen problems.
I realize that I have to manage my time better and stop leaving everything for the last minute!
If I think about it, nothing in my life is urgent… everything can wait.
Planning ahead and organizing can make staring and finishing a project much easier.
Must prioritize and manage my time better!
I prioritize my time based on urgency.
i can take the time to write things down to feel a bit organized and not so overwhelmed while completing my work
I manage time better by making lists and using a calendar to keep track of dates when things are due.
I use a calendar to put my weekly assignments, appointments, family activities and other important events. Due to my crazy work schedule, it sometimes can be hard to complete them in a timely manner, but i find ways to make it happen.
I feel that I do well in understanding what is important and what is not.
I try my best to organize my time. I do put what is urgent, to be done first, but sometimes life happens. There’s not much I can do about that. I can only try to improve on organizing my tasks.
The part that sticks out the most to me is being constantly, cognitively aware of how you are spending time. I think I’ve just been flying by the seat of my pants only loosely mapping out what I’d like to get done in a day or week.
Writing lists, planning, and prioritizing is what works for me. I have to re-write my list every few days to keep it up to date and not let older, lower-priority items fall off of my plate.
Right now I am trying to figure out how my new schedule will look with school and work. I decided to start school during the busy season at work so working on school has been a little challenging and I am working on less sleep then I would like most days. But my plan has been to try to work on school 2 hous a day, an hour for each class. I have put reminders in my personal calendar for each assignment and when it’s due and I also put notes in each day for what part of the module I will be working on.
I work full time as nurse where overtime is often required. My shifts are varied, as they are swing. I find it hard to manage appointments and have a set schedule to set aside time for studying and self care. I need to make a point to prioritize these as goals in my life.
I have no actual time to do anything besides work. Its crazy that I put 40hr of work in only 4 days of the week. I don’t even know how I’m taking college courses now. Being in the military in a leadership position does that to military members as myself. I need to learn how to schedule my time in order to hit ands make deadlines.
I think that I would benefit more in using a planner for what tasks are due and when they are due. I then need to schedule set hours to complete my coursework.
I realized I do not make enough personal time for me to get my school work done. Having my kids on a persist schedule is perfect and what i need to get done for myself as well.
My focus is to plan my day time wisely and understand that I must stick to the plan or fall behind. I am now operating on less sleep as my work days are long and I still have course work to catch up on every day. It is very challenging but I am in this for the long haul. To Me: GOOD LUCK.
I realized that I need to balance more the time I spend in each quadrant. Planing my day better will allow me to succeed in life.
I start my week out by writing a list of what all is due in each class, post it on my wall by my desk so I can mark it off as I get it done, this keeps me on task & shows me the progress I accomplish as I get each item & assignment done.
I feel like this is true for all of us in deciding what is urgent and non-urgent. I do know I do not make enough personal time for myself, as I take the kids to and from sporting events, make dinner and also work a 40 hour a week job. Now adding school full time as well this will come in handy to look at and prioritizing my time.
I start my week with writing a list of things that I need to do, prioritizing what is important and urgent first. I review this list often and I make sure that I am on track.
I started waking up an hour and a half earlier. This way I could take care of some stuff that I will usually do during the day, so I could use that time for study. I also try not to let myself do any work later in the day, so I know that I have time for family, and to relax.
I haven’t always done this, but now that my kids are in school and i have an infant at home with me and a husband who works I have started planning out my weeks ahead of time to cut down on the hecticness of a family of 5. This includes writing family events, kids activities, and appointments on the calendar and i have also started planning out dinners for the week as well and hit has helped with getting dinner faster and sooner.
Since this is the first course, I now have to really prioritize my time and get the important or urgent things done first. But life does get in the way.
I know I dont prioritize things correctly. I have to learn to make time for my family and not worry so much about watching the newest shows or movies that have come out. I need to set aside time for school and make sure I won’t be interrupted by everything else I have going on.
I have devised a plan to write bullet points on a post-it note. The bullet points are the thoughts that keep me awake at night. If I finish these bullet points I reward myself with scheduled game time.
I struggle often with prioritizing. I have three children that range in age from twenty three to two. It feels as though each is in demand of something at all times. Then layer that with a husband, two jobs and now school. I need to get better at actually blocking out time where I am unavailable to everyone so that I can focus on school, and recharging myself to avoid the burnout. I can definitely use the concept of the four quadrants and ensure I’m not wasting minutes on things that I ultimately don’t have time for.
Each student looked at time management differently in their life! I could talk all day about changing times, but it is actually finding a program that works for you. You actually have to apply to all your plans to improve your time management skills. If something is not working in your plan, rethink the obstacles and modify your plan.
Learning to prioritize life into manageable chunks, instead of a mad dash for a large portion of things that needs to be done.
I struggled a lot with prioritizing what’s important and what activities to tackle first. This planner helps so much. Will schedule my activities and dues based on this.
I have a hard time with priority, because I really hadn’t had to do it, because I wasn’t taking any classes, all my time for the most part was my time.
I didn’t realize that I was going on autopilot. I really have to think what should I be doing now – is this what I want to be doing right now?
I like the fact that our activities were broken down into quadrants. I will definitely use this as a guide henceforth.
Its eye opening to learn this material, most of it we know, we just don’t incorporate. We are all extremely busy, doing a little bit each day makes a daunting task easier to accomplish. Slow and steady, right?
I am learning new words at 50. A huge one for me is executive dysfunction . I struggle to prioritize.
I wonder often about my weekly time and where it all goes. I think using the schedule aid and the quadrant will help to balance what is expected and is desired. There is always ways to improve so that schedules can be less hectic at times.
I am all about planning. If anything I over plan and do have a hard time when to many things pop up that I don’t plan for as I have a very full schedule with very little wiggle room. I am going to work on leaving more room to have some down time and if the down time is not needed I will roll it into extra study time. I also have alerted my friends, work and family that it is very important for you to focus this year and I will not be able to help as much as I usually do with extra shifts, family events and helping out in general.
I will be using a planner to tract what’s important and when things are due, this tools is excellent on balancing your priorities. For me I think everything is important so I don’t want to run into the problem of overwhelming my self with things that can be part of the Quadrant II.
The Quadrant I-IV are a good idea to visualize priorities. “Completing tasks for the sole reason of pleasing others tends to be unfulfilling. When you plan your important tasks first, you end up with the satisfaction of completing them.” I hope that “satisfaction” is the outcome. Could FranklinPlanner develop a tool that sends an urgent email to the emergency that includes something to the effect: “Sorry it’s not in my planner, Please schedule in advance!”
Thats a great schedule Jeanne being able todo in the morning and evening is always a plus!
I found my work schedule has way too many hours (80/week) and to increase my time for schoolwork I’ll need to cut back my work hours. My schedule is extremely full with 3 kids and sports.
I really like the way that chart was explained. Very often, we think we are using our time wisely, but really, we are not. We cause ourselves burnout and added stresses that are not necessary. I am saying this for myself, and I think others can agree. If we would learn to manage our time better, we would be successful in many things in our lives.
Visualizing the outcome of completing a task is a method I have never considered before. And thinking about from that perspective seems like it can be beneficial in reducing feelings of anxiety often associated with needing to complete a task.
If you have a lot on your plate the quadrants can help you figure out the things you need to accomplish and in what order to start clearing your plate.
I will also be using the planner because it really let me see I still have a lot of time available to do more in my day
I really like the way the how the quadrants was organized because as Heidi mentioned it shows visualization and priority.
I understand I have work and a commute to make everyday. I set aside time for my family and my school work daily. I allows leisure time during the weekend and if I finish ahead of schedule.
I have always believed in planning, that give you a good idea of what to expect during the week and also don’t miss important or due dates. to always have priorities and a schedule keep you organized and able to complete your responsibilities in order without the need of rushing everything that at the end is not performed as you wanted.
I realized that I need to work on Quadrant II-somethings my husband is always telling me to do. So, all along he has been right. Hopefully, that will relieve some stress during a busy working and student lifestyle. I always ask for a planner every Christmas from my “kids”. I will continue this tradition to help organize my days.
This looks like a paradigm shift from a symmetrical circle to a square to me. My eyes are round not square. Quadrant 1-4 are squares. Nothing
I am doing is square, so this looks difficult to me. I have to think inside the box like a Rubik’s cube. This “Time Matrix” is like a square wave in digital time. This might explain the accuracy of digital time sequencing of robots, like when PLC’s (Program Logic Controller) are programmed. This is very enlightening. Thank you for the opportunity to learn such things.
This was an eye opener for me. such an organized way to manage my time.
I agree with Carol, I am lacking in quadrant two and thats where all the good stuff happens!
Prioritizing you day is of the utmost importance for time management. the franklin method allows you to take of what you deem urgent first, leaving you time to spare for other things.
Prioritization is very important. Working on the most important task but still making time for the “non-essential” task that are still important. Planning and working on an expectation calendar of what needs to be completed during a time frame.
I like the chart but I’m being honest with myself, I don’t think to use a chart or anything to plan out my week, maybe if I start will have a better outcome
I am thankful for automatic bill-pay through my bank, one less thing to worry about. I am also grateful that I have a small boutique real estate agency to spend my day in and do college courses. At home is extremely difficult to balance a 10-year-old son, a 2-month-old daughter, and 20 acres of land. The field may become overgrown in two years, but I will ensure my family time does not suffer the same fate.
I part about weekly planning before events occur is a good one, I have been attempting to do this since school started. Right now my cup is running over, I need more practice in the organization then maybe it will fall in place.
The chart was informative. I plan to utilize the chart but knowing myself, hope it doesn’t turn out like my new year resolution of losing weight.
I agree – only through prioritizing one can succeed
As a newly initiated older adult learner, I will need to develop a planner/schedule to ascertain I accomplish all academic, work, family & personal tasks are met. I will need to practice and develop these strategies to include academic work.
I like to think that when its time for me to get things done both urgent and nonurgent, I am able to do so. I set myself up for things from top to bottom and remind myself of what i can do and set goals that are reachable.
My time and commitments are easier to manage now than I previously thought. I used to become stressed and think to myself, “how am I going to get it all done” What I realized over the years is that you learn to prioritize and make adjustments.
Being currently enrolled in school to become an RN is my main focus right now. Anything else will get done as it always has been, when my priorities are handled first.
What is important to me is completing my degree within 18 mouths or less.
I put everything in google calendar. It reminds me when something that I have to do comes. up
I’ve learned you have to prioritize and have time management. I usually spend my time in in quadrant I and III trying not to make it to quadrant IV. There way to success is through balance, you have to balance it all otherwise you will burn yourself out. Plan ahead of time.
The chart is very helpful to me when organizing my work/ school/ life balance.
This was eye opening for me and made me realize that I can be known to procrastinate due to feeling overwhelmed with the tasks at hand.
I am the type of person that I plan out my day in advance to create a routing. Once I’m set in my routine it’s easier to stay on track.
I like to plan ahead, but majority of the time I get caught up in completing and perfecting one activity and loose track of what else I need to do. Currently I am focused on getting my RN
something to consider. However, life can be unpredictable so perhaps not something to set in stone.
I have a planner that I plan my days and weeks out ahead of time. If I didn’t have it, I would be lost! As I complete tasks, I cross them out so that they aren’t floating around in my mind stressing me out. One thing I could do that would make school easier for me would be to plan specific assignments out on particular days, so that I’m not trying to do too much in one day.
I am a true procrastinator!!! This information was very enlightening, will definitely start using my calendar more often.
I procrastinate and I always have. This section of reading and listening to the videos were very enlightening and informative. I have already ordered a calendar and started to figure out my time management better.
I attempt to to plan my week/ time out in advance, although with a toddler things don’t always go as planned I try to stick to my schedule as strictly as I can.
I like to make a planner and stick to my plan unless there is some emergency such as kids getting sick or there is the extra time required to help them with their school projects. However, life is unpredictable that’s why there is always that “what if” moment and andything can happen but the best thing is that we try our best and face that.
I always start the year out using a planner trying to keep track of things that I have to do and allotting enough time to get those things done. However, I find myself not using the planner that is supposed to help keep me organized. So I always try to get the most important things done first and the not so important things get done whenever I can get them done.
I’m learning to be better at planning and scheduling times to do things. I have a calendar to write everything down on to keep my thoughts in order.
I always utilize planners. I have one for personal and one for business/ school. This helps me prioritize what is important and what can wait. It helps me remember dates and times. Staying organized helps me to not become overwhelmed.
I have always been taught to have a planner and keep a schedule every day. I am also someone who starts and eventually find myself reverting back to my old ways of just keeping a memory database of what to do. I used to be a procrastinator at times. Especially things that are easy to do. However, as I have matured I fully take advantage of my calendar. Enjoying planning out my week and crossing off things Ive completed. It has allowed to manage time better. I have adopted this practice over the last year and although not 100% consistent , I see 1000% improvement.
I print out the calendar and I allot myself time when it is quiet to focus. It is very hard to focus as my daughter is 13 and technology does not help trying to regulate my discipline. You are doing this for yourself and that is what you need to focus on and block everything else. Your house does not need to be spotless. Your mind needs to think ahead and be persistent with yourself. Pray daily.
I do plan my work but sometimes it becomes difficult to adjust to this online way of educating yourself. I prefer in classroom education. I am an organized person therefore i try my best to plan ahead. Thats why I prefer only one set of instructions. I really dislike navigating everywhere to look for other assignments in hope that you don’t miss anything. I am getting the hang of it though.
I plan ahead but there are uncontrollable situations that will ruin your plan. This is not an excuse. Better planning is needed.
At the beginning of the week I write a list of things that need to be accomplished. As they are accomplished I cross them off. I try to remain disciplined to complete the most important tasks first.
Prioritizing is the key! I struggle with time management because of some family commitments. Now I will plan my week ahead, set time for each important activity and manage the remaining hours for the less important. Thank you for this informative article.
Time management and prioritizing is complicated to me. I will try to prioritize then something will come. I will get pushed in another direction. Most often then not it’s hard to get back on track. But what I am learning now is to come back right back at the task at hand until it is completed.
I get distracted easily because I can be “flighty. I will probably have to schedule my day when not working by the hour so I make sure to succeed in my classes, sleep and eat well!
As a mother of 3 boys that all play sports, working 45+ hours a week, and going to school, I have so much on my plate. At the beginning of every week, I write down all my tasks for the week in my planner. As I achieve these goals through the week, I mark them off. I really enjoyed this article; I want to implement the Time Matrix Chart and i hope to get through my task’s easier throughout the week.
I live in quadrant I and III quickly followed by IV because I don’t know when a fire or quadrant I will pop up. It’s crazy how something so standard can resonate with so many people. Proper planning makes room for the unknown and still allows you to feel in control.
I do urgent things right away get them out of my way. If I say I will do this on such a day sometimes other important things come in the way and I end up not meeting the deadlines. The key for me is to do things right away.
I review what I have to do weekly and decide what needs to be done when during the week and it works well.
I have known all along that I need help with prioritizing my week, days, months, and years. After reading this article I see how I can place my things to do in different quadrants and that seems to be a great way to prioritize starting now.
I am learning that my time management skills are lacking. This is the first time I have gone to school while working full time and navigating my teens needs too. I need to develop a plan to get my priorities in order so that I’m not adding more stress by putting things off.
Time management is something I have struggled with in the past. I have found that a daily planner, on paper, is very helpful to me. I can check my schedule at a glance and prepare if something comes up. I has worked for me.
Prioritizing go hand in hand with proper time management. Understanding what is important is directly related to what deserves the most of your time. I have poor time management and truly drown myself in work to avoid the stresses of my actual responsibilities. I rather “deal with it another day.”
Over the last couple years I have learned to utilize my dry erase calendar and my planner. This has made my life with 3 children, a spouse and a full time job work. After doing it for so long it is instilled in me and comes so much easier than it did when I started. I still struggle with prioritizing time for myself or actual “free time”, but that will be something I continue to work on.
I am almost where I want to be with my time management skills. I have a calendar with all of my activities written down to make sure I am tackling all of the things I need to do to maintain my stress level low. When I do run into issues or having to catch up on a task that I haven’t gotten to I usually just remove my time allotted to working out, I will be content when I don’t have to sacrifice my exercise.
I always waited for the last minute to finish assignments. Knowing that being pressed with deadlines was always a contributing factor in my studies. I will be a lot more vigilant in prepping for deadlines by not rushing to finish projects or assignments.
I think this a useful tool to organize and prioritize aspects of my life. I also strongly agree with the comment that most people who live in quadrants 1 and 3 will spend a lot of their extra time in 4.
I spend a lot of time in Quadrant II. I like to keep things important but not urgent. Getting ahead of the curve and learning what is to be expected of me is a key element of success. For example, I call home every Sunday, except for today which is Saturday, knowing that tomorrow will be too busy of a day, it makes sense to get ahead of that personal goal and responsibility.
I plan to use my Sunday to get a jump on the next school week. If I can keep myself slightly ahead, that will leave me time for unexpected things that might get in the way of my normal study routine.
I’m still working on any time management skills, having a calendar/planner with important dates written down helps but most of the time I will forget to even jot down important dates after little while. I also have a bad habit of procrastination which I am slowly getting much better with and will be continuing to work on not cramming work prior to deadlines.
I do most of my school work on my day off, and try to study 1 hour during the week, but try to save me time at least 1 to 2 days a week. Also keeping a second schedule helps me stay on task. I like this to keep what is important and not important in prospective.
Reviewing this time matrix helps me plan out what is important. I have stopped planning ahead for a while, due to some lifestyle changes and I can see the aftermath of it such as stress. I now utilize my calendar more each month, I wake up between 0400 and 0430. I am not there yet but I am working on my time management to work smarter and not harder.
I plan to work around my work/life schedule as best as possible. Starting early in the week will keep me ahead and on time with my assignments.
A genuinely very useful tool for examining my time. I definitely find myself burning out in quadrant IV as the article suggests. I will be getting a planner tomorrow and attempting to combat this for the first time.
My time management skill is very much off track. I need to focus more on improving that area of my life.
I have taken time to reorganize my time in order to be more successful. My work demands many hours and I need to adjust accordingly in order to complete all tasks.
My days and even weeks are usually pretty full of things that need to be done. I have learned to prioritize the most important and now that I’m in school this is at the top of that list.
My time management is always something for me that has a variable. My work schedule can change depending on if I had a staff member call out sick, if all positions are currently filled and what is my current census. Then I try to fact in how am I, have I been sleeping which for me is not common. I am going to try to write out a schedule to see if that helps me plan accordingly.
I find that I have to prioritize a lot and move things from day to day or week to week based on new or emerging priorities. This bothered me at first but am much more comfortable with it now. I’ve also started working more closely with time management tools and calendars.
I am pleased to note that in general I’m doing well with managing my time. I use an online tool called Simpleology to track my tasking/appointements and update it each morning when I wake up.
I am finding that I have to better prioritize & plan my study week if I am to be successful.
At this point I am not managing my time how I would like, but it has been something I need to get on top of in order to be successful .
I have to work on managing my time differently
I know that I must write all tasks out in a weekly planner. I have to visually see what is expected of me alongside my work schedule. Therefore, I can plan accordingly.
What I have learned this week is that I need to learn to manage my time better and self reflect after assignments as well. I believe I will imply these techniques and be able to teach these techniques to my daughters as well.
I’ve wasted time on things of no value or importance over the week. My time should be used better considering I was in the military. I got lazy because it felt good to be lazy. Prioritizing, my tasks into the week on my phone is something I need to go back to doing.
I have all of my assignments/tasks written in my planner. I try to be one or two days ahead of deadlines because of things being added to my schedule last minute.
In this Chapter, I have learned that I have a growth mindset and that despite difficult times and setbacks, I always see the positive side. I have argued that facing problems is how we will be successful and that we must always be willing to learn from them and change. I can continue improving as I practice it; determination is our most potent tool.
This was a good read, I need to do alot better with managing my time for studying and getting my school work done early, as well as getting to bed earlier and not going to the gym so late. Having good time management can allow you to better organize and prioritize for more optimal results in whatever is it that you’re doing.
This reading helped me push through the negative, burnout mindset that I had developed. I recently started two new jobs, as well as returning back to school, including being a full-time mother. I was stuck between Quadrant I and Quadrant III, and the burnout had begun to take a heavy mental toll. Making an effective time management schedule is now a top priority into helping me achieve my goals.
Staying organized and getting assignments completed ahead of schedule are my preferred methods of time management. Personally, procrastinating feels awful. I do not like to rush through assignments. I want to enjoy my time as a student, not feel overwhelmed by it.
I need to prioritize my schoolwork and set up a schedule to set aside time to complete assignments so I don’t get overwhelmed.
Try setting up a daily or weekly schedule and see how that turns out.
This is an eye opener. Now I know to plan and perform my tasks ahead of time so I don’t get stressed when nearing deadlines.
I need to better prioritize my home life instead of feeling overwhelmed and anxious with everything that needs to be done, I’m going to focus on one chore each day, in doing this I hope to be less stressed and anxious while studying, doing homework, or during my workday. I have noticed my mind is at home more than anywhere else so I hope this adjustment of my schedule will help ease my mind throughout my day.
I have heard of the Time Matrix chart before and will try to implement it and see how useful it will be for me personally.
I definitely need to prioritize my time better. Writing out a schedule for my upcoming tasks I believe will held the overwhelmed feelings I have as deadlines come up and my family responsibilities never cease.
I am already a note taker and use a yearly planner down to the day by day as well as a whiteboard. I like to keep things organized and know when I have priorities coming up. As stated above, I do spend a lot of time “Completing tasks for the sole reason of pleasing others” as evidenced by giving my kids and nieces rides when they have other options or offering to take additional visits for work. I do this to please others, not myself and I do not feel rewarded afterwards, more so stressed, because I took time away from my priorities.
I use feel pretty organized when it comes to planning by setting multiple alarms ahead of time to remind myself of things and when they are due so i can have them completed in a timely manner. Although, sometimes, it gets hard to do somethings as family activities come up and can pull time away from things I should be working on.
When it comes to being organized, some things that bother me are not having my home, yard, or vehicle clean and organized. I also noticed I procrastinate when it comes to studying and completing my school work. I would actually read the syllabus and wait until the day before or the day the assignment was due. The day before, I would stay up taking notes and reading while taking naps in between. This time I decided to take advantage of retirement and utilize the weekdays for all assignments due for the week and go to the gym. On the weekend I ensure that the home, yard and vehicles.
This has been very informative. I need to set priorities and put school work in my first quadrant. I will set boundaries and learn to say no to others when I don’t have the spare time in my schedule to engage in a particular activity.
Hard deadlines at work with several levels of construction and innovation currently underway, along with seem to consume 12-14 hours of my day and then Teams meetings / Zoom calls for project updates on the off days take up alot of my time. The struggle between work / home / school often pose challenges and at times it seems there aren’t enough hours in the day.
After evaluating the time use chart, I feel even better about the position that I am in. I do sometimes put things off, after all, I have good days and bad days. Some days I just don’t have the energy. But I also believe that what makes us strong is the fact that we show up even on the hard days. This makes me realize that even on the days when I don’t feel like putting in 100%, I have time to take a break. I can take a moment, or an hour, and just clear my mind, reset and refocus.
I am doing horribly right now. However, it is just my second week, so I need to my very best in order to succeed more on down the road.
After seeing the time evaluation chart, I never knew or suspected how unorganized I was. I now realize that my time management needs much work. With so many responsibilities at home, work, and church, it can be difficult at times to be good at anything I am going to start using the time usage chart for my own sanity and focus on getting my degree.
I believe that a check-list and goals are the keys to eliminating stress when it comes to getting my degree.
I really liked the Franklin Planner system. I personally have a weekly planner. I always try to get my most important tasks done. My school and my kids are the most important ones. I have to make sure that I complete all my assignments and take care of my children and their needs first. If we have Doctor’s appointments and my children’s weekly activities, everything else for me can wait.
I liked the Franklin planner system. I created my weekly planner and tried to follow it by all means. It helps me keep everything under control, especially with my school and assignments. Those are important to me; my children and their needs, their doctors and sports appointments, my house obligations, and everything else that doesn’t pertain to them are my last priority. If I have time, I’ll deal with them. If not, oh well
One of my biggest struggles is learning to not procrastinate. After reading this material, I have Learned that prioritizing and making a scheduled planner will greatly improve my time management skills. The Time Matrix Chart clearly identifies how to organize what should be done first and what can wait. Following this chart will help reduce stress and anxiety in my everyday life.
I like the Franklin planner system. I have one and every morning I look at it to make sure I keep up with my school assignments. I alson write my appointments any events is just an amazing way to keep me on my toes.
I am going to implement this process moving forward. I want to succeed in keeping organized.
I have adjusted my schedule to come to the library after work to try and get something done. I spend two hours at most at the library after work to through my school work. Sometimes I do miss the 30 minutes for workout so I still need to adjust my schedule to make sure I get at most an hour of workout.
I refuse to waste my potential on mindless distractions. Starting now, I will cut TV and video games to no more than 15-20 hours per week and invest that time into studying (10-15 hours), socializing (5 hours), exercising (5-7 hours), and career growth. I will plan ahead, tackle important tasks before they become urgent, and take full control of my future. No more procrastination, no more excuses. I just need to focus.
I am going to work on this process especially how to prioritize my school.