By Sarah McVean/nw news editor
Time is defined as a measure of duration, students learned during the NW Campus Student Success Days Sept. 11-12.
Lily Calzada, NW coordinator of special services, presented two sessions of Got Time? to full rooms during the two-day period of student workshops.
“ Time management is making the best use you can of that most precious, time,” she said. “It’s knowing a system for helping you meet your goals.”
Students often find themselves crunched for time, Calzada said. After school and a job, it can be hard to squeeze time in for homework and studying.
The counselor offered ways for managing time when it comes to school.
Most important, Calzada said, is to set priorities. At the top of the list should be things important and urgent, such as taking an exam the next day or paying the phone bill.
Then fall things that are important but not urgent, for instance, an essay that is due in 30 days or exercising.
Next would come events that are not important but urgent, like a phone call or interruptions. Finally, students can add the not important and not urgent things as surfing the Internet and watching television.
Calzada said peak time is the part of the day when a person feels the most energetic and productive and can think clearly. Students should use those times to study or try to schedule classes at that time.
A time management tool, such as to-do lists, date books, calendars or technology like electronic organizers or computer software, can also help.
A Web site sponsored by the University of Minnesota, www.lib.umn.edu/help/calculator, has an organizer program, which will time everything out so one knows how much time is needed for each task.
A problem for students is inadequate study plans, Calzada said. Therefore, students should schedule a set number of pages or chapters per study session.
“ You want to study in the same environment you will be testing in,” she said. “This helps sparks things in your memory.”
Procrastination, Calzada said, is a reason most people have problems with managing their time.
“ The No. 1 reason why we procrastinate is fear of failure, fear of the unknown,” she said.
Calzada described one way to avoid procrastination: the S.M.A.R.T. goals.
S stands for specific. If something needs to get done, one should do it exactly like it needs to be done.
M stands for measure.
“ Let yourself know how much time you are going to need to get the job done, and stay within those limits,” she said.
Action orientated, the A, means one should keep moving. Do not stop in the middle of a chapter and start watching TV or go out shopping.
Instead, Calzada said students should sit down and get all their reading out of the way before doing anything else.
R represents the need to set realistic goals in order to be productive while T is to tell everyone, so other people know about the goals and can help motivate the student.
Self rewards is another effective way to avoid procrastination, Calzada said.
“ Set a goal,” she said. “And once you have reached it, reward yourself with something you find pleasing, like ice cream or a movie.”
Still, Calzada said, every student needs to take a break and just go with the flow sometimes.
