University of Wisconsin - Stout

Do I have Time to Get Involved?

A. Exercise 168 hours in a week:

  How Do you spend your time?
  Everyone has 168 hours to spend each week.
  Take a few minutes to fill out this schedule
  If you have time left over - we invite you to stop by the Involvement and Leadership Center for information to Get Involved!
 
Your Weekly Schedule 168 Hours
Hours in class/lab (usually 1 hour per credit) _______
Hours spent in study/projects for class
     (usually 2-3 hours per credit)		 _______
Hours spent sleeping
     (average 5-7 weeknights, more on weekends)		 _______
Hours spent at work each week _______
Commuting (if applicable) _______
Eating meals _______
Working out/Intramurals/Health Fitness _______
 Laundry _______
Volunteer Work _______
Socializing _______
Phone calls/E-mail/Internet _______
Internet Gaming/Nintendo _______
Watching TV/going to the movies _______
Concerts/Clubs/Events/Shows _______
Other __________________________ _______
Other __________________________ _______
Other __________________________ _______
   
 Sum of column _______
   -168
Time remaining?  
  Add the approximate hours... Now subtract the sum from 168... Do you have time left over?
  Think about getting involved in campus life or in the community.
  If your column resulted in over 168 hours - you're definitely living a fast pace.
  Every student is welcome to stop by the Involvement and Leadership Center for more information and assistance. (Memorial Student Center, Rm 140)



B. Shortcuts to managing time and tasks...

 
  1. Delegate tasks
    Ask yourself "Should I be doing this?" "Is this the responsibility of some other person?
  2. Stay Positive
    As you eliminate criticism, defensiveness, and other negative factors you will build up a surplus of energy for better management of time and task.
  3. Restate the problem
    When you can't find an answer - stop and save time by looking at the problem from a different angle. Ask someone else for their opinion on the situation.
  4. Realize that change is important and help make it happen
  5. Set goals and establish priorities
    Once long and short-term goals are decided, set priorities in light of these goals then allocate time to each of your priorities.
  6. Listen well and take notes
  7. Read effectively
    Learning what you read is more important then how fast you read.
  8. Make meetings worthwhile
    Provide an agenda ahead of time. Use parliamentary procedure (or encourage it's use in organization meetings and even in some class projects).
  9. Consolidate activates
    Similar activities such as telephoning, writing letters, making appointments, and handling incoming mail can be combined. consider setting aside one "quite hour" a day for these types of activities.
  10. Frequently ask yourself:
    Am I using my time effectively and to my best advantages?
    To save energy you need to know where you are losing energy.
    Log your time - see where it goes.
    Are you really spending it where you say you are?