GOAL SETTING AND TIME MANAGEMENT Chapter 3 DEFINING

GOAL SETTING AND TIME MANAGEMENT Chapter 3

DEFINING GOALS By the end of this section, you will be able to: Explain how time management plays a factor in goal setting, leading to shortterm, medium-term, and long-term objectives Identify overall academic goals Identify and apply motivational strategies to support goal achievement Explore the social aspects of achieving goals (networking, social media, etc. ) Brainstorm factors that might hinder goal achievement and possible ways to address these issues

SUCCESS BEGINS WITH GOALS Goals! A goal is a desired result that you envision and then plan and commit to achieve. Goals can relate to family, education, career, wellness, spirituality, and many other areas of your life. Generally, goals are associated with finite time expectations, even deadlines.

SUCCESS BEGINS WITH GOALS As a college student, many of your goals are defined for you. a. You must take certain courses b. Comply with certain terms and schedules c. Turn in assignments at specified times But there are plenty of goals for you to define yourself. a. You decide what you’d like to major in. b. You decide how long you are going to be in college c. You decide what terms you want to enroll in What else do you decide as a college student?

GOALS Within your group answer the following questions. Have one person in the group record the groups responses. What are my top-priority goals? Which of my skills and interests make my goals realistic for me? What makes my goals believable and possible? Are my goals measurable? How long will it take me to reach them? How will I know if I have achieved them? Are my goals flexible? What will I do if I experience a setback? Are my goal controllable? Can I achieve them on my own? Are my goals in sync with my values?

SETTING SMART GOALS https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=a. Vstw 9 HYl-o Practice writing a SMART goal you have for yourself. Part of your career project will have you writing SMART goals for your future. Start now so you understand how to write a SMART goal!

SOCIAL ASPECTS OF ACHIEVING YOUR GOALS Make new friends Study with friends Actively engage with the college community Volunteer to help others Join student organizations Get an internship Work for a company related to your curriculum Stay connected via social media (but use it judiciously)* Keep a positive attitude Congratulate yourself on all you’ve done to get where you are

YOUR PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT By the end of this section, you will be able to: Analyze the impact of your surroundings while you study Define distraction and multitasking Assess the degree to which personal technology may help or hinder your study efforts

THE IMPACT OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS WHILE YOU STUDY If a researcher walked up to you right now and asked you to identify your favorite place to study, what would your immediate response be? What are your preferences for your physical surroundings when you study? What are the attributes of your most conducive study environment?

FACTORS INFLUENCING STUDY SPACES Complete the exercise in the book in the section Your Physical Space and look at areas you could improve on. Then, read more at 10 Ways Your Study Environment Affects Productivity (And How You Can Improve It).

MULTITASKING What are your thoughts on multitasking? How does it affect your productivity? The following video, from the University of British Columbia, features students talking about multitasking. Does it exist? Is it effective? Listen in, or view the full discussion.

END OF SECTION QUIZ (PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT) Remember to take the end of section quiz for Physical Environment.

YOUR USE OF TIME LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this section, you will be able to: Evaluate how you currently use your time Explore time management strategies to make time for college success activities (studying, going to class, extracurricular activities, etc. ) Identify procrastination behaviors and strategies to avoid them

YOUR USE OF TIME As most students discover, college is not the same as high school. For many students, college is the first time they are “on their own” in an environment filled with opportunity. And while this can be exciting, you may find that social opportunities conflict with academic expectations. For example, a free day before an exam, if not wisely spent, can spell trouble for doing well on the exam. It is easy to fall behind when there are so many choices and freedoms. One of the main goals of a college education is learning how to learn. In this section we zoom in on learning how to skillfully manage your time. To be successful in college, it’s imperative to be able to effectively manage your time. In the following video, Alleyoop (Angel Aquino) discusses what many students discover about college: there is a lot of free time—and just as many challenges to balance free time with study time. https: //youtu. be/x. P 541 b. NEv. G 0

YOUR USE OF TIME There are three important steps in learning to effectively manage your time: 1. Identify your time management style 2. Create a schedule 3. Get better at prioritizing

STEP 1: IDENTIFY YOUR TIME MANAGEMENT STYLE Click into the activity in this section (Your Use of Time) and answer the questions to identify whether your time management style more closely aligns with the early bird, the pressure cooker, the balancing act, or the improviser. Assessing Your Responses Which of the four basic time-management personality types did you select the most? Which did you select the least? Do you feel like these selections match the student you have been in the past? Has your previous way of doing things worked for you, or do you think it’s time for a change? Remember, we can all always improve! Learn more below about your tendencies. Review traits, strengths, challenges, and tips for success for each of the four time-management

STEP 2: CREATE A SCHEDULE Your schedule will also vary depending on the course you’re taking. So pull out your syllabus and try to determine the rhythm of the class by looking at the following factors: Will you have tests or exams in this course? When are those scheduled? Are there assignments and papers? When are those due? Are there any group or collaborative assignments? You’ll want to pay particular attention to the timing of any assignment that requires you to work with others.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT SCHEDULES: Student 1: Do I really need to create a study schedule? I can honestly keep track of all of this in my head. Student 2: Realistically, how much time should I spend studying for class? Student 3: Aside from class time requirements, should I account for anything else as I draw up my schedule? Student 4: My life and school requirements change on a week-to-week basis. How can I possibly account for this when making a schedule? Student 5: I’m beginning to think that scheduling and time management are good ideas, but on the other hand they seem unrealistic. What’s wrong with cramming? It’s what I’ll probably end up doing anyway. . .

STEP 3: GET BETTER AT PRIORITIZING Due dates are important. Set your short and long-term goals accordingly. Ask yourself the following: What needs to get done today? What needs to get done this week? What needs to get done by the end the first month of the semester? What needs to get done by the end the second month of the semester? What needs to get done by the end of the semester? Your time is valuable. Treat it accordingly by getting the most you can out of it. Above all, avoid procrastination. Procrastination is the kiss of death, because it’s difficult to catch up once you’ve fallen behind. Do you have a problem with procrastination? Be on your guard so that it doesn’t become an issue for you.

PROCRASTINATION CHECKLIST Do any of the following descriptions apply to you? My paper is due in two days and I haven’t really started writing it yet. I’ve had to pull an all-nighter to get an assignment done on time. I’ve turned in an assignment late or asked for an extension when I really didn’t have a good excuse not to get it done on time. I’ve worked right up to the minute an assignment was due. I’ve underestimated how long a reading assignment would take and didn’t finish it in time for class. I’ve relied on the Internet for information (like a summary of a concept or a book) because I didn’t finish the reading on time. If these sound like issues you’ve struggled with in the past, you might want to consider whether you have the tendency to procrastinate and how you want to deal with it in your future classes. You’re already spending a lot of time, energy, and money on the classes you’re taking—don’t let all of that go to waste!

STRATEGIES TO COMBAT PROCRASTINATION Below are some effective strategies for overcoming procrastination: Keep your studying “bite-sized”: When confronted with 150 pages of reading or 50 problems to solve, it’s natural to feel overwhelmed. Try breaking it down: What if you decide that you will read for 45 minutes or that you will solve 10 problems? That sounds much more manageable. Turn off your phone, close your chat windows, and block distracting Web sites. The best advice we’ve ever heard is to treat your studying as if you’re in a movie theater—just turn it off. Set up a reward system: If you read for 40 minutes, you can check your phone for 5 minutes. But keep in mind that reward-based systems only work if you stick to an honor system. Study in a place reserved for studying ONLY. Your bedroom may have too many distractions (or temptations, such as taking a nap), so it may be best to avoid it when you’re working on school assignments. Use checklists: Make your incremental accomplishments visible. Some people take great satisfaction and motivation from checking items off a to-do list. Be very specific when creating this list, and clearly describe each task one step at a time. In the following video, Joseph Clough shares key strategies for conquering procrastination once and for all. https: //youtu. be/Jj. U 0 Gb. UDtrk

END OF SECTION QUIZ Remember to take the practice quiz at the end of the section on Your Use of Time.