TIME MANAGEMENT
Managing Time Wisely
As a faculty member, there will always be opportunities and diverse responsibilities, yet the same amount of time in a day. While it’s impossible to gain more time in a day, managing your time wisely can help result in clearer focus, reduced stress, and increased progress towards professional and personal goals.
Here are some tips for improved time management:
- Start out your day with a plan. This plan should include important meetings that need to happen and a prioritized list of tasks.
- Learn how to say, “No.” It is best to say “no” in the moment, which can be phrased in a way that is polite yet reinforces your boundaries: “While I greatly appreciate the offer, I am unable to take on any additional responsibilities at this time. I must decline.” Or, when in doubt, ask for time to consider the opportunity or obligation to buy yourself some time.
- Avoid multitasking—multitasking essentially means reduced attention and quality of work to many items at once. Take on each task, one at a time.
- Instead of fully separating life and work, consider them related. Recognize that taking on more responsibilities at work will cut into time spent advancing personal goals. Make equal space for life goals outside of work and set aside the dedicated time and boundaries to do so.
- Schedule structured time for getting work done and protect that structured time from getting meetings scheduled.
- Get rid of distractions in the office—turn your phone on “Do Not Disturb” mode, close your door to signal to drop-in visitors that you are busy, avoid checking your phone or email during dedicated time for getting a task done.
Download these tips in PDF format below.
Watch: Time Management & Time Management Strategies
Learn more about time management and some time management strategies through video clips from the Georgia State Faculty Wellness Workshop Series with Dr. Cirleen DeBlaere.
Task Management Tools
Stay organized and track the work you have to do with free Task Management Tools like Microsoft To-Do, Microsoft Planner, Trello, and Asana. These tools help you make to-do lists and organize your tasks by time, priority, or course.
Schedule Every Bit of Your Time
Schedule every bit of your time using tools like Google Calendar. When doing so, make sure to dedicate blocks of time accurately with breathing room so you don’t get overwhelmed.
Reclaim Your Time: Smartphone Usage Apps
Reclaim your phone usage with apps like Forest and Antisocial. Forest is a timer-like app that helps you stay focused on your tasks while also helping to plant real trees. Antisocial tracks your smartphone usage and gives you detailed feedback on how you use your time.
Online Learning Resources
For more self-directed learning on this topic, explore these courses offered by Stacks for State and Linkedin Learning, available to you at no charge through the university. Please note that this isn’t an exhaustive list of courses on this topic. For more about LinkedIn Learning at Georgia State, visit the website of the Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning & Online Education. For more information about Stacks for State, click here.