Time Management Lecture

Introduction

• Full time workload: 40-50 hours/week
• Getting 7-9 hours of sleep, healthy diet, regular exercise, active social life.
• Struggling to fit everything in a sustainable way.
• Main Point: Prioritizing time for meaningful activities.

Time Analysis

• Purpose: Measure current time usage to make changes.
• Method: Track activities in 30-minute increments over one week.
  • Not accurate at 1-hour increments.
  • Too hard to track at 15-minute increments.
• Record activities twice a day (midday and before bed).

Categorizing Time

• Break down activities into categories:
  • Work
  • Personal
  • Sleep
  • Health
• Use tools like Google Sheets to log data and get specific.
• Example data:
  • 43.5 hours working
  • 59.5 hours personal
  • 59.5 hours sleeping/trying to sleep
  • 5.5 hours fitness

Setting Goals

• Create a dream list of activities (things you want to learn, relationships, etc.).
• Refine the list to 3-4 key priorities for focus.

Creating Your Ideal Week

• Step 1: Block non-negotiable time (e.g., work, sleep).
• Step 2: Allocate remaining time for priorities.
  • Include buffer times for daily routines (cooking, showering, winding down).
  • Example: Tuesday morning yoga, Saturday afternoon with friends.
• Simplify goals to match realistic schedules.
• Combining Activities: Merge goals into single time slot (e.g., walking with partner).

Adapting to Reality

• Recognize that life changes and plans need to be flexible.
• Prioritize current goals and off-ramp from outdated activities.
• Keep refining ideal week until it feels sustainable.

Practical Tips

1. Weekly Planning: Lock in plans every Friday at 5 PM.
2. Treat Priorities Seriously: Consider them as important as meetings.
3. Flexibility: Adapt plans without derailing entire schedule.
4. Resilience: Get back on track quickly after disruptions.

Importance of Action

• Implementing learned strategies is crucial for self-improvement.
• Continuous re-evaluation and adaptation of your ideal week is key.