Time

Management

Medical Education Department

CMHS-AGU
2024-2025
Lesson’s Learning Outcomes
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
– Define time management.
– Discuss the importance of time management.
– Identify common time wasters.
– Discuss the good practices in time management.
– List the characteristics of good time managers.
– Identify important time management tools and
techniques.
– Discuss the importance of avoiding procrastination.
– Discuss the need for maintaining work-life balance.
Introduction and Definitions
Introduction and Definitions

• In medical school, students face high volumes of

information, long hours of study, and the need to
balance academic/clinical responsibilities and life
activities.
• Efficient time management helps students prioritize,
reduce stress, and succeed academically while
maintaining personal well-being.
Introduction and Definitions

Time management is:

“the process of planning and exercising conscious
control over the amount of time spent on specific
activities to increase efficiency and productivity”
Importance

Poor time management often leads to:

- Cramming before exams.
- Burnout and anxiety.
- Missing deadlines with last-minute rushes.
- Poor work-life balance.
Importance

Good time management often leads to:

- Covering all subjects and proper preparation for exams.
- Reducing stress.
- Improving focus on important goals.
- Enhancing productivity.
- Sparing time for relaxation and self-care.
Common Time Wasters
• Social Media: Constant checking of notifications or scrolling
through feeds can waste hours without realizing it.
• Passive Study Techniques: Spending too much time re-
reading notes or highlighting instead of engaging in active
learning strategies like practice questions.
• Long Study Sessions Without Breaks: Studying for long
periods without breaks can lead to burnout and reduced
retention.
• Non-Strategic Study Planning: Focusing on low-yield topics
while neglecting high-yield ones needed for exams.
Common Time Wasters
• Unfocused Study Groups: Participating in study groups that
turn into social gatherings rather than effective
collaboration.
• Ineffective Note-Taking: Copying long chunks of text without
summarizing key concepts.
• Multitasking: It’s a myth that multitasking is productive.
Switching between tasks can reduce efficiency by up to
40% due to the brain's cognitive switching cost.
• Unorganized Study Spaces: Wasting time looking for things
due to clutter and lack of organization.
Good Practices for Time Management
A few good practices can help manage time
effectively:
• Effective planning.
• Setting goals.
• Putting deadlines.
• Time blocking.
• Breaks and rest.
• Delegation of responsibilities.
• Prioritizing activities as per their importance.
• Spending the right time on the right activity.
Good Practices for Time Management
Effective Planning:
• Plan your day well in advance.
– Prepare a To-Do list.
– Allocate suitable time to each activity.
• Complete pending tasks one by one.
– Do not begin fresh work unless you have finished previous tasks.
• Tick the ones you have already completed.
• Ensure you finish tasks within the stipulated timeframe.
Good Practices for Time Management
Setting Goals:
• Setting SMART goals provides clear direction, helping
individuals focus their time and resources on achieving
important tasks efficiently.
• Goals foster motivation and accountability, allowing
progress tracking and ensuring a sense of accomplishment
as objectives are reached.
Good Practices for Time Management
Setting Deadlines:
• Setting deadlines helps create a sense of urgency, keeping
individuals focused on completing tasks within a specific
time frame.
• Ask yourself “how much time needs to be devoted to a
particular task?”
• Set deadlines for every task, and be committed to:
– Strictly following the set deadlines.
– Allow nothing to distract you from meeting the deadline.
Good Practices for Time Management
Time Blocking:
• Allocate blocks of time for specific activities (e.g., doing
assignments, working on projects …). This can prevent tasks
from overlapping and enhance focus.
Breaks and Rest:
• Taking regular breaks improves productivity and prevents
burnout.
– The Pomodoro Technique (25 minutes of focused work followed
by a 5-minute break) is an effective way to maintain energy
throughout the day.
Good Practices for Time Management
Delegation of Responsibilities:
• Don’t do everything on your own, there are other people
as well.
• Delegate responsibilities so you can focus on high-priority
tasks and leave less critical duties are efficiently managed
by others.
• Effective delegation reduces stress and prevents
overload, helping to save time and prevent burnout.
Good Practices for Time Management
Spending the Right Time on the Right Activity:
• Develop the habit of doing the right thing at the right time.
– Work done at the wrong time is not of much use.
• Keep some time separate for your personal affairs (e.g.,
calls, checking social media updates, chitchatting with
friends and family, …):
– After all human being is not a machine.
Good Practices for Time Management
Prioritizing Activities According to Their Importance:
Prioritizing tasks and activities is a fundamental aspect of
effective time management, helping individuals focus on
what truly matters.
• Prioritize tasks and activities as per their importance and
urgency:
– Know the difference between important and urgent work.
• Identify which tasks require immediate attention and
those that can wait.
Prioritizing Activities According to Their Importance
Prioritizing Activities According to Their Importance
Prioritizing Activities According to Their Importance
and Urgency

Urgent-Important
(Eisenhower)
Matrix
Characteristics of Good Time Managers
Organized:
• Being organized saves time which goes on unnecessary
searching.
• They avoid keeping stacks of files and heaps of papers at
their desks:
– They throw all what they don’t need.
• They put important documents in folders or keep them in
their respective drawers with labels on each file.
Characteristics of Good Time Managers
Don’t Misuse Time:
• Concentrate and finish assignments on time:
– They don’t wait till the last moment.
• Do not kill time by loitering or gossiping around.
• Always remember that success comes from hard work and
proper use of time, not from playing around.
• First complete their work and then do whatever they feel
like doing.
Characteristics of Good Time Managers
Focused:
• Have the habit of using planners, organizers, calendars for
better time management.
• Set reminders on phones or personal computers.
Time Management Tools & Techniques
Some tools and techniques can help in managing
time.
Examples:
• Digital Calendars (e.g., Google Calendar, Microsoft
Outlook, or Apple Calendar) help schedule tasks, set
reminders, and block time for essential activities.
• Time Management Apps (e.g., Todoist, Trello, and Notion)
help organize tasks and projects, prioritize them, and keep
track of deadlines.
Time Management Tools & Techniques
Examples:
• Batching Tasks: Group similar tasks together to complete
them more efficiently (e.g., responding to emails in one
time slot, making phone calls in another). This minimizes the
time spent switching between tasks.
• The Two-Minute Rule: If a task can be done in less than two
minutes, do it immediately. This prevents small tasks from
piling up and becoming overwhelming.
Procrastination
Definition of Procrastination:
• Procrastination is the thief of time and the enemy of success.
• It is “The act of delaying or postponing decisions or tasks that
may be more challenging or less enjoyable”.
Forms of Procrastination:
• Active Procrastination: This occurs when individuals
intentionally delay tasks to use the pressure of a looming
deadline as motivation.
Procrastination
Definition of Procrastination:
• Procrastination is the thief of time and the enemy of success.
• It is “The act of delaying or postponing decisions or tasks that
may be more challenging or less enjoyable”.
Forms of Procrastination:
• Passive Procrastination: Individuals avoid tasks entirely, often
leading to anxiety and decreased productivity.
– This can manifest in avoidance behaviors like mindlessly
scrolling through social media instead of studying.
Procrastination
Definition of Procrastination:
• Procrastination is the thief of time and the enemy of success.
• It is “The act of delaying or postponing decisions or tasks that
may be more challenging or less enjoyable”.
Forms of Procrastination:
• Chronic Procrastination: Persistent procrastination that
impacts various areas of life and can be linked to deeper
psychological issues like anxiety.
– Chronic procrastinators always have low self-esteem.
Procrastination
Causes of Procrastination:
• Fear of Failure: Students may delay studying for an exam
because they fear the outcome of their efforts.
• Fear of Success: Paradoxically, some students may fear
the responsibilities and expectations that come with
success and the pressure to maintain a high level of
performance, leading to hesitation and avoidance.
• Perfectionism: Those who set excessively high standards
for themselves may procrastinate out of fear that their work
will not meet their expectations.
Procrastination
Causes of Procrastination:
• Mental Overwhelm: A large volume of material can make
tasks seem impossible, leading to avoidance, hence
delaying their start.
• Lack of Interest: Students may find the subject matter
uninteresting or irrelevant, so they may procrastinate
rather than engage with it.
• Distractions: For example, constant notifications from
smartphones or social media can easily divert attention
away from important tasks.
Procrastination
Strategies to Overcome Procrastination:
• Set Clear Goals: This helps clarify priorities and motivate
individuals to act.
• Break Tasks into Smaller Steps: Divide larger tasks into
manageable segments to avoid feeling overwhelmed.
• Use Time Management Techniques (e.g., The Pomodoro
Technique ): This can enhance focus and reduce the
feeling of being overwhelmed.
Procrastination
Strategies to Overcome Procrastination:
• Set Deadlines: Establishing self-imposed deadlines can
help create a sense of urgency and motivate individuals
to complete tasks sooner.
• Practice Self-Compassion: Forgiving oneself for past
procrastination and focusing on moving forward.
• Have a Clutter-Free Study/Work Area: This would be
associated with more productive work and satisfaction,
which reinforce positive habits and help avoid
procrastination.
Maintaining Work-Life Balance
• Importance of Rest and Self-Care: Rest, physical activity,
and time for personal interests are critical to maintaining
performance.
– Take regular breaks, engage in physical activities, and pursue
hobbies to refresh mind.
• Recognizing Burnout: Recognize early signs of burnout,
such as feeling overwhelmed, losing interest in studies, or
experiencing physical fatigue – then seek proper help.
• Setting Boundaries: Define "work hours" and "personal time"
to prevent work from spilling over into your personal life.
Exercise

Use the Urgent-Important (Eisenhower) Matrix

to prioritize your activities.
- Give examples in each quadrant.
- How much time do you spend in each
quadrant?