RIDDLE ME THIS!

1. RIDDLE ME THIS! You can’t save it, You can’t borrow it, You can’t lend it, You can’t leave it, You can’t take it, You can only do two things with it – use it or lose it. What is it?

2. TIME!

3. Time management refers to a range of skills, tools, and techniques used to manage events in your life in relation to time. TIME MANAGEMENT

4. Because, even in a self-paced school, time is a limited resource – you only have a limited amount of time! • You only have 24 hours, 1,440 minutes or 86,400 seconds each day and only 5 of these hours are spent in class! • You and your teacher cannot create more time! So you must work with the time you have • How you use that time depends on skills learned through self-analysis, planning, evaluation and self-control. Why develop time management skills?

5. It reduces stress associated with meeting deadlines when you’re under pressure! • You won’t miss important deadlines! • This skill can be applied in other areas of your life. • It allows you to make time for other things that balance your life, such as sports, friends, families, relationships, etc. • It allows you to be flexible and spontaneous (in case your plans have to change). • You produce better work because you can take your time doing a good job! How does time management benefit you?

6. Strategy 1 Becoming aware of how you use your time may improve your time management skills.

7. The key to prioritization is determining the most important thing to do to reach your goals. Strategy 2 – Prioritize

8. Urgency: When do I want to submit this? How much time do I have to do it? • Value: How many units is this work worth? • Amount of work: Is there a lot of work to be done? What other steps in the process must I follow to do a good job? What resources do I need to access to do this work? (e.g. research, conferencing for an essay) • Degree of difficulty: Does this work come easily or hard to me? Do I need to allocate more time for some subjects than others? • Unit submission guidelines: How does this fit into my plan to finish the course? Have I already submitted two units this week? Factors to consider when prioritizing:

9. Remember: the agenda is the most important tool for Westmount students and their time management • The monthly planner at the front of the agenda allows you to set long term goals / to establish target dates • The weekly / daily planner throughout the agenda allows you to allocate your time according to what you feel is important on a day-to-day basis (short term goals), and to revise your plans if needed • Successful students make good use of their agendas – USE IT! Strategy 3 – Use the Westmount Agenda to improve your productivity

10. Start by setting weekly goals for work completion. Create daily goals that will help you to reach your weekly goals. • Remember to check your list every day, usually at the beginning of the day. • Cross off items immediately upon completion. • At the end of the day, remember to transfer incomplete items – if you didn’t finish it today, you should finish it tomorrow. • Be sure to assign priority rankings to items. • Combine related tasks whenever feasible. Tips for using the Westmount agenda