| Activity Identification | Dimension | Number of Participants | Duration (minutes) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Time Management | TRANSITIONAL SKILLS | 8 - 12 | 45 |
The aim of the Activity
This activity seeks to enhance the participants’ levels of consciousness concerning the way they spend their time on a day-to-day basis, and also to promote the development of new strategies to manage their time more efficiently. Linking this exercise to the ‘wheel of life’ in Handout 3A. and the important values and projects in the participants’ lives will help select the important tasks and projects.
Preparation
Print handout 17A Time Management - Timetable. One for each participant
Print handout 17B Time Management - Timetable. One for each participant
Find the video about time management “Jar of life - Choose important things first” using the link provided below or, alternatively, prepare to do a similar demonstration of the video during the session.
Should you choose to do the experiment in class, then have the participants collect the stones and sand etc. prior to the event, in order to do their own experiment. They can write the name of the important tasks, goals, and projects on each stone to illustrate the important project in their life. Each stone can be placed in their home to remind them what their most important life-changing projects are. Prior to completing this project, they can work with the activity Value Clarification and Wheel of Life to prepare them for what is most important in their lives.
Instructions
- List all the activities that the participants have to accomplish during the week. Remember to prioritise the activities. Colour all the work/school hours in red, the domestic tasks in green, the spare-time activities in blue, and other tasks they consider relevant in yellow. Leave a blank space corresponding to activities like eating, sleeping or health, relations etc.
- Watch the video about time management “Jar of life - Choose important things first” using the link provided below or, alternatively, do a re-enactment of the video with the group. Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FbWb3f-jLQ
- Now ask the participants to take a new look at their timetables and change what they believe is possible to improve, in order to manage their own time in a more effective way.
Observations / Suggestions
Instead of using different colours, the participants can use symbols, draw or create collages from images/pictures to create a visual illustration of their tasks.
The timetable has another purpose besides structuring the week and remembering the activities you want to do. You must remember to include unusual tasks, so it will not be a long list of tasks that you do not want to look at. It's usually an advantage to write week numbers or dates and save a weekly schedule for each week, so you can see and notice the progress.
You can also use the timetable to record thoughts and feelings about the activities.
For example:
- write how well an activity was carried out on a scale of 1-10
- how much you enjoyed it on a scale of 1-10
- to record anxiety and unpleasant emotions and help you see if there are special contexts or times where anxiety levels were high or low
- use it in headline form as a journal of thoughts. This journal can be used to emphasize things that you have done well or things you would like to enjoy more of.