If only we could stop our clocks to complete the work we plan to complete, we would be very happy. Unfortunately, time waits for no one. There are innumerable time management programs that are available, because time management is an ongoing challenge in society. Today, with ever-evolving mobile communication devices, social media networks, family, friends, job commitments, and so forth, managing time is a complex process. Having laptops, cell phones, and other devices often blurs the boundaries between personal and professional life such that the work day is no longer confined to the typically defined hours of 8:00 or 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Friends and family members can now reach one another 24 hours a day via text messages and social media. These many distractions tend to impede one’s ability to juggle commitments and interactions effectively, and they call for new methods and skills to achieve successful time management.
During Week 1, you considered time as a factor while completing your personal SWOT analysis, and you anticipated how you would manage your time during this course and throughout your program. Now that you are in the last week of this course and have more knowledge of the course requirements, you will take a quiz to confirm your understanding of the online Walden support resources available to you. It is recommended that you bookmark these important sites, naming them properly so that you can easily access them in the future. Doing so will save you valuable time. Upon completion of the quiz, you will be ready to formalize a time management plan that may be more realistic and one that aligns to your needs and commitments.
Note: While there is no formal Discussion this week, use the Discussion thread to discuss any challenges you are encountering, ideas for time management strategies, or other topics of interest with your colleagues and Instructor.
Learning Objectives
Independent scholars will:
- Identify Walden University doctoral resources and academic policies to support doctoral study
- Create a time management plan to support doctoral study
Assignment
Time management does not only consist of creating time management plans and developing a systematic way of prioritizing and completing tasks. It also has to do with the spontaneous behaviors of the individual managing his or her time. As with most plans, time management plans are of no use without the individual’s will, volition, and consistency of application. Applying the required behaviors consistently may mean a change in mindset, and that is often challenging and can initially require an honest assessment of personal reactions to various influences (i.e., psychological challenges and external distractions or influences). However, effective time management is necessary for your success. Remember that failing to plan is “planning to fail.”
Throughout this course you have gained insight into those things that can stimulate you and those that can impede your success. You conducted a SWOT analysis to raise self-awareness of your strengths, weakness, opportunities, and threats. You also created a PLN plan and a PDP. These documents will help you as you prepare for the creation of your Time Management Plan.
This is your final Assignment in this course. You will create a Time Management Plan that you will use regularly for examining and updating your progress and goals.
To prepare for this Assignment, review this week’s Learning Resources, particularly the videos on time management in the order they are presented. Gather your Self-Assessment, Personal SWOT Analysis, PLN plan, and PDP documents as reference sources. Construct your Time Management Plan using the Time Management Plan Template provided in this week’s Learning Resources. Be sure to support your plan with credible, peer-reviewed literature.
BY DAY 7
Submit a completed Time Management Plan, which should include the following sections:
- Laying the Foundation (Goals)
- Restate the big-picture goals you wrote in Week 1 and revised (if applicable) for this week’s Discussion.
- Self-Analysis
- Summarize the SWOT Analysis that you performed in Week 1, adjusting any of the four areas of assessment based on your growth and learning in this course.
- Personal Style and Preferences Time Management System Design
- Analyze your results on the four exercises you completed this week: “What’s Working,” “What’s Not Working,” “Your Time Management Preferences,” and “Your Energy Cycles and Sources.”
- Strategy and Design
- Based on your big-picture goals, identify and describe specific activities, as well as daily tasks that make up those activities.
- Create a Time Map (either in graphical form or as an appropriately formatted table with clear headings and labels) in which you display specific information about your goals, activities, and tasks and their relationship to other aspects of your life. Describe how your map meets the criteria from the Time Map Checklist and identify the tools you will use to keep you on track. Include your time map as a figure in your paper or as an appendix; be sure to utilize appropriate APA formatting.
- Making It Happen
- Develop your strategy for putting your plan into practice. In your strategy, address the following:
- How will you use the tools you have identified to keep you balanced, hold yourself accountable to your plan, and monitor your productivity?
- How often will you review your progress?>
- What alternative strategies will you put in place to manage risks, environmental factors, and/or psychological obstacles?
- Develop your strategy for putting your plan into practice. In your strategy, address the following:
Be sure to use the Time Management Plan Template, found in this week’s Learning Resources, to complete this Assignment. Also, refer to the Week 8 Assignment Rubric for specific grading elements and criteria. Your Instructor will use this rubric to assess your work. Please Note: For each page of your paper, you must include a minimum of two APA-formatted scholarly citations
