Discussion: Doctoral resources and academic policies
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.
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?
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Doctoral resources and academic policies are discussed.
Doctoral resources and academic policies are discussed.
Time management entails more than just making time management plans and building a method for prioritizing and completing work in a systematic manner. It also has to do with the individual’s spontaneous actions when managing his or her time. Without the individual’s will, choice, and consistency of implementation, time management strategies, like most plans, are useless. Consistently implementing the essential behaviors may necessitate a shift in perspective, which can be difficult at first and may necessitate an honest examination of personal reactions to numerous factors (i.e., psychological challenges and external distractions or influences). Effective time management, on the other hand, is critical to your success. Remember that “failed to plan” is the same as “failing to plan.”
