The view of a nontraditional

C. Kay Uhles
Alestle Columnist

Each fall I return to school with renewed resolution to pace my time and study effectively. I'll admit, the first four weeks, I complete every assignment. By the next four weeks, I'm skimming chapters and trying not to fall behind. By the end of the semester, as homework and family or job responsibilities escalate, I, and maybe you, too need a severe time management makeover.

I thought I'd share with you some time management advice I found on the Internet.

The University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, suggests keeping a master calendar and recording all activities at half-hour intervals for one week. This may mean noting your schedule every couple hours, but it is important to know where time is spent in order to manage it, Don't forget to record sleep, family activities, schoolwork and meals.

After getting a clear picture of where your time is spent, you can schedule future activities in advance, allowing reasonable time for sleep and study, scheduling routine tasks when interruptions are likely and intense tasks when they are not. Simple or pleasant jobs are best saved for low-energy moods, while difficult tasks are saved for high-energy moods. Make a contract with yourself to accomplish each task.

To free short-term memory for learning, mark your calendar with all assignments, due dates and exams. After receiving an assignment, spend some time on it that day. Then divide the task into doable segments and mark them on your calendar. This can be great motivation for the tough assignments.

University of Waterloo also suggests plotting movement toward major goals on the master calendar. Prioritizing, planning and charting progress in black and white helps to visualize the path. Crossing off completed items rewards efforts and encourages forward momentum.

Each day, transfer items from the master calendar to a to-do list, and, most importantly, be sure to schedule time for fun as you cross tasks off your list on the way to accomplishing your goals.

Effective time management can be useful for anyone, but as students with multiple responsibilities, wise use of time is imperative. And as one of the older non-traditional students, I need all the time I can get. Maybe by the end of this semester I'll have time for a holiday makeover.

Oh, and don't forget to lock your car doors... .