self-engineering

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Introduction to Self-Engineering Module 6

Time Management

55 minute module

Instructional Objectives

  1. Students will learn a model for effectively planning their week of work/ learning tasks.
  2. Students will understand the root causes of procrastination in their lives and review ways to combat this activity.
  3. Students will learn a quick-step method for getting back on track.

Opener

We learned in the prior modules about cognition, mindset, identity and engineering skills and daily activities. Now we focus our attention toward specific skills that will support your learning in the Kenzie program. The first of which today, is time management and awareness for procrastination. Today you will create knowledge for this specific area as best practices for success as a learner in the Kenzie SE program.

Using a Weekly Schedule

Video 1

Why Use a Weekly Schedule? (1:22 min)

Prioritize Constants

Class times and participation will not change. Your work schedules are also predictable. Engagement, interaction and energy for these matter, so ensure that these constants have a place each week on the schedule.

Routine Is Important

There will be some variables in your week. Lunch, study times, work effort, time and intensity will vary. A “to do” list each week allows you to see these variables while also placing into the empty spaces so that you establish and keep routing.

Create Balance

Leave space for personal time. A work/life balance is important. “Be picky about your bedtime”, but set a consistent bedtime so that you are Rested. There is a temptation to overwork.

Adjust

Use your metacognition, feedback an outcomes in your week and adjust as needed. At the weekly mark, evaluate what’s working in your time management process. Are you tired all the time? How is your energy? Reach out for help when overwhelmed and be open to scrapping your plan and starting over with a new weekly system.

Procrastination

Why Do We Procrastinate?

Hint: It has nothing to do with laziness.

Take a moment to think about how and why we waste time before completing a task, also known as procrastination. What are a few reasons that you know of? Comment in the chat box.

Video 2

The Psychology of Procrastination & How To Stop Procrastinating (5 min)

“Procrastination isn’t a unique character flaw or a mysterious curse on your ability to manage time, but a way of coping with challenging emotions and negative moods induced by certain tasks — boredom, anxiety, insecurity, frustration, resentment, self-doubt and beyond.”

“Procrastination is an emotion regulation problem, not a time management problem.”

“Procrastination only compounds the negative associations we have with the task, and those feelings will still be there whenever we come back to it, along with increased stress and anxiety, feelings of low self-esteem and self-blame.”

“Over time, chronic procrastination has destructive effects on our mental and physical health, including chronic stress, general psychological distress and low life satisfaction, symptoms of depression and anxiety, poor health behaviors, chronic illness and even hypertension and cardiovascular disease.”

Getting Back on Track

Alternatives to Procrastination

  1. Cultivate curiosity: If you’re feeling tempted to procrastinate, bring your attention to the sensations arising in your mind and body.
  2. Consider the next action: Different to bite-sized chunks, focus only on the “next action”, which helps calm our nerves, and allows for “a layer of self-deception” where you can consider the next action as a mere possibility as if you were acting it out. “What’s the next action I’d take on this if I were going to do it, even though I’m not?”
  3. Make your temptations more inconvenient: Place obstacles between yourself and the temptation to induce a certain degree of frustration or anxiety. If you compulsively check social media, delete those apps from your phone, for example. By doing this, you add friction to the procrastination cycle and make the reward value of your temptation less immediate.

Here are a few steps:

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3