The 168 Hour Exercise
We all have the same amount of time to use every week--168 hours. Nobody gets more and nobody gets less. What is different is how we spend those hours. Taking a good look at how we spend our 168 hours-per-week is a first step toward better time management.
How do you spend your time? How many minutes/hours do you spend on the following
:
| sleeping | hygiene | |
| studying | working | |
| running errands | in class | |
| exercising | socializing | |
| on-line | commuting | |
| eating/preparing meals | family obligations | |
| organizations/teams | partying | |
| on the phone | __________________ (you name it) |
After adding up all those hours, it is typical to have 8-10 hours left over. Where does the bulk of your time go? Where might you be spending too much time? Are any areas getting short changed? What might you be able to cut back on? Which hours are fixed (e.g, time in class, employment, commuting)? Is there room to combine tasks, for example, studying with friends or listening to audio tapes/reviewing study notes while commuting?
Next, check out the Time Wasters Exercise.
This handout was created by Holly Sanger, M.A., Psychology Intern, for the University Counseling Service, The University of Iowa.