Introduction

Here you'll learn super ways to move toward your full potential by efficiently managing your time and setting and achieving worthwhile goals.

This starts off from the perspective of university students, but has much value to everyone.

You learn the techniques needed to become more productive and to achieve your goals in life, including fun ones. These are easy-to-learn and easy-to-use procedures that can be and should be implemented immediately.

A few of these points may be known to some readers, but this page adds at least one valuable unique twist, which is sure to garner results.

Blocking your time makes you more productive

Blocking out periods of time for specific activities focuses your energies.

Most university students—in fact, nearly everyone—leads a rather haphazard existence.

Somehow, every weekend becomes filled with tasks not accomplished from Monday through Friday.

How can you possibly find time to achieve new goals, when your week already seems filled? You want more money to enjoy a ski trip or to put a down payment on a car, but there just doesn't seem to be any time to work extra hours.

DrVoyageur.com union rules

Dr. Voyageur proposes making full-time university academic work full-time—but no more. No evening work. No weekend work. No overtime, period.

DrVoyageur.com union rules.

How?

From Monday through Friday, set up a 38 hour work week, almost standard in Canada and the U.S., starting a 8:00 a.m. and ending at 5:00 p.m., with an hour off for lunch and personal activities. On Friday, the workday ends at 3:00 p.m.

You pretend that you do not have the ability to modify these hours, e.g., trade four hours Monday morning for four hours Wednesday evening, just as if you were working for a mean employer, who always says no.

Studying is done solely during the day when you are freshest after sleep.

During your university "work" time, your total focus is on classroom attendance and study.

If you finish early, and have no studying that you can reasonably do ahead of time, such as reading or writing major papers, you may stop "work" early and have extra free time. Remember DrVoyageur.com union rules.

Otherwise, except for medical and dental appointments and university administrative tasks, such as class registration, you do not engage in leisure activities or any other non academic activities during your university work hours.

No exceptions!

Avoid temptations

Obviously, you have to avoid your friends during your "work" hours. You need to make it easy to follow your new university routine.

To lessen the chance of disruptive—and tempting—social encounters, find a very private place for study, well off the beaten path of your friends, which is certainly neither your dorm room nor a place in public view in the library.

An unused classroom may work for you.

This is very important. And, keep what you are doing private, which is also important.

Looking at your results

Now, what does all of this accomplish?

First, you have disciplined yourself to accomplish by sticking to a schedule.

Second, you have set up the incentive of a de facto deadline, 3:00 p.m., Friday.

And, third, you have given yourself an additional incentive of having much more time for pleasure, extra income from outside work, enjoyable physical activity, and other activities that you do not have to feel guilty about.

While some of your friends on Sunday evening may be in a near state of panic over an important paper due Monday, you'll be enjoying a meal and a film with another friend.

Obviously, some academic programmes—legal and medical ones come to mind—may require more than a 38 hour work week. And, those who study in other than their mother tongue may need extra time.

But, the point is that any programme can be done more efficiently by blocking out time to help build a more balanced life and to achieve more goals.

For time management and goal setting tips
Go to >> Making the best use of your time