Topic outline

  • Course Introduction

    Time management and stress management are two key components to succeeding in life. Creating a system to identify, evaluate, and eliminate distractors and stressors will lead to a more productive and efficient life, inside and outside of work. In this course, you will learn how to earn more time and be less stressed.

    Unit 1 will introduce you to time and stress; what it means to manage time and stress and a few simple strategies to put you on a path to succeed. Unit 2 dives deeper into identifying key stressors and distractors to better understand your own specific situation. Last, Unit 3 offers insight into how to apply strategies to eliminate the distractors and reduce the stress you regularly feel.

  • Unit 1: Introduction to Time and Stress Management

    Unit 1 introduces you to the ideas of time and stress management. Within this unit, you also learn the importance of goal setting and time tracking. Finally, you will find out how to-do lists can help you manage your time and stress.

    Completing this unit should take you approximately 5 hours.

  • 1.1: Understanding Time Management: Everyone Has a 24-hour Day

  • 1.2: Why Goal Setting is Important

    • Mark McGuinness' "Time Management for Creative People" File

      Read Chapters 1 through 5, on pages 4-17, to learn about successful time management. McGuiness’ guidance is relevant to any industry or field of endeavor. The concepts in these chapters will help you become more effective in completing work- and business-related tasks so that you still have time to devote to other priority activities. McGuinness also discusses goal setting as a powerful tool that you can use for motivation and to help you keep track of accomplishments. The author also offers tips to avoid feeling overwhelmed by to-do lists.

  • 1.3: Tracking Your Time Without Making it a Chore

    • Mark McGuinness' "Time Management for Creative People" File

      Read Chapters 6 and 7, on pages 21-27, to learn how to use to-do lists effectively and how to review commitments to determine importance. McGuiness suggests other tools to keep track of daily activities. Complete the questions at the end of each chapter to help assess your current planning abilities.

  • 1.4: Find Your Personal To-do List

    • Personal To Do List Activity Page

      This section is interactive. Please find a to-do list system. We have listed a few options here, but there are dozens of other to-do lists systems that you can use, including paper-and-pencil!

  • End of Unit Activity

    • Lumen Learning: “Assessment: Time Management” Page

      This assessment will help you track your activities in an interactive format for an average day. You will log a variety of time-spent-on-tasks. The purpose of this assessment is to provide a holistic assessment of your ability to track tasks, including things like sleeping and eating!

  • Topic 8

    • Unit 2: Identifying Stressors and Distractors

      Unit 2 introduces you to the problems that arise when trying to manage your time. You will learn how to prioritize tasks and figure out what is urgent. Then, you will learn what stressors can arise and how to own them. Finally, you will learn about some common myths and truths and figure out how much time you can devote to certain tasks.

      For each subunit, please track how long it takes you to complete the subunit. You will be asked to use this information in an assessment for Unit 2. You may like to keep a log of time you spend on this Unit in your notes.

      Completing this unit should take you approximately 5 hours.

    • 2.1: Decide What is Important and How Important it Is

    • 2.2: Find Your Stressors and Respond to Them

    • 2.3: Find Your Attention Span and Use it to Your Advantage

      • Griffith University: “How Can a Tomato Help You Stop Procrastinating?” Page

        The Pomodoro technique is one of the best ways to find your attention span. In this video, the speaker explains the Pomodoro technique for time management and attention span. While she uses 25 minutes as an exmple, I encourage you to find what works best for you through trial and error. Some of us have longer attention spans than others. Try to break up your hour into work and break. For some, this will mean a 43-minute uninterrupted session followed by a 17-minute break. Spend the next week finding your Pomodoro number.

      • Katie Taylor’s “Pomodoro Method for Productivity” Page

        In this video, Taylor describes the Pomodoro technique in detail. She explains the technique, using the 25-minute method with a 5-minute break. She describes that after four Pomodoros, you get a 15-minute break. Experiment with the Pomodoro technique and the timing of breaks to see what works best for you.

    • 2.4: Discover the Truth About Multitasking

      • Brainsetmanus: “Study and Learning Skills: The Myth of Multitasking” Page

        Many jobs and situations need multitasking, such as driving, riding a bike, or reading music while playing an instrument. This video describes why multitasking in more general terms is bad for our brain, and how we can be more productive by focusing instead of trying to multitask. Using the Pomodoro technique from above, try to focus instead of multitasking, and see how much you do.

      • Ralph Jocham: “Multitasking vs. a 100% Commitment” Page

        In this video, Ralph provides a framework for commitment instead of multitasking and the difference between working "in parallel" and multitasking. Using the word multitasking is a misnomer, and we should focus on working "in parallel" as our paradigm for speaking about task management. Ralph’s focus is on engineering, but you can use his ideas outside of engineering.

        After you have finished watching, spend at least 30 minutes writing about the difference between multitasking and parallel working. Give examples of times when you were multitasking when you should have been working in parallel and the toll doing so took on your work.

    • End of Unit Activity

      • Saylor Academy's "Unit 2 Time Estimate Activity" Page

        This activity has two parts. For the first part, you will need your record of how much time you spent on the resources and activities assigned within Unit 2. If you did not keep such a record, go back now and estimate the time commitment you made to Unit 2.

    • Topic 15

      • Unit 3: Overcoming Stressors and Distractors

        In Unit 3, you will learn different strategies for coping with stress. Then, you will learn how to figure out what is keeping you from being productive and how to end those issues. Finally, you will learn about external resources if you do not have the ability to overcome your stress on your own.

        Completing this unit should take you approximately 1.5 hours.

      • 3.1: Coping with Stress

      • 3.2: Eliminating Distractions

      • 3.3: When it is All Too Much

        • Saylor Academy's "Resources for Dealing with Stress Page

          Sometimes, we cannot overcome stress on our own. Please explore the different avenues that exist for people to find help when their stress is more than they can handle on their own. If you believe that you do not need this, still do the exercise because there is a good chance someone you know is struggling and might need resources. List any additional resources you find in the discussion forum.