TIme and Stress Management Workshop

Summary

The West Chester University in Philadelphia's presentation on time and stress management introduces the RACK method—Record, Analyze, Change, and Keep—to help individuals take control of their day. The method involves noting all daily activities, identifying time wasters, and making actionable changes to improve productivity. The presentation also addresses the psychological impact of poor time management and provides strategies for overcoming procrastination, prioritizing tasks, and managing stress effectively.

Takeaways

• 📅 There are 168 hours in a week, and managing them effectively can lead to better control over one's life and reduce stress.
• ✍️ The RACk method involves recording, analyzing, and changing your time usage to improve productivity and reduce wasted time.
• 🔍 Start by recording everything you do throughout the day to understand where your time is spent and identify time wasters.
• 📉 Analyze your recorded activities to find patterns and areas where you can make changes to be more productive.
• 🛠 Change your habits by creating to-do lists, decluttering your workspace, and avoiding multitasking to focus on individual tasks.
• 📝 Prioritizing tasks using methods like the ABC method or considering impact versus effort can help manage time more effectively.
• 🏋️‍♂️ Staying healthy and building in flexibility can help maintain energy and overcome obstacles, contributing to better time management.
• 🎯 Setting specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals can provide a clear direction and motivation.
• 🤔 Procrastination can be a significant obstacle to effective time management, but it can be overcome by breaking tasks into smaller pieces and using techniques like the Pomodoro method.
• 📱 Utilizing technology, such as apps and calendars, can assist in organizing tasks and managing time more efficiently.
• 🧘‍♀️ Recognizing and managing stress through mindfulness, physical activity, and other stress-relief techniques is crucial for overall well-being and productivity.

Q & A

How many hours are there in a week according to the video script?

There are 168 hours in a week.

What is the purpose of the time management calculator exercise presented in the video?

The purpose of the exercise is to help individuals understand how they are currently spending their time and identify any discrepancies between their perceived and actual usage of time.

What is the RACk method mentioned in the video?

The RACk method stands for Recording, Analyzing, and Changing. It is a three-step process to improve time management by recording all activities, analyzing how time is spent, and making changes to reduce time wastage.

What are some of the negative impacts of poor time management on psychological health as discussed in the video?

Poor time management can lead to feelings of being out of control of one's life, increased workplace stress, and stress that bleeds over into home life, undermining a relaxed lifestyle.

What is the significance of prioritizing tasks in effective time management?

Prioritizing tasks helps to focus on the most important activities first, ensuring that time and effort are allocated to tasks that have the highest impact and importance.

What is the ABC method for prioritizing tasks mentioned in the video?

The ABC method involves creating three lists: A for urgent tasks, B for tasks that must be done but are less time-sensitive, and C for tasks that are not critical.

How does the video suggest dealing with multitasking in the context of time management?

The video suggests avoiding multitasking, as it can lead to increased stress and delays. Instead, it recommends setting aside blocks of time for individual activities with clear start and stop points.

What are some of the common reasons for procrastination as outlined in the video?

Common reasons for procrastination include lacking the knowledge or skills to complete a task, fear of the unknown, evaluation anxiety, acceptance of another's goals, and ambiguity about the task or how to complete it.

What is the Pomodoro method mentioned in the video for overcoming procrastination?

The Pomodoro method involves working on a task for 25 minutes, then taking a short break, and repeating this cycle. After four cycles, a longer break is taken. This technique helps maintain focus and productivity.

How does the video suggest recognizing and managing stress?

The video suggests recognizing physical, behavioral, and cognitive signs of stress and managing it through various techniques such as self-compassion, relying on routines, taking breaks to do something interesting, using if-then statements for positive self-talk, and practicing mindfulness.

Outlines

00:00

📝 Time Management Basics and the RAC Method

This paragraph introduces a time and stress management exercise by West Chester University in Philadelphia. It encourages participants to calculate how they spend their weekly hours, subtracting time spent on various activities from the total 168 hours. The goal is to identify time wasters and to understand if one's time usage aligns with their expectations. The RAC method is presented as a solution to improve time management, which includes recording, analyzing, and changing one's habits. The paragraph emphasizes the negative impact of poor time management on psychological health and suggests that by managing time effectively, one can feel more in control and reduce stress.

05:01

📈 Analyzing Time Usage and Prioritization Techniques

The second paragraph delves into analyzing daily time usage through the RAC method, highlighting the importance of identifying time wasters and adjusting one's schedule to find more usable time chunks. It introduces the time wheel, a tool for visualizing time allocation throughout the day, and discusses various time management tips such as knowing one's priorities, maintaining health, and building flexibility into the schedule. The paragraph also touches on survival time, celebration time, and the optimum study method, emphasizing the need for self-awareness in study habits and the importance of balancing life and study commitments.

10:01

🎯 Overcoming Procrastination with Goal-Setting and Techniques

This paragraph addresses the common issue of procrastination, using a humorous anecdote by Ellen DeGeneres to illustrate its pervasiveness. It outlines reasons for procrastination, such as lack of knowledge or skills, fear of the unknown, and unclear task definitions. To overcome procrastination, the paragraph suggests breaking tasks into smaller pieces, using the 5-minute plan, advertising one's plans to maintain accountability, and modifying the environment to increase efficiency. Additionally, it mentions the Pomodoro method, goal-setting with SMART goals, and the importance of reviewing and prioritizing goals to stay focused and avoid procrastination.

15:01

🧘‍♂️ Stress Management and Time Management Tools

The final paragraph focuses on stress management, starting with a discussion on recognizing stress through physical, behavioral, and cognitive signs. It provides nine ways successful people defeat stress, including self-compassion, reliance on routines, and positive self-talk using if-then statements. The paragraph also covers the use of technology for time management, recommending apps and websites like Google Calendar, exam countdowns, I studies, Evernote, and rememberthemilk. It concludes with general stress management tips such as visualizing calm, writing down stressors, practicing mindfulness, and engaging in physical activity, emphasizing the importance of breathing as a simple stress reliever.

Keywords

💡Time Management

Time management refers to the process of organizing and planning how much time is spent on each activity to make the best use of one's time. In the video's theme, it is the central concept for improving productivity and psychological health. The script emphasizes the importance of time management through exercises like the time management calculator and the RAC method, which includes recording, analyzing, and changing one's daily activities to reduce wasted time.

💡Stress

Stress is a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from demanding circumstances. The video discusses how poor time management can lead to stress, as evidenced by the study mentioned that workers who didn't manage their time well felt less in control of their lives. The script also provides strategies for recognizing and managing stress, such as mindfulness and breathing exercises.

💡Productivity

Productivity is the effectiveness of productive activity in relation to the time spent and resources consumed. The script relates productivity to time management, suggesting that by managing time effectively, individuals can accomplish more and feel more in control, thereby reducing stress and increasing the sense of accomplishment.

💡RAC Method

The RAC method is a time management strategy introduced in the script, standing for Recording, Analyzing, and Changing. It is a three-step process to help individuals take control of their day by noting down all activities, evaluating their use of time, and making adjustments to reduce time wastage. The method is exemplified in the script as a practical way to improve time management.

💡To-Do List

A to-do list is a record of tasks to be completed, often prioritized according to importance or urgency. In the script, creating a to-do list is suggested as a way to manage time and priorities effectively. It is recommended to limit the list to five tasks and rank them by importance to focus on what truly matters.

💡Decluttering

Decluttering is the process of removing unnecessary items or distractions from one's environment. The script mentions decluttering as a way to save time by not having to search through piles of stuff. It is presented as a health benefit as well as a time management strategy.

💡Multitasking

Multitasking is the ability to perform multiple tasks or switch between tasks quickly. However, the script suggests that multitasking can lead to stress and delay, recommending instead that individuals set aside blocks of time for individual activities to maintain focus and efficiency.

💡Prioritization

Prioritization is the act of arranging tasks or objectives in order of importance. The script discusses various methods of prioritization, such as the ABC method and the impact versus effort analysis, to help individuals focus on the most critical tasks and reduce time spent on less important activities.

💡Procrastination

Procrastination is the act of delaying or postponing tasks or actions. The script addresses procrastination as a common obstacle to effective time management, providing reasons why people procrastinate and offering strategies to overcome it, such as breaking tasks into smaller pieces and using the Pomodoro method.

💡SMART Goals

SMART is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound, which is a framework for setting goals. The script encourages the use of SMART goals to provide clarity and direction, helping individuals to stay focused and motivated to achieve their objectives.

💡Mindfulness

Mindfulness is the practice of being fully present and engaged in the current moment. The script suggests practicing mindfulness as a stress management technique, helping individuals to focus on the present and avoid being overwhelmed by stressors.

Highlights

168 hours in a week exercise to understand time usage

Introduction to the RACK method for time management: Record, Analyze, Change, and Keep

Recording every activity to understand daily time allocation

Analyzing time usage to identify unproductive periods

The importance of effective time management in reducing workplace stress

Strategies to reclaim wasted time through better time management

Creating to-do lists with a limited number of prioritized tasks

Benefits of decluttering for improving time efficiency

Avoiding multitasking and focusing on single tasks for better productivity

Setting specific start and stop times for daily activities

Recap of the RACK method for improved time management

Utilizing a daily planner to track and analyze time usage

Introduction to the Time Wheel for visualizing daily time allocation

Tips for knowing your priorities and effective time management

Understanding the impact of stress on physical and mental health

Ellen DeGeneres' humorous take on procrastination

Common reasons for procrastination and how to overcome them

Using the Pomodoro Technique to manage work and break times

Goal-setting as a method to avoid procrastination and improve focus

Technological tools for time management and organization

Recognizing and managing stress through various techniques

Stress management tips from successful people

Final thoughts on the importance of time and stress management

Transcripts

time and stress management presented by

West Chester University in Philadelphia

let's begin with a brief exercise there

are 168 hours in a week how many hours

are you using to complete the time

management calculator exercise you will

need a piece of paper and a pen or

pencil you may also use a calculator

beginning with 168 hours subtract the

number of hours per week you spend doing

each of the bulleted items on this slide

feel free to pause the presentation

while you complete the exercise how many

hours if any are you left with

does your calculations show more hours

remaining in the week than you thought

or less remaining time than you thought

if you are surprised by your final

number you may need to let's take a look

at how you're spending your time on a

daily basis the rack method will help

you do just that

are you constantly finding yourself

behind at work or school you arrive at

the end of the day and realize you've

accomplished nothing on your to-do list

well odds are you're not very good at

time management and that is not doing

your psychological health any favors in

fact a study published in work and

stress found that workers who didn't

productively manage their time felt less

in control of their lives here's the

good news

you can get better paying attention to

how you spend your time we'll help you

manage it more effectively and we're

gonna help you learn how to do just that

today on well-cast we're gonna get you

in control of your day with our rack

method recording analyzing and changing

three easy steps - great time management

pause and print a copy of our handy well

cast day planner

and if printing let's dive in step 1

recording when you wake up tomorrow note

the time in your day planner as the day

progresses write down everything that

you do yes we mean everything the 10

minutes you spent getting dressed a half

day of productive work the hours you

spent between social networking sites we

mean at all keep this up from the time

you wake up until you go to sleep step 2

analyzing at the end of the day go

through the schedule and highlight any

chunks of time that you don't feel we're

used productively pick out your five

biggest time wasters in your day be

honest with yourself you spent a half an

hour by the coffee machine talking to

your co-worker you spent an hour on

Facebook and you stared into space for

twenty minutes come on you get the

picture especially focus on the time

wasters at work why a study published by

the British Medical Journal says that

workplace stress is minimised by

effective time management it also says

that workplace stress bleeds over into

home life and undermines a relaxed life

at home here's the ugly part add up all

the time you wasted how much productive

time did you blow on activities that got

you no results step 3 changing now it's

time to come up with a way to get that

time back here are three ways to change

your time wasting habits and become a

better time manager try were

nice to-do lists are a really effective

way to manage your time and your

priorities limit the number of tasks you

have on this list to five and assign

rankings to them in order of importance

declutter not only is decluttering great

for your health but you won't waste time

digging around piles of stuff to find

that one piece of paper that you really

need check out our webcast on clutter

for some helpful tips on lightening your

load schedule Hey we all try to kill two

birds with one stone but odds are

multitasking will actually just stress

you out and delay you even more instead

set aside blocks of time for individual

activities for each activity set start

and stop points this way your day is

cleanly segmented then stick to this

schedule try going one week using these

tips to reduce your wasted time at the

end of the week go figure out where

you've improved your time management

skills and how much time you've saved

let's recap today you'll learn how to

manage your time better by using our

well-cast rack method you record it

analyze and hopefully changed how you

use your time and you did this by

learning how to prioritize your most

important tasks declutter your workspace

to save you time and you learned how to

build yourself an effective schedule to

block out your day hey how did rack work

for you we want to hear how much time

you were wasting and how much you're

saving now tweet us at watch webcast

email us at watch webcast at

elzar pause or leave a comment down

below the daily planner referred to in

the video would look something like this

rather than using the planner to plan

ahead use it to fill in everything you

do when you do it for a week

then analyze your week paying close

attention to time wasters you may also

notice that you have many small gaps of

time in this case adjusting your

schedule a bit may help you find larger

more usable chunks of time another way

to analyze your daily time usage is the

time wheel the time wheel is split into

24 sections one for each hour of the day

and you can develop your own key

utilizing the categories that make the

most sense for you time management tips

know your priorities and we'll talk more

about prioritizing in a bit work time

approximately how much time will it take

to complete the task

be healthy staying healthy will help

keep you energized and better able to

overcome obstacles build in flexibility

let the little things add up rather than

taking a couple of minutes here or there

to complete small tasks block off a

larger chunk of time and get them all

done at once

no.1 it's survival time while we spend a

lot of time trying to balance our lives

sometimes we need to plan for an

imbalance certain times of the semester

we'll be busier than others plan ahead

for this know when it's celebration time

there's nothing wrong with taking time

to enjoy and celebrate your

accomplishments and compromise you may

need to choose quality over quantity or

vice versa depending on the tasks

optimum study method this is all about

knowing yourself and how you study best

do you prefer to work early in the

morning or late at night do you prefer

to work on one assignment exclusively of

course several at the same time if you

have kids is it best for you to work at

night after they're in bed or while

they're doing their homework do you need

complete silence to concentrate or do

you prefer background noise

combining life and study while we

sometimes need to plan for an imbalance

most of the time we need to find ways to

balance the various aspects of our lives

try to avoid disruption of existing

commitments in other words don't

rearrange your entire life if you don't

need to study in a regular time plan

ahead for your peak study periods those

times when you have a big exam coming up

or a project due establish a semester

long timetable looking at the big

picture will help you plan ahead don't

leave things until the last minute make

sure your family and friends know why

school is important to you and make them

feel included in the experience and

don't rely on spontaneity plan ahead and

find shortcuts multitask when possible

and ask for help

delegate and remember that it's okay to

say no sometimes planners are very

useful tools for time management in

order to use them effectively first put

in all regularly scheduled appointments

then add other things that need to be

done at a certain time but aren't set in

stone next add other tasks that must be

completed during the week and add in

some recovery relaxation and social time

yes those are important to finally fill

in any gaps

the ability to prioritize is critical to

effective time management and minimizing

stress there are many ways to prioritize

one of which is the ABC method create

three lists the a list includes tasks

that are urgent the B list includes

tasks that must be done but are not so

time-sensitive and the C list includes

tasks you'd like to get done but are not

critical

you can also prioritize in terms of

impact versus effort high impact low

effort tasks would be quick wins whereas

high impact high effort tasks are your

major projects another way to prioritize

is by looking at agency versus

importance tasks that are urgent and

important quadrant one would be the

highest priority while tasks that are

not urgent and not important quadrant

four would generally be considered time

wasters one of the most common obstacles

to effective time management is

procrastination before we talk about

procrastination let's hear what ellen

degeneres has to say about the topic

I have a problem with procrastination

and I'm supposed to start the show and

I'm not so this procrastination thing

whenever there's something I'm supposed

to do I'll do anything other than one

thing that I'm supposed to do and then I

feel bad about myself and then I get

depressed and then I really don't get

anything done cuz I'm depressed and I

told a friend of mine about this problem

and she said you should go to therapy

and I thought about it and I thought

well wait a minute why should I pay a

stranger to listen to me talk when I can

get strangers to pay to listen to me

talk so that's when I came up with the

idea of touring and I thought now I have

to write a show so I thought what do I

want to say what do I want to talk about

so I sat down on my desk and I was

staring at my desk and I thought wow

that's dusty I can't write with my desk

all dusty like this so I went downstairs

to get a rag and on the way downstairs

my kitten was on the stairway playing

with a piece of dust or something and

and I went to a pet because they did the

thing where they roll on their back and

show you the belly and you got a reward

that you can't pass that up so I sat

down I was petting the cat for about I

don't know 45 minutes something like

that and then I went downstairs and by

that time I forgotten why I went

downstairs and I was staring around

trying to remember and I thought I

should paint this room

I wonder what color this is it looks

like a white but I'm sure there's some

fancy name for it all these people what

kind of job is that to come up with a

name for paint colors you know all the

different color whites like eggshell or

linen or lily or off all the different

ones you know and I thought maybe yellow

you know canary or banana or smokers

teeth you know something that would be I

thought I've got it right so maybe if I

put music on it'd be more inspiring so I

went over to the cabinet where I keep

all my CDs you should have seen that

thing total disarray just Oh everything

Meat Loaf was next to the cranberries

which I thought it'd be funny one night

to organize it buy food when I was drunk

really nothing else was in there except

bread and just all kinds of we let the

doors and the carpenters and Nine Inch

Nails were together and that doesn't

help anything so um I thought of got to

organize this I can't put this off and

so I'm sitting in the hundreds of CDs

and the phone rang and it was a friend

of mine and I said I can't talk I'm

writing and so she said I can't believe

you you're so disciplined I have such a

problem with procrastination and I said

well we should go to lunch and talk

about that so we went to lunch and we

were talking about procrastination and

the waitress overheard us and she said I

have a problem with procrastination too

I said really get my sandwich

but that's when it hit me that's what I

should talk about procrastination that's

a problem everybody has this Universal

procrastination and then I said Oh Who

am I kidding I'm never gonna get around

to writing about procrastination and so

my friend said that's why I brought this

videotape if you watch this guy he keeps

you focused he keeps you on track you'll

never procrastinate again so about a

week later I'll pop in the tape I find

that if you don't press play right away

something's on TV

there are many reasons that we

procrastinate lacking the knowledge or

skills to complete a task may lead to

procrastination they may also put off

difficult or time-consuming tasks fear

of the unknown and evaluation anxiety

the fear that we won't complete the task

well enough are also causes of

procrastination acceptance of another's

goals if the task is related to someone

else's goals rather than our own we lack

investment in the task and may be more

likely to put it off

ambiguity again being unclear on the

task or how to complete it may also lead

to procrastination so how do we overcome

procrastination one way is to break down

tasks into smaller more manageable

pieces use the 5-minute plan tell

yourself you are only going to work on

the task for five minutes once you get

going you will likely find that you

continue well past the 5-minute mark

advertise your plans to accomplish

something tell your friends are posted

on social media so you remain

accountable modify your environment to

increase efficiency plan and prioritize

and reward yourself or you might try the

Pomodoro method decide on a tasks to be

done set a timer for 25 minutes work on

the task until the timer rings take a

brief three to five minute break after

four cycles begin taking longer breaks

of fifteen to thirty minutes another way

to avoid procrastination is by

goal-setting by reviewing your goals and

keeping your eye on the prize

you will see the importance of what you

are doing try to create goals that are

specific measurable attainable relevant

and time-bound four SMART goals

when setting goals you should not only

determine the goals themselves but also

the steps needed to achieve those goals

any potential obstacles as well as

helpful resources or sources of support

and what the outcome will look like how

will you know when you've achieved your

goal if you like using technology there

are many helpful apps and websites to

help you manage your time and get

organized

try using Google Calendar or the

calendar on your smartphone exam

countdown lets you know how soon your

assignments or exams are due helping you

to prioritize your studying I studies

Pro combines your calendar with your

list of assignments Evernote allows you

to store notes photos lists pretty much

anything in one place rememberthemilk

allows you to create multiple to-do

lists in different categories timeful

shows your events and to-do lists in one

place and suggests when to get things

done it can also help you start a new

habit and track your progress one of the

best reasons to improve your time

management is to avoid stress however no

matter how well you manage your time you

will inevitably feel some stress from

time to time so let's talk about how to

recognize and manage stress stress can

manifest in physical signs such as

increased heart rate difficulty sleeping

and headaches behavioral signs such as

irritability losing patience and

increased conflict with family and

friends and cognitive signs such as

difficulty concentrating forgetfulness

and excessive worrying

nine ways successful people defeat

stress have self-compassion remember the

big picture perspective means a lot

rely on routines take five or ten

minutes to do something interesting this

doesn't necessarily mean something fun

or relaxing but research shows that

interest actually replenishes your

energy at where and when - your to-do

list use if-then statements for positive

self-talk for example if I have a big

exam coming up then I will stay calm and

do my best see your work in terms of

progress not perfection and think about

the progress you've already made know

whether optimism or defense pessimism

works best for you are you motivated by

the desire to go for it or are you

motivated by a desire to keep danger and

negative outcomes at bay in other words

are you motivated by promotion or

prevention some other stress management

tips include visualizing calm putting it

on paper on one side right the stressors

you can change on the other side right

the stressors you can this may help

adjust your perspective and allow you to

focus on the things you can change try

scaling your stress from 1 to 10

practicing mindfulness engaging in

physical activity creating a mantra

smiling stretching or petting an animal

perhaps the simplest stress reliever is

breathing if you are feeling stressed

recognize your stress signals take a

deep breath and let it all out

thank you for watching wcu Philly's time

and stress management presentation if

you have any questions please contact

Marci Cohen program counselor for West

Chester University in Philadelphia at M

Cohen at wcu PA edu where two six seven

three eight six three zero one four