ou have added a new role—doctoral student—to your already busy life. And the reality is that extra hours won’t be added to your day. How will you effectively manage your time? Part of your doctoral identity includes behaviors and habits and adapting to the life changes this journey requires. One of those adaptations is time management.
Developing time management skills starts with a realistic picture of where your time is now spent and an awareness of your existing habits. Knowing where you are now may help you adapt to new demands on your time and to be prepared when you enter your dissertation or DSW capstone stage. Then, you will need to become even more self-directed and formulate weekly objectives and accomplish specific tasks to complete your capstone in a timely manner.
This Doctoral Strategies Toolkit focuses on your time management skills, helping you take inventory of where you are now so that you can make the most of the future.
To Prepare
Take the time management self-assessment found in your Learning Resources.
Tips
The skills, behaviors, and goals you identify here are not static. Check back on them before each term start. Reflect on your progress. Record new perspectives on your skill development or new skills to develop.
By Day 7
In 2–3 sentences, summarize the score and explain what the results from the time management self-assessment mean.
In 3–4 sentences, describe your areas of strength and weakness in terms of time management.
In 3–4 sentences, identify at least two areas of growth in time management you will seek to address during your doctoral program.
In 3–4 sentences, describe at least two tools or techniques you will use to monitor your success and/or hold yourself accountable.
