Time Management
Goal: Learn time-management skills that help us prioritize tasks, meet deadlines, and reduce stress.
"Don't say 'I don't have time.' Say - 'that's not a priority.' "
– Laura Vanderkam, Author
Reflect: What’s something you say you don’t have time for, but if you’re honest, you might just not be treating it as a priority right now?
4
Relevant
Vocabulary
Prioritization: Deciding which tasks or goals are most important and doing those first.
Commitment: To be dedicated to something. An agreement to follow through, or a willingness to stick to your goals or to your word, even when it's difficult or you don’t feel like it.
WORD BANK WONDERS
Connection
1 volunteer is the Questioner and another volunteer is the Responder.
The Questioner chooses a topic to reveal different options to build a question. The Questioner constructs the question they want to ask the Responder (and the Responder responds).
4
WORD BANK WONDERS
Connection
What
always
you and why
person
book
app
distracts
educates
inspires
WORD BANK WONDERS
Connection
What
best represents how you feel when you're
song
sound
emoji
procrastinating
organizing
multitasking
WORD BANK WONDERS
Connection
If you could
yourself during
pause
rewind
fast-forward
homework
group projects
the morning
what would you do instead?
WORD BANK WONDERS
Connection
If your
could talk, what would it say about your
phone
calendar
backpack
personality
time-managment
priorities
Why: Mastering time management strengthens reliability and professionalism, supports goal achievement, and promotes a healthy work-life balance.
Time Management
16
For the next 3 slides, hold up 1, 2, or 3 fingers to show how much each statement applies to you.
Time Management Poll
Never
Sometimes
Always
1/2
1/2
Never
Sometimes
Always
I make a short list of my most important daily tasks.
1/2
Never
Sometimes
Always
I decide which tasks need to be done first.
1/2
Never
Sometimes
Always
I plan time for both my biggest tasks and fun activities.
"You learn quickly that not everything can be done at once. The art is in knowing what can wait 10 minutes and what can’t wait even one."
— Critical Care Nurse
Educator Share: How do you decide what to prioritize when everything feels important?
One of the most important strategies is understanding how to prioritize.
2
Time
Management
Time
Management
Prioritizing works best with clear strategies.
Quick Poll: Hold up a 1, 2, or 3 to show which strategy you use the most.
Prioritize by Time/Effort
Sort tasks by how much time or energy they need.
Prioritize by Urgency
Decide what needs to be done now, soon, or later.
Prioritize by Impact
Focus on tasks that earn the most points or help start other tasks.
1/2
Time
Management
1/2
Notice how the order of rocks, pebbles, and sand changes what fits in the jar and what doesn’t.
The order matters. If you fill your time with the small stuff first, there might not be enough room for what matters most.
1
What is 1 small, less important thing you sometimes spend time on before your bigger priorities?
The next few slides will be split into 3 sections: Rocks, Pebbles, and Sand.
Examine how these items relate to the way we prioritize.
1/2
4
ROCKS
PEBBLES
SAND
Your biggest commitments:
The must do's.
Medium commitments: Things you want to do and enjoy.
Smallest commitments: Things you do if there’s time left.
What are your rocks?
(biggest daily commitments)
What are your pebbles?
(medium daily commitments)
What is your sand?
(smallest daily commitments)
Advance the slide to reveal some examples
- School Assignments
- Sports Practice
- Meals
- Hanging Out With Friends
- Tidying Your Room
- Hobbies (drawing, gaming)
- Scrolling Social Media
- Texting
- Watching TV
Did you know?
Strong Time Management =
Less Stress
Having strong time management skills is linked to feeling more satisfied with life and experiencing less stress, anxiety, depression,
and burnout.
Aeon, B., Faber, A., & Panaccio, A. (2021). Does time management work?
A meta-analysis. PloS one, 16(1)
1/2
Be aware of Time Management Traps: Habits that make it harder to use time well.
On the next slide are several examples of time management traps that high school students often face, along with strategies that can be used to overcome them.
1/2
Time
Management
4
Relying on Memory Alone
Overplanning
Not Having
a Plan
Procrastinating
Advance slide to reveal a strategy
Overcoming Time Management Traps
Advance slide to reveal a strategy
Advance slide to reveal a strategy
Advance slide to reveal a strategy
Is there a strategy that you haven't tried before? Where in your life might it help?
Overplanning
Break big tasks into smaller ones, aim for 6 or fewer items on your list.
Procrastinating
Start with small wins and reward yourself for progress.
Not Having
a Plan
Set daily goals and make a simple schedule.
Relying on Memory Alone
Use digital tools or write tasks in a planner.
EXTEND
OR
Click to choose how to move on
END
Prioritizing Practice
Not everyone organizes their to-do lists in the same way.
In this extension activity, practice 2 different prioritizing strategies.
1/2
Strategy #1
Prioritizing By:
Importance/Urgency
Using the sample calendar, discuss with a partner: How would you organize the following tasks?
- Studying for your math test
- Responding to the discussion post
- Starting your essay rough draft
- Writing a birthday card for a friend
Discussion Response Due
Math
Test
Final
Essay
Due
Birthday Party
Soccer
Practice
Soccer
Practice
Soccer
Practice
Soccer
Practice
Today
3
Strategy #2
Prioritizing By:
Time/Effort
Using the sample calendar, discuss with a partner: How would you organize the following tasks?
- Studying for your math test
- Responding to the discussion post
- Starting your essay rough draft
- Writing a birthday card for a friend
Discussion Response Due
Math
Test
Final
Essay
Due
Birthday Party
Soccer
Practice
Soccer
Practice
Soccer
Practice
Soccer
Practice
3
Today
In today’s activity, we examined the Priority Jar analogy and how prioritizing what matters most helps us maximize our time effectively.
Specific time-management strategies help improve our success, mental health, and a good work-life balance. Choose 1 to try this week.
REVIEW
Learning Objective
1/2
Why: Mastering time management strengthens reliability and professionalism, supports goal achievement, and promotes a healthy work-life balance.
Time Management
16
Virtual Version
For the next 3 slides, share in the chat a 1, 2, or 3 to show how much each statement applies to you.
Time Management Poll
Never
Sometimes
Always
1/2
1/2
Never
Sometimes
Always
I make a short list of my most important daily tasks.
1/2
Never
Sometimes
Always
I decide which tasks need to be done first.
1/2
Never
Sometimes
Always
I plan time for both my biggest tasks and fun activities.
"You learn quickly that not everything can be done at once. The art is in knowing what can wait 10 minutes and what can’t wait even one."
— Critical Care Nurse
Educator Share: How do you decide what to prioritize when everything feels important?
One of the most important strategies is understanding how to prioritize.
2
Time
Management
Time
Management
Prioritizing works best with clear strategies.
Quick Poll: In the chat, share a 1, 2, or 3 to show which strategy you use the most.
Prioritize by Time/Effort
Sort tasks by how much time or energy they need.
Prioritize by Urgency
Decide what needs to be done now, soon, or later.
Prioritize by Impact
Focus on tasks that earn the most points or help start other tasks.
1/2
Time
Management
1/2
Notice how the order of rocks, pebbles, and sand changes what fits in the jar and what doesn’t.
The order matters. If you fill your time with the small stuff first, there might not be enough room for what matters most.
1
What is 1 small, less important thing you sometimes spend time on before your bigger priorities?
The next few slides will be split into 3 sections: Rocks, Pebbles, and Sand.
Examine how these items relate to the way we prioritize.
1/2
4
ROCKS
PEBBLES
SAND
Your biggest commitments:
The must do's.
Medium commitments: Things you want to do and enjoy.
Smallest commitments: Things you do if there’s time left.
What are your rocks?
(biggest daily commitments)
What are your pebbles?
(medium daily commitments)
What is your sand?
(smallest daily commitments)
Advance the slide to reveal some examples
- School Assignments
- Sports Practice
- Meals
- Hanging Out With Friends
- Tidying Your Room
- Hobbies (drawing, gaming)
- Scrolling Social Media
- Texting
- Watching TV
Did you know?
Strong Time Management =
Less Stress
Having strong time management skills is linked to feeling more satisfied with life and experiencing less stress, anxiety, depression,
and burnout.
Aeon, B., Faber, A., & Panaccio, A. (2021). Does time management work?
A meta-analysis. PloS one, 16(1)
1/2
Be aware of Time Management Traps: Habits that make it harder to use time well.
On the next slide are several examples of time management traps that high school students often face, along with strategies that can be used to overcome them.
1/2
Time
Management
4
Relying on Memory Alone
Overplanning
Not Having
a Plan
Procrastinating
Advance slide to reveal a strategy
Overcoming Time Management Traps
Advance slide to reveal a strategy
Advance slide to reveal a strategy
Advance slide to reveal a strategy
Is there a strategy that you haven't tried before? Where in your life might it help?
Overplanning
Break big tasks into smaller ones, aim for 6 or fewer items on your list.
Procrastinating
Start with small wins and reward yourself for progress.
Not Having
a Plan
Set daily goals and make a simple schedule.
Relying on Memory Alone
Use digital tools or write tasks in a planner.
EXTEND
OR
Click to choose how to move on
END
Prioritizing Practice
Not everyone organizes their to-do lists in the same way.
In this extension activity, practice 2 different prioritizing strategies.
1/2
Strategy #1
Prioritizing By:
Importance/Urgency
Using the sample calendar, share in the chat: How would you organize the following tasks?
A. Studying for your math test
B. Responding to the discussion post
C. Starting your essay rough draft
D. Writing a birthday card for a friend
Discussion Response Due
Math
Test
Final
Essay
Due
Birthday Party
Soccer
Practice
Soccer
Practice
Soccer
Practice
Soccer
Practice
Today
3
Strategy #2
Prioritizing By:
Time/Effort
Using the sample calendar, share in the chat: How would you organize the following tasks?
Discussion Response Due
Math
Test
Final
Essay
Due
Birthday Party
Soccer
Practice
Soccer
Practice
Soccer
Practice
Soccer
Practice
3
Today
A. Studying for your math test
B. Responding to the discussion post
C. Starting your essay rough draft
D. Writing a birthday card for a friend
In today’s activity, we examined the Priority Jar analogy and how prioritizing what matters most helps us maximize our time effectively.
Specific time-management strategies help improve our success, mental health, and a good work-life balance. Choose 1 to try this week.
REVIEW
Learning Objective
1/2