Lifelong Learning and Time Management

From a broad perspective, lifelong learning will not only gain you qualifications, teach you a new skill or expand your knowledge, but motivate you into making the most of your life.

Watch that clock

In certain careers, a Masters degree is almost a prerequisite, so it's only a matter of time before you get down to being a bookworm again. Other reasons for lifelong learning include career changes or a re-entry into the world of work after an absence. But how are you going to find time for another diploma or degree when you barely have time to do any personal reading? Some might think that first you find time to learn about time management, then like magic, it will all fall into place! Well, not quite. But you do have to consider the different types of time management systems and see which one you are going to go with first.

Is a formal plan of action like time management necessary? It is a tool which, if used correctly, can facilitate your progress. Following a course while you work (in, out of the home or both) means that you will not have the luxury of spending hours simply on planning what to do next.

You can find a wealth of time management tips on the Internet which you can use as a guide straight away. Time management is an endless series of decisions that gradually change the shape of your life. The methods of time management help you establish priorities that highlight your most important goals, allowing you to base your decisions on what is important to you and what is not. You can improve your ability to make decisions and can create time by realistic scheduling and by the elimination of low priority tasks.

The other side of the coin is that inappropriate decisions produce frustration, low self-esteem and increased stress. They can result in procrastination, deadlines constantly being missed and chronic indecision between unpleasant alternatives. Fatigue or apathy may result after many hours of unproductive activity or from rushing from one project to the other. If you don't manage your time effectively, you are unlikely to have satisfied feelings of accomplishment; there will be insufficient time for rest or personal relationships, aggravated by a sense of being overwhelmed by demands and details.

Time wasting and solutions

Yes, you want this qualification and have paid good money to get it. But that doesn't mean that because you are an adult and left school behind decades ago, that you are immune to procrastination, distractions and temptations.

Picture yourself locked in your study, with every good intention to getting down to some work. 'Oh, I'll just check my mail', you say to yourself, and an hour later you still haven't got down to your assignment. It's not only the young who are hooked on Instant Messaging.

The most common time wasters are lack of planning, lack of priorities, over-commitment, crisis management, telephone, haste, paperwork, reading and visitors. Recognize that planning may take time but it saves time and effort in the long run. Write down goals and discuss priorities with co-workers and family members. Learn to say no to avoid over-commitment. Get facts, set goals, investigate alternatives and negative consequences, make a decision, and then implement it. Distinguish between the urgent and the important and take time to get it right.

Screen interruptions, be brief, and stay uninvolved with all but essentials. Learn to say 'no' to visitors - and that includes the telephone. Don't let lack of self-discipline and the desire to be informed and involved waste your time.

When reading text books and papers, do so selectively, ask for summaries and learn speed reading. Manage computer data (including emails) on a need-to-know basis.

It's a mindset, first

Time management guru Steve Pavlina considers the general mindset of time management to be far more important than any system, meaning that you simply value your time because you respect yourself. He suggests that trying to cut out time-wasting habits is a mistaken starting point for people who desire to become more efficient. Clarity of purpose must come first. If you don't have clarity, then your attempts to install more efficient habits and to break inefficient habits will only fizzle. You won't have a strong enough reason to put your time to good use, so it will be easy to quit when things get tough. You need a large, attractive goal to stay motivated.

Pavlina summarises time management as first deciding what to do and secondly doing it. At each step of your project, identify the 'right' or the 'best' way to complete each step, asking, "What is the best action to take right now, and what is the best way to do it?"

Pavlina's example is pragmatic and is based on his own experience where he obtained an amazing two degrees in three terms (attending full-time). Once he began an assignment, he would stay with it until it was 100% ready to be turned in. He would do large projects on weekends, going to the library in the morning, doing the necessary research, and then go back to his room and continue working until the final text was rolling off the printer. He also kept fit, listened to motivational tapes, took breaks as needed with one day off a week for rest and relaxation.

Pavlina's experience shows that by doing work that is 'good enough' you will reduce the stress of aiming for perfection. In this case, getting adequate results (passing without having a breakdown) may be more important than passing well and paying too high a price in your health, work and relationships.

Tricks of the trade

Forget marathon study sessions with caffeine pills till 2 a.m. New learning strategies promote adequate rest and pacing yourself. Tony Buzan is known as the innovator of Mind-Mapping, (http://www.buzanworld.com), an excellent way of facilitating note-taking, creativity, brain-storming and planning. He also advocates a whole strategy for learning what takes the stress out of the process. As a first step, he suggests making a note of 'what you know' about any new subject providing something that new information can be linked to. Buzan suggests every study period to be no more than 40 minutes in duration with regular breaks. He advocates a review of the learned information (always with a self-test first to see what you have retrieved from memory) after 24 hours, one week and then one month. With little planning, you have your revision timetable set up as you go and there is no need to panic before an exam.

If you haven't used his Mind Map techniques before, they are non-linear ways of using key words, colour and images to arrange your text on a page. Information can easily be memorised because the Mind Map appeals directly to the way the brain works, using both right and left sides, to create new synapses and store and retrieve information from both long- and short-term memories. Once you have tried them, you can use them in every sphere of your life wherever problem solving or note taking are required.

What's your learning style?

New research into whole-braining learning suggests that by playing certain types of music while you read, your chances of improved concentration and of learning new information are increased. You may be sceptical, but isn't this worth a try? To help you concentrate, choose classical music with repeated phrases and patterns, something like Hayden or Mozart, maybe Bach. When there are no lyrics, it is easier to focus on the words on the paper in your hand. Choosing abrasive, disharmonic music will distract you while your brain tries to make sense of the disharmony. Again, experiment and see what works best for you.

Whether you are attending evening classes or following an online course, it is also helpful to know what kind of learner you are. By understanding how you learn best, you can tailor your learning/studying techniques to your own needs. Solomon and Felder's Index of Learning Styles is a 44-item questionnaire which can be completed online.

The Auditory person prefers to follow verbal instructions. Kinaesthetic learners learn by moving, touching, writing and doing. Writing things down clarifies their thoughts. Visual learners learn by seeing, reading and visualizing.

So, if you learn by listening, tape your notes and listen to them in the car while driving to work, or while jogging. A visual learner can paste charts in his or her study and make sure she has key points written down, while kinaesthetic learners would get bored sitting reading for too long.

Quality of life

You are not alone in your endeavours, in fact; they involve the whole family. One has to realise that every minute you take for yourself means one more away from your family and even friends. You may also need to delegate home tasks that were once your responsibility. If you set and concentrate on priority goals, you can delegate non-essentials and give others the right to do it their way. Allow mistakes and give credit where it's due. Unless they are on your side, rooting for you and being supportive, you will be undertaking an uphill battle that might even result in your giving up.

If you listen to the experts, you will eat and exercise for optimal energy, hone your physical body, make time for fun, maintain balance, reinforce your enthusiasm on a daily basis and learn just how far you can push yourself. Getting back to those books can suddenly seem much more attractive than ever before!

Article prepared by Commercial Services Bureau (CSB) Ltd.

Since 1987, CSB Ltd. has been servicing the local and international business community with its range of employment/recruitment related services. It has helped thousands of employees improve their job conditions and careers, and employers obtain the ideal staff for their organisations.