Home - College Skills - Time Management: Goal-Setting Worksheet

Time Management: Goal-Setting Worksheet

Did you ever notice how some people seem to find the time to get everything done while others are constantly scrambling to complete projects at the last minute? Everyone is allotted the same amount of time each day – 24 hours – and how we manage those twenty-four hours can make a big difference in our effectiveness and academic success. The first step to managing your time is to prioritize so that you can make certain that you have the time that you need to do the things that matter most to you. In order to prioritize, you must first set goals that will help you think about what does matter.

Long Term Goals:
What do you want to get out of your time at UAH? (Feel free to include non-academic goals.)
Five years from now, what do you want to be doing? Ten years from now? Twenty?

What do you need to do in order to realize those goals?

Medium-Term Goals (Semester):
What do you want to do this semester at UAH, both academically and otherwise?

What is the workload for each of your classes? How much reading is there on an average week? And how long does it take you to do that reading, typically?


Wish List:
If you had all the time in the world, what would you do with it?


Self-Knowledge:
What time is it comfortable for you get out of bed in the morning (realistically)?

What time is it comfortable for you to go to sleep at night (realistically)?

What time is “prime time” for studying? When do you feel your sharpest and most ready to learn?

What time of day is your “down time” for studying? When do you feel sluggish and “out of it”?

What times of day are unavailable because you are in class, at work, or in a regularly scheduled meeting/activity (like a club meeting, going to the gym, church, or other activities)?

What times of your day are unavailable due to travel between classes, meal times, or the time you need to get up and get ready in the morning?

What times are unavailable because of your own preferences? (Watching particular TV shows, etc.

Use your answers to these questions to help you plan a realistic study schedule for your academic work – one that takes into account the amount of work you have to do, the time that the work will require, the amount of time that you realistically have available, and your personal preferences for time use. The Student Engagement Center calendars can be valuable tools for this kind of planning.

printable version

The Learning Enrichment Services can assist with the achievement of your academic goals. Contact the Programs Coordinator at 824-6731.