Time Management Workshop
Terree Stevenson, director of OWU’s Office of Multicultural Student Affairs, will host a second time management workshop Nov. 8. (Photo courtesy of OWU’s Office of Marketing and Communication)
Students complaining about “not having enough time” is an age-old problem. To help, Ohio Wesleyan University’s Office of Multicultural Student Affairs (OMSA) recently held a time-management workshop.
The Nov. 1 event was conducted by Terree Stevenson, OMSA director and a 1995 OWU alumna. It was held in Room 311 of Hamilton-Williams Campus Center.
Welcoming students warmly, Stevenson began by telling everyone that life as a college student can get hectic and then discussing how important it was to stay organized. She shared personal experiences, helping attendees relate to her immediately.
One memorable story involved how Stevenson underestimated the time spent “not studying,” meaning that “half an hour at Smith” was, in reality, usually more than an hour. She says correct estimates make all the difference when planning timetables.
“You don’t want to be shocked when you only have half an hour left before that important assignment is due!” she jokes.
Stevenson then discussed the “W Curve,” a cycle containing the phases that all students face in college: Honeymoon, culture shock, initial adjustment, mental isolation, and acceptance.
Most students recalled the curve from pre-orientation events, but their attitude toward it had changed. They no longer were convinced “I’m different! This won’t happen to me!” and found themselves identifying with the stages in the curve.
Afterward, Stevenson handed out more information about time management and explained how the strategies could be implemented. She also gave all participants an official Ohio Wesleyan Academic Planner for participating in the workshop.
Her insights about how students could efficiently organize large amounts of work into a limited time frame provided great motivation for the students present. Her tips included creating small to-do lists and making sure students didn’t have more than five major things to do at once.
“When you see too many things, you’ll get overwhelmed and not get anything done at all,” Stevenson cautions. “It’s better to have chunk-sized to-do lists than one long list!”
For students who missed the workshop but are interested the information shared, Stevenson is hosting another workshop at noon Nov. 8. It’ll be worth your time!