A Guide to Time Management

Flexible Time

"Flex" time is one or more periods each day which are set aside for several possible uses (hence the name) depending on your needs:

• If you've underestimated how long a task would take, flex time can provide an important “safety zone" to finish something, without getting behind in some other subject or sacrificing some other activity
• Flex time can serve as a motivating reward, 60 minutes of guilt-free "do nothing" time for sticking to your time plan
• Procrastinators can use flex time to do work they've put off and to reward themselves when they've kept up
• Flex time also provides a space for work that has to be rescheduled when life butts into your time plan, providing essential flexibility when you get a flat tire, don't feel well, or someone gorgeous asks you to have coffee

The amount of flex time you need to work effectively depends on the type of academic work you do in your program and how busy you are in a particular week. For example, students whose course assignments involves a lot of creativity may need more than an hour or even two of flexible time each day in order to take advantage of periods when they feel inspired and good ideas are flowing. Flex time allows your plan for the day to accommodate when you're on a roll without necessarily getting behind on other work.

When you plan flex time periods is also important. For example, if scheduled during the time of your favourite TV show, or on the mornings you like to sleep in, flex time can help to motivate you to stick to your time plan. If you schedule it during an hour which you often waste (like between classes), you create the possibility of having this time off without guilt, or using it more effectively when the need arises.

Whether a safety zone, reward or motivator, flexible time is an essential part of an effective time plan.