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An Infopeople Online Learning Course

Start:
August 11th, 2015 12:00 PM
End:
September 7th, 2015 4:30 PM

Course Instructor: Brenda Hough

  • Do you find yourself often saying "I'm so busy! How can I find time for that?"
  • Do you consistently feel overwhelmed?
  • Does it seem to you that your co-workers are able to multi-task and productively handle increased workload better than you do?

With library budget and staffing constraints, effective time management can make a huge difference in your productivity and feelings of satisfaction with your work. In this course you will learn techniques and explore tools for managing your time, increasing your productivity, and collaborating with others. You will discover free and low-cost technology tools that can help you with time tracking, task management, goal and priority setting, and team projects.

"I'm so busy" is going to remain a fact of your library work life, but how you manage your time and what you accomplish can change your daily worklife from stressed to satisfied.

Course Description: This four-week online course will provide an introduction to time management tools and techniques. Through assignments and discussions, you will discover ways to use technology for time tracking and logging, task management and to-do lists, setting goals and priorities, collaboration, and team projects. You'll be able to explore time management systems, tools and apps, and develop approaches that are uniquely tailored to your style and needs. The instructor will provide resources, best practices, and useful tips and techniques that can be applied immediately.

Course Outline: When you log in to the Infopeople online learning site, you will see weekly modules with these topics:

  • Week 1: Where Does Your Time Go?
    • Basic concepts of time management systems
    • How and why time logs are used
    • Time tracking and logging
  • Week 2: Ways To Get Things Done
    • Overview of popular time management systems (Pomodoro, Getting Things Done)
    • How to use to-do lists and task management tools
    • Tools for task management
  • Week 3: Goals And Priorities
    • What are goals and priorities and why should they be aligned?
    • Why goals and priorities are critical to time management
    • Tools for goal and priority setting
    • How to resolve conflicts between time usage and goals and priorities
  • Week 4: Collaboration And Time Management
    • How individual time management is affected by working in collaboration
    • Tools that make collaboration easier and more effective
    • Writing a personal action plan containing goals related to time management

Time Required: To complete this course, you can expect to spend 2½ hours per week, for a total of ten course hours. Each week's module contains readings and various options for assignments, discussions, interviews, and online meetings. You can choose the options most relevant to your work and interests. Although you can work on each module at your own pace, at any hour of the day or night, it is recommended that you complete each week's work within that week to stay in sync with other learners.

Who Should Take This Course: Anyone in the library community who wants to develop skills for time management and increased productivity.

Online Learning Details and System Requirements may be found at: infopeople.org/training/online_learning_details.

After the official end date for the course, the instructor will be available for limited consultation and support for two more weeks, and the course material will stay up for an additional two weeks after that. These extra weeks give those who have fallen behind time to work independently to complete the course.

Keywords: Professional development