Your Time

Learning Competencies

Research time management and productivity
Design and record a plan for getting work done during Foundations
Explain "Time Boxing" and describe how to use it

Summary

Remote learning, contracting and working autonomously are rewarding opportunities open to web developers.

They can also be difficult, unproductive and stressful if you don't have excellent time management skills and great habits. There are many techniques and ideas for developing these skills and habits - you'll need to find the ones that fit you.

Here at Dev Academy, we ask you to do a rather extraordinary thing - become a web developer in 15 weeks. How you manage your time is an essential part of that journey.

In this exercise, you'll explore the domain of time management and productivity and develop a plan for your study.

Time Box

Exploration	Time to box
Explore	1 hour
4 Questions	5 minutes
Plan	15 minutes
Reflect	15 minutes

Explore this Domain

Time management is a large domain and is ironically easy to sink too much time into - we recommend limiting yourself to an hour to skim resources before diving deeper into the ones that seem most valuable to you. Here are some links to get you started.

4 Questions to ask yourself every day

Credit: Joris Toonders, Entrepreneur

Many people start the day by following their to-do list and checking their e-mail. An effective way to coach yourself is to ask yourself four powerful questions every day. Ask yourself two questions at the beginning of the day and two questions at the end. It makes sure you're much more focused on things that matter and makes every day more fun.

Take 15 minutes to ask yourself four questions and write down the answers. It's a powerful way to train your brain. It gives you a better understanding of what things you need to improve and helps you focus on working towards your long term goals.

The two questions to ask yourself at the beginning of every day:

1. What are my goals today?

Most people have mid and long term goals (e.g. learn web development) but don't translate them to the short term. If you want to learn to be employed as a web developer in 6 months, what are you doing today to reach that goal?

An example goal might be "Complete JavaScript blog challenge" or "Spend 4 hours coding."

2. What are my challenges today?

Successful people set themselves challenges every day. It's a way of living. You have to challenge yourself every day to get the most out of yourself and grow. It will make life more enjoyable. Set yourself challenges and enjoy the journey.

The two questions to ask yourself at the end of every day:

1. Have I reached my goals for today?

Setting yourself goals at the beginning of each day isn't enough. You need to self-evaluate. Make sure you don't get lost in excuses. The goals you set yourself in the morning were the goals you wanted to reach. Have you succeeded?

If yes, take a moment to enjoy that you reached it and ask yourself what you've done well today to reach your goals. If not, ask yourself what you can do better the next day to make sure you achieve your goals. If you fail to reach your goals day by day, try different ways of working to improve them. Don't give up. If you achieve your daily goals day by day, try giving yourself more ambitious goals and see what happens.

2. What have I learned today?

Take a moment every day to ask yourself what you've learned. It can be anything and everything, as small or as big as you want. If you don't think you've learned enough, take a critical look at the goals and challenges you set every day, and see where you could make changes. If you are learning a lot, life will be much more fun.

Create your Plan

Using the knowledge you have, design a plan for your Foundations work. Write your plan in your learning journal.
Use a calendar to block out your time. Know when you will study and when you will rest and relax.

Reflect

In your journal, ask yourself what you have learned today. Why is it important? Relevant?

Your Brain

Your Focus