PsychBytes with CCS
PsychBytes is presented by The Ohio State University, Office of Student Life Counseling and Consultation Service. We provide a wide range of information pertaining to mental health topics, commonly asked questions, available resources, and general psycho-education that centers on the college demographic. The aim is to reduce stigma around mental health, reduce barriers to treatment, normalize experiences, and educate on prevention, intervention, and resources related to emotional and mental wellbeing.
PsychBytes with CCS
Time Mapping
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Hey, Psych bytes with CCS is a weekly podcast hosted by Student Life Counseling and Consultation Service. This show is dedicated to discussing a wide range of topics pertaining to mental health commonly experienced in the college setting. It is important to note that this podcast is not a substitute for therapy. All of the topics on this show, while discussed by professionals are strictly psycho educational, and meant to inform listeners on available resources, skills and support. Topics on this show can be sensitive in nature. And should you find yourself needing additional support or resources, please visit ccs.osu.edu or call us at 614-292-5766. With that in mind, enjoy the show. What is up everybody and welcome to Psych Bytes with CCS. My name is Josh and today we are joined by Mary DeCenzo, a licensed independent social worker with a supervisory designation and ACTRP-C. I need you to tell me what that is.
Mary DeCenzo:Sure, Josh. That stands for Advanced Certification, Trauma and Resiliency Practitioner Clinical.
Josh Bailey:Okay. Well, thank goodness for acronyms, because that is a mouthful. You are also the embedded clinician for CCS at the Fisher College of Business.
Mary DeCenzo:Right.
Josh Bailey:Awesome. So today, you and I are going to be speaking about time mapping, which I think is a very practical and effective tool to have and obviously very pointed towards our demographic of college students. So I'd like to start off by simply asking, what is time mapping?
Mary DeCenzo:Simply, mapping is a strategy to take control of our time, and the way to achieve better balance in our life.
Josh Bailey:Okay. Why? How about that? How about why then? So if that's what it is, and that seems very nice, right? Control our time and achieve better balance? Why would I want that?
Mary DeCenzo:Well, just as we use maps to maneuver through space and time, like I would be lost without my Google Maps.
Josh Bailey:Sure, same.
Mary DeCenzo:Time mapping helps us navigate through the timeframe of a week, and we can figure out how to get from "to do" to "done."
Josh Bailey:Alright, that sounds pretty appealing. You've got me, you've got me. All right. So let's let's get into a little bit more, what can we do with this? How does it help?
Mary DeCenzo:Okay,
Josh Bailey:Where do we start? What are we talking about?
Mary DeCenzo:Well, first of all, I think it's— the most important thing it does is really quiet that little nagging voice that we all have, when we've got a lot on our plate. You know, that's saying, "Too much to do, too little time"? You know? And that's what causes us to feel anxious. Symptoms of anxiety, which no one likes to feel.
Josh Bailey:Very true.
Mary DeCenzo:Yeah. And so it really forces us to focus on our priorities.
Josh Bailey:Okay.
Mary DeCenzo:We'll talk about that in a minute, how we, we do prioritize, and how we go about doing this. And it really is helpful in reducing procrastination, I hear that a lot from students. You know,"How can I help? I'm procrastinating." And really procrastinating happens because the task before us looks too big. You know, and we only have the energy of today. And so many times that is drained. And so we're looking at what we feel like is a big task, we don't have the energy to do it. So we push it away. Right?
Josh Bailey:Okay.
Mary DeCenzo:But to avoid procrastination, this, this helps, because it causes us to break down all tasks into smaller portions, right, kind of like manageable chunks, so that nothing looks too big. It's not like climbing a mountain. It's just getting over a hill or series of hills. Yeah.
Josh Bailey:Okay. All right. And so where can we go from there? Maybe we could talk about, maybe just like walking through how do we do it? Like, how does this work?
Mary DeCenzo:Sure. So first of all, I think that it really does help us develop a more realistic understanding of the time it takes us to do things. And so you follow a series of detailed steps. And what I'll do is just kind of walk you through those steps.
Josh Bailey:Okay.
Mary DeCenzo:So the first thing is, you want to make sure that you can identify some tool to externalize all of your responsibilities. Believe it or not, I talk to students who kind of keep their to do lists in their head, right. And it's no wonder that someone feels pretty stressed when they've got all that going on up there. So you have to externalize all of your responsibilities. So choose maybe a paper planner for some people or an electronic calendar, something like that. Then, the first thing you do is make a list of your commitments. And that's what I mean by commitment is, I need to be in this place at this time. Right? It's not flexible. So that might look like in class, right? I've got to attend class, I've got to work. I've got a club meeting, I got sports practice. I always call my family on Sunday nights. I want to make sure I get my meals, right? And getting ready in the morning. That's kind of commitment, right? You got to be wherever you are to—
Josh Bailey:Like going, as far as scheduling, get up, get dressed, brush my teeth and all the things.
Mary DeCenzo:Yeah, okay. Yeah. And so you're going to record So then the next thing you do is make a list of those flexible those commitments on your calendar first, and make sure that you're again, thinking pretty realistically, like, how long does it really take you to get ready? you'd like to think of the half hour, why is it that you walk out of the door, you know, it's 50 minutes instead of 30, those kinds of things. tasks that need to get done, like your academics, homework, assignments, those kinds of things. And there's other things too, like, maybe you're a part of an org and you've got a role in that org, and you've got some work to do for that. Or I need to make my grocery list. You know, things like that.
Josh Bailey:Right.
Mary DeCenzo:So those are kind of flexible tasks, right?
Josh Bailey:Yeah.
Mary DeCenzo:So that comes next, then you're gonna prioritize both your academic and your other tasks list. And think about it as what to do when. You're going to prioritize it by time. Then the next step, you're going to break down your assignments into tasks that are smaller. So an example of this might be, you've got a research paper to write. And so instead of just putting research paper, put research paper and break it down and think about, the first thing I have to do is go online, and like look at the articles that I'm going to choose, right? So I'm going to review articles, maybe that's the first step, and choose three of them. Something like that. I'm gonna have to read my first article, read my second article, read my third article, right? Like, get into that detail. Then maybe the next step is a draft. Right? Then the next step is, you know, kind of reworking editing, and then making a final copy. So there's lots of steps in that. And what you're going to do is break those down. You're going to assign each step a time. And a good strategy to try at the start, is to allow about an extra 15 minutes for each hour that you've got planned. Because most of us underestimate the time it takes us to do things. And so by tacking on that extra 15 minutes, if you don't need it, great, you've got a break.
Josh Bailey:Okay.
Mary DeCenzo:But if you do you need it, it's there, and it doesn't throw everything out of whack.
Josh Bailey:A fun little reward for kind of being on top of it.
Mary DeCenzo:Yeah, yeah. Good.
Josh Bailey:So let me kind of read, summarize where we're at, because we've had a bunch of steps. So first off, I need to go get a planner, a calendar, something that I can write this stuff down.
Mary DeCenzo:Right.
Josh Bailey:Get it out of my head onto something a little more tangible.
Mary DeCenzo:Right.
Josh Bailey:Got it. Next thing, I'm going to look at all the things I have to do. I have to wake up, I have to get ready, I have to eat, I have to go to class, I have to go to work, clubs.
Mary DeCenzo:Right.
Josh Bailey:Whatever, so get all the half twos get them listed out. Then I do all the things I'd like to do, or the things that are kind of just extracurricular, not unnecessary, but important to me and have some level of time constraint on them.
Mary DeCenzo:Right.
Josh Bailey:Okay. Then I get to prioritize these two lists that I've made. So when I'm making these lists, this is just all like a piece of paper off to the side. I'm not putting it in my calendar yet.
Mary DeCenzo:Right, exactly.
Josh Bailey:Okay. All right. So I've got my two lists, I've prioritized them by importance and time and whatever else. And then I chunk them up. So like the example with the term paper, I thought was really good. So breaking it down into its internal components. Making each one of those like an achievable goal versus the Mount Everest of papers. Let's turn it into, like you said before, a bunch of little hills, right. All right, good. Now, I've estimated the time, I'm overestimating the time. So I can surprise myself a little time rewards. Now what?
Mary DeCenzo:So then becomes, it's kind of like putting So, you go to fit those things into the open spaces that you together a puzzle. You work through your lists with, again, have. And what you'll find is like maybe you have like "Go to first things that are prioritized, and you work them into those gaps that you see on your calendar. Remember, you've bed" you know, at 11, or something. And maybe it's gonna already put on your calendar, your commitments. So what you're going to do is work these around your commitments. Work them in, think about how you're doing that, right. Some people might be a night where you got to stretch that a little bit, like to approach their steps to that paper all at once. You've got a, whatever you think is going to take, a three hour time block, you know. Then fine if that's what works best for you great. Other people might like to split that up throughout the week. This way you do a little bit one day, a little bit the next day, a little bit the next day. right? Because there's nowhere else where this piece will fit. But you can look at the next day and say, You know what, like, maybe I can get some better sleep in that next day, or you move them around so that you can make it fit for you the best that you can. And then the last piece is like, do you have something that's not going to fit? Right? That, then, is a sign that, right, like you're taking on too much, where do I need to cut back? The first thing that I would do is to encourage each student like if it's an academic task, which usually it is, right? Or maybe it's a work situation, like you just found, you're working too many hours that week, right? Can you talk to your supervisor to see if you can get some time off? Or maybe you talk with a professor where something's due and say, "Hey, like, this has been a really packed week for me? And is there any way that I could get this to you like the following day in the morning?" or something like that. You know, it never hurts to ask. And sometimes you find that professors will respect the fact that you're really trying to make everything work. You can't always guarantee that but it never hurts to ask. But what this can also do is really show you like where you are putting much of your time. And so then you can take a look, like maybe are you working too much? Maybe, is it better that you have to drop a class? I mean, that's extreme, but it could be to that level.
Josh Bailey:Sometimes necessary.
Mary DeCenzo:Yeah, absolutely. So it helps you figure out where you're spending your time, makes that a little easier to make decisions about how to make this work for you. And the other piece that I want to make sure we put is the commitment, right? Making sure that you spend some time for yourself and your friends, right. So that, you know, maybe you decide I can't go out every night this weekend. But I'll you know, I'll skip one, I can get more things done, but I'll still be able to see my friends and get together.
Josh Bailey:Okay, so striking a balance, right between academics, leisure, social, professional, personal, all that stuff.
Mary DeCenzo:Right, right. Think of commitments as some time for yourself in socialization too.
Josh Bailey:Okay, wonderful. But if I'm not really sure what to do, might there be anybody that I could reach out to who can I get support with this? How can I maybe get some training or help?
Mary DeCenzo:Yeah, yeah. So I know that the Student Wellness Center, and Dennis Learning Center also do some some help in time management.
Josh Bailey:Okay.
Mary DeCenzo:So those are two great places to go on campus. It isn't necessarily something that you need to go to counseling for, right? But counselors can work with you in this way. Right?
Josh Bailey:Yeah.
Mary DeCenzo:Sometimes this ends up manifesting itself in really high stress or anxiety, and then a student, you know, will present themselves to a counselor. But it's a it's a tool that you don't have to use with a counselor. There's also some great resources online, and the one that I liked the best is Clockify. And so a guide to time mapping in the Clockify blog is a really good tool. They even have like a time mapping template there. You can see, they talk about color coding, they talk about the difference between time mapping and time blocking. And I won't get into that today. But it's a really great tool.
Josh Bailey:I'm a big fan of making lists. And if I can color code them even better, because there's nothing more satisfying than checking something off when I have a big list of things to do.
Mary DeCenzo:Yeah.
Josh Bailey:So I like that. I might honestly check that myself. But to our listeners, we can put links to all of these things in the description. So check that out if you are interested. So let's talk maybe a little bit about pitfalls or mistakes that people might make when they are working on time mapping.
Mary DeCenzo:Okay, I think what I've found is people will tend to skip breaks for themselves and some of that personal time.
Josh Bailey:Wait, so I need to schedule a break in for myself, is that what I'm hearing? Yeah, if you're— You don't have to tell me twice, I will happily schedule some time off,
Mary DeCenzo:Right. It could even be like, you know, 5-10 minutes to get up and walk around, get a drink something like that. Take a breath of, you know, take a walk, get a breath of fresh air or something like that.
Josh Bailey:Sure.
Mary DeCenzo:Working straight through— really, you're not able to do your best you need to take a break, get your brain refreshed, regenerated.
Josh Bailey:Okay.
Mary DeCenzo:So, but in trying to fit things in a lot of times people will forget that. And remember, we're talking about quick breaks, you know, we're not talking about, you know, like taking a nap for two hours or something. If we're trying to get work done, right. Don't underestimate your time, we talked about that. And I think as you do this, the students that I've worked with will say,"Oh, yeah, like I can tell so much better now how long it's gonna take me to get something done." And that's even helpful because when they get an assignment, this internal panic doesn't begin to crop up, right? Because oh my gosh, like this is such a big— no, I think it's gonna take me about this long and they can immediately begin to like break it down into tasks. When something unexpected occurs, like be ready to move things around. Right? I think that's something where sometimes people just throw away the whole plan, right? But think about how can I really account for, hey, this didn't get done today. At this point, this crisis happened in the whole day was gone. So how am I going to adjust the rest of my week? Again, who I'm going to talk to, right? To see if I can get some some time flexibility there. So I think those are the biggest mistakes that students might make that will trip them up and having this be as helpful as it can.
Josh Bailey:Yeah. I like that. And when you were talking about the something unexpected occurring, so life happening, As it often does, it reminded me of an analogy
Mary DeCenzo:Yeah, that I use with people quite a bit and tell me if this maybe falls in line with it. But I'll often tell people who are struggling with their schedules or struggling with the anxiety of I have so many things to do, and I've got to get them all done. And if I don't get them done in this way, then everything falls apart. I'll ask them to kind of envision like a multi storied brick building. And then beside it, there is a wheat field. And I say, Okay, here's two ways of going about stuff. You have one that's very rigid. And I said, what do you think about a wheat field? They're like, well, it's kind of loose, and it just exists. That's right. But if an earthquake happens, and we'll say life happens here, what happens? The ground shakes, everything's going crazy. After the earthquake is done, what happens to the brick building? And most people answer it well, it breaks down and falls apart. Like, exactly. So if you're being super rigid with your schedule, meaning not allowing yourself to move things around, when life happens, then you're going to fall apart, as soon as life happens. But the Wheat field, on the other hand, it was able to bend and move and adjust with the earth shaking. And after the earthquake was done. It goes back to what it was. It maintains its structure and maintains what it was originally meant to do. Yeah, right. So it's a great analogy. That's
Josh Bailey:I like that. And so I throw it around a lot. So I'm perfect. glad it tracks.
Mary DeCenzo:Yeah. I think that this, you know, is again, really helpful. When that nagging thought you're feeling stressed, comes up, you can say, "Nope, I got this all mapped out, right, like, I know I can get it done". And all I need to do is take a look at today. And one thing I forgot to mention is if you choose the Calendar tool where you can bring up one day at a time, like definitely do that. Some students get very overwhelmed. When they look at the whole week of everything. That's okay, you know, it's there, you are only sitting in the energy of today. So sure, you're not going to be able to think about doing all of this was just today's energy. But remember, we get to renew that and refresh that. And just focus on today one day at a time. And if you do that, it'll get taken
Josh Bailey:Thank you so much for sharing that. Mary, I really care of. appreciate you taking the time and joining us today. To our
listeners:Thank you all for dropping in and checking us out. Keep your eyes peeled for our next episode. Take care of yourselves and until next time, my name is Josh and this has been Psych Bytes for CCS.