Personality Profile
The following self-assessment survey can help you determine your time-management personality type. Read each question in the Questions column. Then read the possible responses. Select one response for each question. Each response should reflect what you probably would do in a given situation, not what you think is the “right” answer.
Licenses and Attributions:
Identify Your Time Management Style. https://courses.lumenlearning.com/waymaker-collegesuccess/chapter/text-identify-your-time-management-style/ Provided by: Lumen Learning. License: CC BY: Attribution
Licenses and Attributions:
Identify Your Time Management Style. https://courses.lumenlearning.com/waymaker-collegesuccess/chapter/text-identify-your-time-management-style/ Provided by: Lumen Learning. License: CC BY: Attribution
Your instructor just gave your class the prompts for your first essay, which is due in two weeks. How do you proceed from here?
A. Read over the prompts and let them sink in for a week or so. You'll still have one more week to finish the assignments, right?
B. Read the prompts and maybe start playing around with ideas, but wait to really start writing until the day before. You swear it's all in your head somewhere!
C. Depends on how much work you have for your other classes. But you might forget about it until a few hours before the assignment is due, and ask for an extension.
D. Choose a prompt and begin working on a thesis immediately. Better to get it out of the way!
You are working on a group assignment that requires you to split up responsibilities with 3 other classmates. When would you typically finish your part?
A. After one or two of the others have submitted their materials to the group, but definitely not last. You wanted to see how they approached it first.
B. First. Then you're done and don't have to worry about it. Plus it could give you time in cause you want to tweak anything later.
C. Maybe last, but definitely before the assignment due date and hopefully before any of the other group members ask about it.
D. Definitely last. You'll wait until everyone else has done their work, so you can make sure you are duplicating efforts. Whatever, this is why you hate group work.
Your instructor just shared the instructions for your next assignment and you read them but don’t quite understand what they're asking for in a certain part. What would you probably do?
A. Send the instructor an email that afternoon. When they don't respond that night, email them again. This is your worst nightmare—you just want to know what they want!!
B. Send him an email asking for clarification, giving yourself enough time to wait for his response and then complete the assignment. Better to be safe than sorry.
C. Try to figure it out for yourself. You’re pretty sure what they're trying to say, and you’ll give it your best shot.
D. Don’t say anything until after the assignment is due. Other people in the class felt the same way too, probably!
The course you are taking requires you to post in a weekly discussion forum by Sunday night each week so the class can talk about everyone’s posts on Monday. When do you submit your posts?
A. Tuesday night, after the first day of class that week. Then it’s out of the way.
B. Thursday or Friday night. You want to let the week’s discussion sink in a little so you can collect your thoughts.
C. Sunday night. You always forget during the weekend!
D. Monday at 3 AM. That still counts as Sunday night, right?
You have an important assignment due Monday morning, and you have a social/work/family obligation that will keep you busy for most of the weekend. It is now the Wednesday before the assignment is due. How would you approach this dilemma?
A. You already finished it yesterday, the day it was assigned. Done!
B. You tell yourself that you’ll finish it by Friday night, and you manage this by chipping away at it over those 3 days. …Little. By. Little.
C. You tell yourself that you’ll finish it by Friday night, so you can have your weekend free, but you still have a little left to do on Sunday—no big deal.
D. You tell yourself that you’ll take the weekend off, then stay up late on Sunday or wake up early on Monday to finish it. It’s not a final or anything, and you have a life.
You have to read 150 pages before your next class meeting. You have 4 days to do so. What would you most likely do?
A. 150 pages divided by 4 days means… a little less than 40 pages a day. You like to chunk it this way because then you’ll also have time to go over your notes and highlights, and come up with questions for the instructor.
B. 150 pages divided by…well … 2 days (because it’s been a long week), means 75 pages a day. Totally doable.
C. 150 pages, the day before it is due. You did this to yourself, it’s fine.
D. How much time does it take to skim the text for keywords and/or find a summary online?
The Early Bird
TRAITS: You like to make checklists and feel great satisfaction when you can cross something off of your to-do list. When it comes to assignments, you want to get started as soon as possible (and maybe start brainstorming before that), because it lets you stay in control.
STRENGTHS: You know what you want and are driven to figure out how to achieve it. Motivation is never really a problem for you.
CHALLENGES: Sometimes you can get more caught up in getting things done as quickly as possible and don’t give yourself enough time to really mull over issues in all of their complexity.
TIPS FOR SUCCESS: You’re extremely organized and on top of your schoolwork, so make sure you take time to really enjoy learning in your classes. Remember, school isn’t all deadlines and checkboxes—you also have the opportunity to think about big picture intellectual problems that don’t necessarily have clear answers.
STRENGTHS: You know what you want and are driven to figure out how to achieve it. Motivation is never really a problem for you.
CHALLENGES: Sometimes you can get more caught up in getting things done as quickly as possible and don’t give yourself enough time to really mull over issues in all of their complexity.
TIPS FOR SUCCESS: You’re extremely organized and on top of your schoolwork, so make sure you take time to really enjoy learning in your classes. Remember, school isn’t all deadlines and checkboxes—you also have the opportunity to think about big picture intellectual problems that don’t necessarily have clear answers.
The Balancing Act
TRAITS: You really know what you’re capable of, and are ready to do what it takes to get the most out of your classes. Maybe you’re naturally gifted in this way or maybe it is a skill that you have developed over time; in any case, you should have the basic organizational skills to succeed in any online class, as long as you keep your balance.
STRENGTHS: Your strength really lies in your ability to be well-rounded. You may not always complete assignments perfectly every time, but you are remarkably consistent and usually manage to do very well in classes.
CHALLENGES: Because you’re so consistent, sometimes you can get in a bit of a rut where you begin to coast in class, rather than really challenging yourself.
TIPS FOR SUCCESS: Instead of simply doing what works, use each class as an opportunity for growth by engaging thoughtfully with the material and constantly pushing the boundaries of your own expectations for yourself.
STRENGTHS: Your strength really lies in your ability to be well-rounded. You may not always complete assignments perfectly every time, but you are remarkably consistent and usually manage to do very well in classes.
CHALLENGES: Because you’re so consistent, sometimes you can get in a bit of a rut where you begin to coast in class, rather than really challenging yourself.
TIPS FOR SUCCESS: Instead of simply doing what works, use each class as an opportunity for growth by engaging thoughtfully with the material and constantly pushing the boundaries of your own expectations for yourself.
The Pressure Cooker
TRAITS: You always get things done, and almost always at the last minute. Hey, it takes time to really come up with good ideas!
STRENGTHS: You work well under pressure and when you finally do sit down to accomplish a task, you can sit and work for hours. In these times, you can be extremely focused and shut out the rest of the world in order to get done what needs to be done.
CHALLENGES: You sometimes use your ability to work under pressure as an excuse to procrastinate. Sure, you can really focus when the deadline is tomorrow, but is it really the best work you could produce if you had a couple of days of cushion?
TIPS FOR SUCCESS: Give yourself small, achievable deadlines, and stick to them. Make sure they’re goals that you really could (and would) achieve in a day. Then don't allow yourself to make excuses. You’ll find that it’s actually a lot more enjoyable to not be stressed out when completing schoolwork. Who would have known?
STRENGTHS: You work well under pressure and when you finally do sit down to accomplish a task, you can sit and work for hours. In these times, you can be extremely focused and shut out the rest of the world in order to get done what needs to be done.
CHALLENGES: You sometimes use your ability to work under pressure as an excuse to procrastinate. Sure, you can really focus when the deadline is tomorrow, but is it really the best work you could produce if you had a couple of days of cushion?
TIPS FOR SUCCESS: Give yourself small, achievable deadlines, and stick to them. Make sure they’re goals that you really could (and would) achieve in a day. Then don't allow yourself to make excuses. You’ll find that it’s actually a lot more enjoyable to not be stressed out when completing schoolwork. Who would have known?
The Improviser
TRAITS: You frequently wait until the last minute to do assignments, but it’s because you’ve been able to get away with this habit in many classes. Sometimes you miss an assignment or two, or have to pretend to have done reading that you haven’t, but everyone does that sometimes, right?
STRENGTHS: You think quickly on your feet, and while this is a true strength, it also can be a crutch that prevents you from being really successful in a class.
CHALLENGES: As the saying goes, old habits die hard. If you find that you lack a foundation of discipline and personal accountability, it can be difficult to change, especially when the course material becomes difficult or you find yourself struggling to keep up with the pace of the class.
TIPS FOR SUCCESS: The good news is, you can turn this around! Make a plan to organize your time and materials in a reasonable way, and really stick with it. Also, don’t be afraid to ask your instructor for help, but be sure to do it before, rather than after, you might fall behind.
STRENGTHS: You think quickly on your feet, and while this is a true strength, it also can be a crutch that prevents you from being really successful in a class.
CHALLENGES: As the saying goes, old habits die hard. If you find that you lack a foundation of discipline and personal accountability, it can be difficult to change, especially when the course material becomes difficult or you find yourself struggling to keep up with the pace of the class.
TIPS FOR SUCCESS: The good news is, you can turn this around! Make a plan to organize your time and materials in a reasonable way, and really stick with it. Also, don’t be afraid to ask your instructor for help, but be sure to do it before, rather than after, you might fall behind.