Most successful people share one trait: they take control of their time. This is often a seemingly impossible task for developmental students. The first step necessary in managing time is to assess its current use. This serves two purposes. First, it creates an awareness of how much time is being spent on various activities and how much is being wasted. The second purpose for this activity is that it serves as a starting point for a more deliberate, controlled use of time.

To assess their current use of time, have the students fill out the weekly schedule sheet in detail. It is useful to instruct them to put in classes, meetings, practices and work. Then have them record sleep, meals, and exercise. Finally, have them fill in entertainment and any other activities. When the entire schedule is completed, the analysis sheet should be filled out. In this exercise, students count the number of boxes on the weekly schedule and record the number in each category on the Time Use Analysis sheet. It is important that each box is counted so that the total will equal 168.