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Critical Thinking and Time-Management (How to get the most important things done)

Critical thinking and time management go together. Time management is really just a problem that needs to be solved, and that problem can only be solved with a dash of critical thinking. Once you solve that problem, you get to enjoy life a little bit more. Proper time management leads to less stress and more free time.

On this page, we are going to give you a few time management strategies to help you deal with any issues you may have making the most of your time. We will tie this into critical thinking.

Why Critical Thinking and Time Management are Related.

As you know, critical thinking is about trying to come up with a logical solution to a problem. This is why it works well with time management issues.

Time management really boils down to dealing with the reasons behind your time management issues, and then trying to solve them. You will see more about what we mean as we give you tips for critical thinking and time management in the next section.

Top Tips For Using Critical Thinking and Time Management

As we said, time management is just an exercise in critical thinking. You are solving a problem, and there are multiple methods you can use to accomplish this.

Work Out Why You Have Time Management Issues

Critical thinking begins when you have a problem that needs to be fixed. You analyze all the information available to you and come up with a solution. In the case of time management, you are working out that you have a time management issue, and your job is to work out how to get around that issue.

There are many reasons why you may have time management issues:

• Not enough hours in the day.
• You are prioritizing your tasks improperly.
• You are taking too many breaks.
• You are taking on more work than you should be.
• You are focusing too heavily on certain tasks and ignoring others.

Once you know why those issues are occurring, things become easier to solve. You can start to implement strategies that help to fix that problem. So, you have gone through the entire process of critical thinking:

• Established a problem.
• Determined the reasons for that problem.
• Come up with solutions for that problem.
• Implemented the right solution.

Over the next few sections, we will share some key time management solutions, and we will tell you when they work the best.

Give Yourself a Time Target

Time targets are best for those people who work a bit slower. The more relaxed people. The ones that seem to think ‘it doesn’t really matter when I do this job’. Guess what? It does. Even if you have a deadline well in the future, you need to get the task completed quickly. You don’t want to be waiting to the last possible moment (it is stressful). If you don’t have a deadline, you still want that problem out of the way. If it isn’t, those jobs will keep stacking up.

So, for every task, give yourself a reasonable time target to hit. Make sure you hit it. Remember, you will need to plan this around any other tasks that may come your way.

Tackle The Easier Problems First

This time management strategy works best for those that find themselves overwhelmed with complicated tasks. We’ve been there. We have plenty of easy projects on our plate, but we can’t seem to get through the tougher problems first. This causes us to become demotivated, and our entire schedule is thrown out of sync.

If you can, tackle the easier problems first. This accomplishes two things:

• You are finishing some tasks.
• You get a bit of a motivational boost, perhaps giving you more opportunities to focus on the harder tasks.

If you don’t have easier tasks to tackle, then you may want to try and break down the tougher tasks into more manageable chunks. This way, you feel like you are getting stuff done. Again, great for motivation.

This won’t work in every situation. Sometimes, the tougher tasks do need to be prioritized, just because the deadline is a bit sooner. However, if your deadlines are a bit more relaxed, then don’t be afraid to shuffle things around your schedule.

Prioritize The Right Tasks

You should always keep tabs on which tasks are the most important. You can do this in one of several ways.

Our preferred method is to separate our tasks into three categories:

• High priority
• Medium priority
• Low priority

These categories are fluid. For example, low-priority tasks can move up to high-priority when the deadline approaches.

When a task comes in, assign it to one of those categories. There are various apps that can help with this too. In fact, Google and Microsoft both offer to-do lists that offer task prioritization.

You should always focus on the things in the high-priority category first. These are your ‘must dos’.

How does this help? Well, it keeps people focused on the most important jobs. It makes them realize that things are supposed to be getting done. This encourages people to actually do the jobs. This means fewer breaks and more task focus.

Learn How to Organize Yourself

Some people suffer from time management issues because their schedule isn’t rigid enough. If that is you, then you may like this time management technique.

At the start of the day, come up with a detailed plan of what you will be doing each minute of the day. Don’t forget to schedule some breaks (more on that in the next section). When you schedule yourself, you will find it much easier to stay on task.

You can use your task prioritization lists to work out what needs to be done and when.

We know some people find that this method very restrictive, but we have found it really helped us. Once we started to organize our day into chunks, we found that we accomplished a lot more. Time management becomes much easier when you have a goal to meet.

Remember, when you are ‘blocking’ your time, build a bit of leeway into the time dedicated to each project. It accounts for overruns. For example, if you have a project you anticipate would take an hour, then maybe block it in for an hour and a half. If you finish it sooner, then great. This means you have a break, and you can still stay on track.

Take Regular Breaks

A lot of time management issues are down to people overworking themselves. When you overwork, you get slower, and you are much more prone to mistakes.

Therefore, schedule regular breaks. 15 minutes every 2 hours is fine. Take a lengthier break for eating.

Make sure that you get back on task as soon as your break is over, though. We have heard countless stories of people who say “Oh, I will take an extra few minutes and get back to work”, only to find themselves never getting back to work, completely throwing off their time management!

Limit Distractions

We are constantly surrounded by distractions. Music. TV. Social media. The internet as a whole. Tech is great, but it has made it easier than ever to blow a hole in our time management.

Where possible, eliminate distractions while you are working. Don’t listen to podcasts or music. Close down the internet unless you need to use it. Don’t work in a room with a television. Switch off your phone, and encourage people not to speak to you.

If you can limit your distractions, you will find time management much, much easier.

Final Thoughts

Critical thinking and time management are linked. Time issues are another problem that needs to be solved. Once you start to establish why you have time management issues, it is easier to rectify the problem. This will result in less stress, better work, and a happier life.

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A Short Guide to Building Your Team’s Critical Thinking Skills

• Matt Plummer

Critical thinking isn’t an innate skill. It can be learned.

Most employers lack an effective way to objectively assess critical thinking skills and most managers don’t know how to provide specific instruction to team members in need of becoming better thinkers. Instead, most managers employ a sink-or-swim approach, ultimately creating work-arounds to keep those who can’t figure out how to “swim” from making important decisions. But it doesn’t have to be this way. To demystify what critical thinking is and how it is developed, the author’s team turned to three research-backed models: The Halpern Critical Thinking Assessment, Pearson’s RED Critical Thinking Model, and Bloom’s Taxonomy. Using these models, they developed the Critical Thinking Roadmap, a framework that breaks critical thinking down into four measurable phases: the ability to execute, synthesize, recommend, and generate.

With critical thinking ranking among the most in-demand skills for job candidates , you would think that educational institutions would prepare candidates well to be exceptional thinkers, and employers would be adept at developing such skills in existing employees. Unfortunately, both are largely untrue.

• Matt Plummer (@mtplummer) is the founder of Zarvana, which offers online programs and coaching services to help working professionals become more productive by developing time-saving habits. Before starting Zarvana, Matt spent six years at Bain & Company spin-out, The Bridgespan Group, a strategy and management consulting firm for nonprofits, foundations, and philanthropists.  

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Time Management: 7 Techniques & 3 Tools to Help Clients

For that reason, time management books, techniques, and software are a dime a dozen.

When guiding your busy executive clients or anxiety-driven patients on a path to better time management, you might not just be spoiled for choice, but overwhelmed.

So, rather than jumping into the deep end, start with this post, where we’ll give you a user-friendly overview of time management literature. We’ll discuss seven core components of time management and how to apply these, along with useful tools and recommended readings for your client’s daily life.

Since time is of the essence, let’s begin!

Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Productivity Exercises for free . These detailed, science-based exercises will help you or your clients become more productive and efficient.

This Article Contains

The importance of time management, strategy 1: identify and eliminate time wasters, strategy 2: steer away from perfectionism, strategy 3: eliminate procrastination, strategy 4: say no to extra work, strategy 5: determine priorities, strategy 6: focus on deep work, strategy 7: follow the 80/20 way, recommended time management books, time management tools from positivepsychology.com, a take-home message, frequently asked questions.

Time management is a constellation of behaviors that help us use our time effectively to satisfy the demands of our personal and professional lives. Although the definition of time management varies from one domain to the next, Aeon and Aguinis (2017, p. 311) provide the following clear, person-centered explanation:

“a form of decision-making used by individuals to structure, protect, and adapt their time to changing conditions.”

These three components cannot be reduced to a single panacea, capable of addressing any and all time management issues. Instead, different strategies — like the ones outlined in this post — address various components of time management.

Why is time management important?

Our time and energy are finite. We need to divide them adequately across several responsibilities and use them to look after ourselves, our families and our friends and attend to work-related tasks.

With better-managed time, we can satisfy all our responsibilities, work demands, and goals. Most importantly, we reduce the risk of feeling overwhelmed by stress, feeling like a failure, and other poor psychological wellbeing issues (Aeon & Aguinis, 2017).

A synthesis of the existing literature (Aeon & Aguinis, 2017) found that time management is:

• Positively correlated with several measurements of wellbeing (including psychological health, job satisfaction , confidence, self-esteem)
• Negatively correlated with stress
• Positively correlated with several work and academic performance measures, including academic success and self-reported job performance

If you’re still unconvinced about the importance of better time management, watch Brad Aeon’s TEDx video here.

Selecting time management strategies

In the earlier definition of time management, we mentioned three core components: structure, protection, and adaptation.

• Structure refers to how our time is perceived, measured, and allocated.
• Protection is how we protect our time from being wasted, misdirected, or deviated from our plans.
• Adaptation refers to how well we can cope with unexpected tasks or surprises.

In this post, we will discuss seven key time management strategies that can be grouped according to these three components. This taxonomy is helpful when deciding on a strategy. All strategies help protect our time and goals, but some also satisfy the other components.

Time-wasting activities deplete time, energy, and effort without contributing to the overall output/end goal (Gordon & Borkan, 2014).

To identify which time wasters the client depends on, use a daily journal , logging their activities and time spent on each (Gordon & Borkan, 2014). Once clients know which time-wasting activities are present, they can tackle them.

Time wasters can take many forms, but various practical solutions exist to counter them (see the table below, adapted from Gordon & Borkan, 2014).

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Being overly concerned with a perfect product/outcome can quickly derail the best-laid plans. Perfectionism is a maladaptive behavior characterized by extreme self-criticism, fear of making mistakes, self-doubt, and impossible standards (Rice et al., 2012).

Perfectionists experience little pleasure in their professional and personal lives because they are overly concerned with their performance and are at higher risk of procrastination, psychological distress, and several psychological syndromes (Rice et al., 2012; Shafran et al., 2016).

They often repeat actions, circumnavigating around an unattainable goal, ultimately wasting time that could have been redirected toward other tasks (Shafran et al., 2016).

Alongside the other strategies in our post, the following are recommended to help overcome perfectionism .

• Perfectionists rely on binary thinking models (right–wrong) and have a low tolerance for mistakes (Shafran et al., 2016). Help your client recognize that a project will never be perfect, adopt a kinder inner voice, and schedule time for feedback.
• Break tasks into smaller, attainable goals with clear expectations when setting goals. For example, the first goal is to produce a draft version containing mistakes but with the correct structure. For the second goal, the client can focus on refining the piece and attending to typos.
• “Perfect” work is unattainable, and “perfect” is typically poorly defined. Instead, identify the core aspects of the project that will have the most impact and achieve the same outcome as a perfect one. Focus on these aspects rather than the less important ones.

Still, the task’s action has a negative experience (van Eerde, 2003).

Procrastination has many forms and is accompanied by negative feelings such as guilt and a fear of failing . The entire experience is stressful, which clients want to avoid or change (van Eerde & Klingsieck, 2018).

Eliminating procrastination starts with awareness and then an intervention (van Eerde, 2003).

According to a meta-analysis of four different interventions, the most effective intervention against procrastination was Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, regardless of whether time management strategies, such as breaking down a task into smaller chunks, prioritizing tasks, goal setting, or managing time effectively, were included (van Eerde & Klingsieck, 2018).

Another effective strategy is strength and assertiveness training (van Eerde & Klingsieck, 2018; Visser, et al., 2017). In this training, learners were taught how to identify and apply their strengths to situations where they would procrastinate. These were very effective when used within a cognitive-behavioral framework.

Being presented with extra work while trying to satisfy an existing work demand is not unusual. The implication of taking on extra work, however, is that:

• We have less time to meet our existing workload, increasing the risk of failure.
• The likelihood of feeling stressed and anxious about meeting our goals increases.

Doing such extra work is often not in an individual’s best interest. Practice declining the opportunity in a neutral way where the implications of the extra work on available time are made explicit (Beagrie & McGee, 2007). Here are some examples of how to do that:

Here is a quick guide on Assertiveness in the Workplace .

Knowing which tasks are the most important and giving these higher priority and more focus is vital. An example of poor prioritization is when a project due in one week is overlooked for a project due in three.

Eisenhower Matrix

One helpful way to determine priority is to use the Eisenhower Matrix (Covey, 1991). Tasks are split across two dimensions: importance and urgency.

To classify tasks, start with the due date and work backward from high urgency to low urgency. Urgency refers to the immediacy of the task deadline. Under a heading of urgency, tasks that are due soon are urgent, and tasks with later deadlines are not urgent.

Then, add an additional classification to each task: importance. Evaluate the importance of each task by looking at its impact and contribution to long-term goals. Tasks that contribute to essential goals have high importance, whereas those that don’t contribute are not important.

Consequently, all tasks will be allocated as urgent or not and also classified as either important or not important.

Your matrix should look like the image, and the tasks should be prioritized from left to right, starting with the top row.

• Do – Priority 1 In the top-left quadrant are tasks high on both dimensions. These are the most pressing tasks that require your immediate attention. They should be completed first.
• Schedule – Priority 2 Tasks that are important but not urgent (top-right quadrant) do not have concrete deadlines yet. These tasks should be broken down into smaller tasks or scheduled for later.
• Delegate – Priority 3 Tasks that are urgent but not important (bottom-left quadrant) do not require your personal attention. Instead, these tasks can be delegated to someone else.
• Delete – Priority 4 Tasks in the opposite bottom-right quadrant are the least important and not urgent. They can be discarded or kept for when there is a lull in workload.

However, all tasks cannot be both high importance and high urgency. If they are, prioritization needs to be deployed, or the person will become overwhelmed and over-committed.

Deep work refers to the ability to work in a quiet, distraction-free environment with intense focus and concentration (Bhargava, 2016; Newport, 2016).

Our cognitive abilities are exercised like a muscle in this environment. Our abilities to concentrate and produce are stretched to capacity and improve over time. The mental experience is similar to a flow state , characterized by intense concentration and focus where the perception of time disappears (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990).

Deep work is best for challenging work that requires absolute focus, but it is difficult to achieve because of distractions in our daily lives. Therefore, deep work should be considered a skill that can be honed and improved through regular practice, similar to any other skill.

Start with the following when trying to improve deep work skills (Bhargava, 2016; Newport, 2016):

• Allocate a significant portion of time to uninterrupted focus (i.e., no time wasters and no interruptions).
• Allocate this time for the morning when you’re feeling refreshed and motivated. Do not check emails or other communications beforehand to avoid being distracted.
• Like exercise, plan for sufficient rest and sleep. It is only possible to work constantly at the same pace with rest. So assign the more manageable, less cognitively demanding tasks to other work periods and take time to recover.

To illustrate further:

• 20% of the time will yield 80% of the work. Imagine your client has a presentation due. Putting together a rough but comprehensive draft (80%) will take little time (20%).
• However, the remaining 20% of the work will take approximately 80% of the time. Even though the bulk of the work is done, the remaining work needed to refine the presentation (20%) takes considerable time (80%). If your client had planned their project so that they only had 20% of the time left for this work, they would not meet their deadline.
• 20% of the work is essential, whereas 80% is not. Knowing how to prioritize the critical 20% over the less consequential 80% is vital to managing our time and workload.

With this in mind, when planning a schedule, do the following (Vaccaro, 2000):

• Split the available time unequally to account for the 80/20 split. Leave ample time for refinement, corrections, and feedback.
• Go through tasks and classify them as belonging to the 20% or 80% category. The 20% tasks are essential, yield significant results, and directly impact other goals. The 80% tasks are urgent but optional, take longer than expected, and are draining.
• Classify subtasks as 20% or 80% when working on a bigger project. Always prioritize the essential tasks (20%) over the nonessential tasks (80%).

Readers are spoiled for choice when looking for books about time management. Here we list four books that are directly related to some strategies in this post. Let us know in the comments if you have any other recommendations.

1. Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World – Cal Newport

This book tackles the topic of deep work: what it is, how to achieve it, and why it is crucial.

The author, Cal Newport, is a professor of computer science and understands the importance of dedicated, focused time in achieving goals.

Unlike many other self-help books, the advice in this book is accessible, practical, and reads as though the author has tried and tested it.

Find the book on Amazon .

2. Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones – James Clear

If we accept that we can improve our work strategies and break our bad habits, then we recommend Atomic Habits .

This book describes how small, consistent environmental changes can help form habits.

If you liked this book, then we also recommend Tiny Habits by B. J. Fogg . It is similar to Atomic Habits  but slightly more practical.

3. The 80/20 Principle: The Secret to Achieving More With Less – Richard Koch

There is a reason this book is so highly regarded. Koch explores the history of the 80/20 principle and provides numerous historical examples of this principle.

The precise numerical ratio is not essential, but the concept of the imbalance between input and output is vital. To help readers understand how to implement this principle in their daily lives, Koch outlines several key steps to identify the 80/20 split and prioritize the most critical tasks that yield the most important outcomes.

This is a practical book, and once the principle is understood, readers can easily skip to the most critical chapters. It is an excellent book for people who are pressed for time and just need a quick reminder of the principle.

17 Science-Based Productivity & Efficiency Exercises

Arm yourself with these 17 Productivity & Work Efficiency Exercises [PDF] and use positive psychology to increase flow, engagement, and goal achievement in the workplace.

Created by Experts. 100% Science-based.

PositivePsychology.com has an extensive collection of worksheets and tools for our readers that can help with time management or help eliminate time wasters.

Goal setting activities

Productivity and goal setting are popular topics on our blog. If you do not know where to start, we recommend this post: Goal Setting Activities, Exercises & Games . It references various tools that help clients identify and set their goals, including apps, worksheets, and one-on-one and group exercises, just to name a few.

17 Productivity and Work Efficiency Exercises

Our premiere tool that can help you and your clients with their time management is this excellent collection of 17 Productivity and Work Efficiency Exercises .

The exercises cover all seven strategies discussed in this post and much more. The kit includes a short introduction booklet about productivity, supported by 17 exercises, each relying on science-proven strategy.

One exercise focuses on developing deep work, and another uses the 80/20 principle. All of this is available as an all-in-one kit perfect for practitioners who want to expand their toolkit for dealing with clients’ work-related concerns, time management problems, or productivity.

Motivation and Goal Setting Masterclass

A lack of motivation and unclear goals can also affect time management. To aid your client struggling with motivation and goal setting, consider signing up for our Motivation and Goal Setting Masterclass© .

This excellent masterclass covers the topic of motivation and goal setting in much more detail and is a training tool for practitioners.

It accompanies the 17 Productivity and Work Efficiency Exercises by exploring another facet of workplace concerns and challenges. The American Psychological Association recognizes this masterclass, and practitioners will receive nine continuing education points upon completion.

The finite nature of time and its effective management have been recognized for several decades, dating back to the 1950s (Claessens et al., 2007). We understand that effective time management is essential for successful goal setting, meeting deadlines, and managing stress .

“But how?” you asked, and we listened.

In this post, we explored seven different strategies, each focusing on at least one component of time management discussing how to structure tasks better, prioritize deadlines, protect time and concentration from distractions, and work smarter not harder.

Remember that some strategies might not work for your client, and they might need to try a few to find the one that fits. But most crucial is recognizing that time management is a skill. We can learn how to do it, and all of us can improve it.

The list of strategies and books presented in this post is incomplete; many other strategies exist. If you have used a particular technique successfully or have a novel approach you have developed, share it with us in the comments. Book recommendations are also welcome!

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don’t forget to download our three Productivity Exercises for free .

Procrastination reduces our ability to manage time effectively and complete tasks on time because we take a long time to start doing the actual work. When we do finally begin, there is less time left to complete the job, increasing the likelihood of feeling stressed out, anxious, and failing.

Time management is a skill. It is a collection of behaviors that can be learned and improved.

Time management is “a form of decision-making used by individuals to structure, protect, and adapt their time to changing conditions” (Aeon & Aguinis, 2017, p. 311).

• Aeon, B., & Aguinis, H. (2017). It’s about time: New perspectives and insights on time management. Academy of Management Perspectives , 31 (4), 309–330.
• Beagrie, S., & McGee, L. (2007). How to… say no. Occupational Health & Wellbeing , 59 (8), 24.
• Bhargava, P. (2016). Deep work: A productivity superpower. Current Problems in Diagnostic Radiology , 46 (1), 1–2.
• Claessens, B. J., Van Eerde, W., Rutte, C. G., & Roe, R. A. (2007). A review of the time management literature. Personnel Review , 36 (2), 255–276.
• Covey, S. R. (1991). The seven habits of highly effective people . Covey Leadership Center.
• Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: the psychology of optimal experience . Harper and Row.
• Gordon, C. E., & Borkan, S. C. (2014). Recapturing time: A practical approach to time management for physicians. Postgraduate Medical Journal , 90 (1063), 267–272.
• Koch, R. (2011). The 80/20 principle: The secret of achieving more with less (updated 20th anniversary ed.). Hachette.
• Newport, C. (2016). Deep work: Rules for focused success in a distracted world . Hachette.
• Rice, K. G., Richardson, C. M., & Clark, D. (2012). Perfectionism, procrastination, and psychological distress. Journal of Counseling Psychology , 59 (2), 288.
• Shafran, R., Coughtrey, A., & Kothari, R. (2016). New frontiers in the treatment of perfectionism. International Journal of Cognitive Therapy , 9 (2), 156–170.
• Vaccaro, P. J. (2000). The 80/20 rule of time management. Family Practice Management , 7 (8), 76.
• Van Eerde, W. (2003). Procrastination at work and time management training. The Journal of Psychology , 137 (5), 421–434.
• Van Eerde, W., & Klingsieck, K. B. (2018). Overcoming procrastination? A meta-analysis of intervention studies. Educational Research Review , 25 , 73–85.
• Visser, L., Schoonenboom, J., & Korthagen, F. A. (2017). A field experimental design of a strengths-based training to overcome academic procrastination: Short-and long-term effect. Frontiers in Psychology , 8 .

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Critical Thinking

Developing the right mindset and skills.

By the Mind Tools Content Team

We make hundreds of decisions every day and, whether we realize it or not, we're all critical thinkers.

We use critical thinking each time we weigh up our options, prioritize our responsibilities, or think about the likely effects of our actions. It's a crucial skill that helps us to cut out misinformation and make wise decisions. The trouble is, we're not always very good at it!

In this article, we'll explore the key skills that you need to develop your critical thinking skills, and how to adopt a critical thinking mindset, so that you can make well-informed decisions.

What Is Critical Thinking?

Critical thinking is the discipline of rigorously and skillfully using information, experience, observation, and reasoning to guide your decisions, actions, and beliefs. You'll need to actively question every step of your thinking process to do it well.

Collecting, analyzing and evaluating information is an important skill in life, and a highly valued asset in the workplace. People who score highly in critical thinking assessments are also rated by their managers as having good problem-solving skills, creativity, strong decision-making skills, and good overall performance. [1]

Key Critical Thinking Skills

Critical thinkers possess a set of key characteristics which help them to question information and their own thinking. Focus on the following areas to develop your critical thinking skills:

Being willing and able to explore alternative approaches and experimental ideas is crucial. Can you think through "what if" scenarios, create plausible options, and test out your theories? If not, you'll tend to write off ideas and options too soon, so you may miss the best answer to your situation.

To nurture your curiosity, stay up to date with facts and trends. You'll overlook important information if you allow yourself to become "blinkered," so always be open to new information.

But don't stop there! Look for opposing views or evidence to challenge your information, and seek clarification when things are unclear. This will help you to reassess your beliefs and make a well-informed decision later. Read our article, Opening Closed Minds , for more ways to stay receptive.

Logical Thinking

You must be skilled at reasoning and extending logic to come up with plausible options or outcomes.

It's also important to emphasize logic over emotion. Emotion can be motivating but it can also lead you to take hasty and unwise action, so control your emotions and be cautious in your judgments. Know when a conclusion is "fact" and when it is not. "Could-be-true" conclusions are based on assumptions and must be tested further. Read our article, Logical Fallacies , for help with this.

Use creative problem solving to balance cold logic. By thinking outside of the box you can identify new possible outcomes by using pieces of information that you already have.

Self-Awareness

Many of the decisions we make in life are subtly informed by our values and beliefs. These influences are called cognitive biases and it can be difficult to identify them in ourselves because they're often subconscious.

Practicing self-awareness will allow you to reflect on the beliefs you have and the choices you make. You'll then be better equipped to challenge your own thinking and make improved, unbiased decisions.

One particularly useful tool for critical thinking is the Ladder of Inference . It allows you to test and validate your thinking process, rather than jumping to poorly supported conclusions.

Developing a Critical Thinking Mindset

Combine the above skills with the right mindset so that you can make better decisions and adopt more effective courses of action. You can develop your critical thinking mindset by following this process:

Gather Information

First, collect data, opinions and facts on the issue that you need to solve. Draw on what you already know, and turn to new sources of information to help inform your understanding. Consider what gaps there are in your knowledge and seek to fill them. And look for information that challenges your assumptions and beliefs.

Be sure to verify the authority and authenticity of your sources. Not everything you read is true! Use this checklist to ensure that your information is valid:

• Are your information sources trustworthy ? (For example, well-respected authors, trusted colleagues or peers, recognized industry publications, websites, blogs, etc.)
• Is the information you have gathered up to date ?
• Has the information received any direct criticism ?
• Does the information have any errors or inaccuracies ?
• Is there any evidence to support or corroborate the information you have gathered?
• Is the information you have gathered subjective or biased in any way? (For example, is it based on opinion, rather than fact? Is any of the information you have gathered designed to promote a particular service or organization?)

If any information appears to be irrelevant or invalid, don't include it in your decision making. But don't omit information just because you disagree with it, or your final decision will be flawed and bias.

Now observe the information you have gathered, and interpret it. What are the key findings and main takeaways? What does the evidence point to? Start to build one or two possible arguments based on what you have found.

You'll need to look for the details within the mass of information, so use your powers of observation to identify any patterns or similarities. You can then analyze and extend these trends to make sensible predictions about the future.

To help you to sift through the multiple ideas and theories, it can be useful to group and order items according to their characteristics. From here, you can compare and contrast the different items. And once you've determined how similar or different things are from one another, Paired Comparison Analysis can help you to analyze them.

The final step involves challenging the information and rationalizing its arguments.

Apply the laws of reason (induction, deduction, analogy) to judge an argument and determine its merits. To do this, it's essential that you can determine the significance and validity of an argument to put it in the correct perspective. Take a look at our article, Rational Thinking , for more information about how to do this.

Once you have considered all of the arguments and options rationally, you can finally make an informed decision.

Afterward, take time to reflect on what you have learned and what you found challenging. Step back from the detail of your decision or problem, and look at the bigger picture. Record what you've learned from your observations and experience.

Critical thinking involves rigorously and skilfully using information, experience, observation, and reasoning to guide your decisions, actions and beliefs. It's a useful skill in the workplace and in life.

You'll need to be curious and creative to explore alternative possibilities, but rational to apply logic, and self-aware to identify when your beliefs could affect your decisions or actions.

You can demonstrate a high level of critical thinking by validating your information, analyzing its meaning, and finally evaluating the argument.

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See Critical Thinking represented in our infographic: An Elementary Guide to Critical Thinking .

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Critical Thinking: A Guide for Students: Time Management

• For Students
• Reading for Meaning
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• Getting an A, Not an F: Avoiding Plagiarism
• Examples of Plagiarism and of Proper Citations
• Time Management
• How you are Graded (sample)

What to do with Limited Time

Managing your time well makes you successful.

• Set Goals and then work on them.
• Is the goal important to you?
• Why are you doing it?
• How do you plan to succeed?
• Don't procrastinate - putting things off just piles them up!
• Start with the things that you dislike the most - get it over with.
• Prioritize your readings and assignments based on due dates.
• Do the right things well

Steven Covey's "To Do List"

Notice that you should do the IMPORTANT things first, even if one of them is due later, because if you fall behind for some reason, the chances of not doing something important increases.

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What is Time Management?

Tips for managing your time, time management on linkedin learning, chat with an alumni navigator or come to power hours, time management.

• Overcoming Coursework Challenges
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Time management is the process of planning how to divide your time between specific activities; effectively managing your time means you'll work smarter, not harder (The Mind Tools Content Team, n.d.).

Why is it Important?

As a student, why would time management be important to you? Losing track of or running out of time can be frustrating. Time management is critical when learning new things and is a skill applicable to every aspect of your life ("5 Reasons Why", n.d.).  Planning and managing your time will help you in the future with school, work, and other projects.  Developing a plan or schedule can help ensure you have enough time to devote to studying, so that you succeed in achieving your goals.

Time Management Benefits

Effective time management offers a lot of benefits.  On Indeed, author Herrity provides twelve benefits of practicing effective time management skills (listed below):

•  Decreased stress
•  Increased productivity
• Positive reputation
• More energy for free time
• Clear daily goals
• Improved focus
• Streamlined decision-making
• Reaching goals faster
• Improved quality of work
• More confidence
• Improved self-discipline
• Better workplace relationships

There are 168 hours in each week and it's important to prioritize our time. Time management expert Laura Vanderkam has discovered that many people drastically overestimate their commitments each week and underestimate the time they have to themselves. Watch the video to learn a few strategies to help find more time for what matters most:

References:

5 Reasons why good time management is important for learning . (n.d.). AbbeyRoad Programs. https://www.goabbeyroad.com/5-reasons-why-good-time-management-is-important-for-learning/

Herrity, J. (2021, January 22). 12 benefits of effective time management . Indeed. https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/benefits-of-time-management

The Mind Tools Content Team. (n.d.). What is time management? Working smarter to enhance productivity . Mind Tools. https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_00.htm

College is an intense and life-changing experience as we learn to adopt a new perspective of thought. This requires commitment and much time in study, research, and writing, all of which require more time than we realize. Graduate students will take fewer courses than undergraduate students, but their courses are more intense and require deep, critical thinking, which requires time and energy.  At its heart, attending college will absorb more of your time than you realize and will squeeze you for energy and mental attention and focus in areas of your life where you may not even expect it.

Know the Structure of your Program

What courses do you need, when are they offered, and what else is going on in your life when you take those courses? Planning rigorous coursework outside of times of heavy personal demands can reduce the stress associated with time management and avoid potential setbacks.

Prepare for the Workload

Focus accordingly. Use free time for school and don’t let it get in the way of your day job. Having read this you must now consider whether or not there are crossovers between work for the job and work for education. There are times when projects at work will provide a good context for school projects. It’s always important to make sure that the employer understands what you are doing and how the structure of an academic project may result in useful work product. The benefit is that the time associated with work and school projects is maximized.

Manage the Isolation

If university isn’t challenging enough, in an online program we can feel isolated and adrift, especially if we are challenged by an assignment. And with this isolation can come feelings of hopelessness that also eat away at our time. Staying connected can help. If you are taking a challenging course, schedule a short phone call with your faculty several times during the course to stay connected and ask questions or for clarification on feedback to an assignment. The Commons is also a space to see what others share about these situations, their successes, and their challenges. It’s worth a few moments each week to check in The Commons and participate.

Take Care of Yourself

With juggling education and life responsibilities comes stress and stress is oftentimes a determinant of illness. At some point in your educational career you will need to take a short break from classes to catch up on personal responsibilities and obligations. It’s important to adhere to a timeline, but knowing when to step back is important too. An eight week break may get in the way of our personal goal of graduating at a certain time. But an unforeseen illness can work to delay our goals even farther. Know yourself and know your limitations and make good decisions.

All current students have access to LinkedIn Learning, at no cost, as part of their student account. There are some high-quality courses on time management that can be found using a simple search.  Or feel free to check out this Time Management course: 

• Time Management Fundamentals

Haven't set up your account yet? Review the LinkedIn Learning LibGuide for more information.

If you are looking for some quick tips from someone who has “been there,” come chat with one of the Alumni Navigators or attend a Power Hours session.

To view information on the Alumni Navigators, access to request a 1:1, and Power Hours session details, visit the Navigators page .

You can also find more information on Power Hours, including the schedule by accessing the GSSC Calendar in The Commons .

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Critical Thinking Towards Time Management

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Wouldn’t it be great if we could all have a credit card that we could use towards the purchase of a few or how about several more hours in our day? If there were a place in existence we would all be hanging out in that line. I always make a joke, if only I could clone myself, “get real, right?” There are 2 resources to spend in this world and that is time and money. Money buys us time and time buys us money. Every single human being is given the exact amount of hours in a day. 24 hours, not 1 hour more or less. This makes it critical that we budget our time very well. I am learning so much by studying experts who have mastered time management and have discovered that Professional Network Marketers apply critical thinking towards their time and every activity they do. After all, “time” is truly our most valuable asset! Becoming a critical thinker toward “time” can be fun and truly interesting. You end up learning a lot about yourself in this process of reaching into the details of your life. This is healthy and helps us to dig deep into the truth of what is bringing fruit into our life and what is stealing from our divine purpose. My friend and mentor taught me to journal the specific details of my day. She recommended a simple composition notebook as a great way of tracking all your activity throughout your day. Every detail is significant to the record. It is important to list every activity you engage in, with the the exact time you spent accomplishing that particular task. This will make us aware of how long we are taking to achieve our goal. Later we can review what we are spending our time on, tracking exactly where our time is being spent. This was a Huge eye opener for me. This is a valuable practice for tax purposes, just in case of an audit. As we continue to grow we will apply critical thinking toward every area of our life. Where am I spending my time? Is the majority of my time spent on income producing activities? If not it is time to do a Plan, Do, Review and Adjust. There are 2 types of people in the world, those who are critical thinkers’ when it comes to their “time” and those who blow easy with the wind, we will call them “Joe Blow”. The critical thinker will apply a critical mind to all the details in life and business. For example when sending emails, the critical thinker will email a fellow associate to set a coaching call. In the email, the subject will say “Coaching Call Request.” This will immediately set me into the leader’s hi priority list. The critical thinker will offer 3 different times that they will be available (respecting that leader’s extremely busy schedule) so that there are choices available. On the other hand, Joe Blow will write an email that is a paragraph long without the proper choices so there will be time lost in having to ask for further details or clarification. If I lost 3 minutes for every email I sent, this time could add up to be mass amounts of hours lost and wasted over a year period of time. That’s lost time with your husband, your children, your grand-children and the people you love the most. We can’t get one single moment back so being a critical thinker towards “time” is essential for every Professional Networker. A valuable tip I can give you is to go through your emails and sort out any and all emails that do not serve your purpose and plan. Clean house daily and don’t allow clutter to take up space, if it doesn’t bear fruit don’t even let it enter in. First go through and delete everything that is time wasting. This will bring your 150 new, daily emails down to 13 emails of importance real fast. Give all your emphasis toward the material that mean the most to you now and that are primarily related to generating-money activities. When you do decide to go through and open your emails, make sure you allocate enough time, we know Joe Blow is always rushed! Timers work great when I use them. My stove timer is always effective, its loud and aggravating, works great! I have found that putting reminders in my cell phone is another great way to stay plugged in and focused. No matter where we are, we almost always are near a cell phone. It helps to have a clock right in front of you, a big clock! I use Microsoft Outlook, it works very well for me and I love the dinging reminders. I have many friends who use Google Calendar, check them all out and pick what is best for you. Always make sure to have a list of all your upline leaders and team leaders in a visible location near your work area. Its good to pay attention to the routines of those you are working with. If you know “Bob” is conducting a conference call at 3 PM Eastern you would never even consider asking if Bob would be available for a 3-way during that time frame. If there are conference call numbers that you need, have them printed and near you as well. This will save you 3 minutes here, 7 minutes there taking time to look up phone numbers and other needed information. If you are building business world-wide, its very helpful to have a special location where you have ALL the country code numbers easily accessible. Time management is key in living a successful life. It allows us the ability to live out our dreams and our burning desires. It opens up a lifestyle of choices and the ability to enjoy, endure and take care of whats been given to us. Author: Jenny Wudtke Article Source: EzineArticles.com

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• v.99(35); 2020 Aug 28

Effect of a critical thinking intervention on stress management among undergraduates of adult education and extramural studies programs

Charity chinelo okide.

a Department of Adult Education and Extra-Mural-Studies

Chiedu Eseadi

b Department of Educational Foundations, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, P.M.B

Ifeyinwa O. Ezenwaji

Moses o. ede, rosemary ogochukwu igbo.

c Faculty of Education, Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike Ikwo

Uzoamaka Lucynda Koledoye

Nwakaego ebele ekwealor, chioma osilike, nkechi mercy okeke, ngozi justina igwe, ruphina u. nwachukwu, lambert peter ukanga.

d Department of Philosophy, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, P.M.B., Enugu State

Mulii Falaremi Olajide

e Department of Adult Education and Community Development, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai, Niger State

Anthonia Ekanibe Onuorah

f Department of Guidance & Counselling, Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Enugu State, Nigeria

Patrick Ujah

Lambert k. ejionueme, godwin c. abiogu, michael eskay, christian s. ugwuanyi.

g Postdoctoral fellow, School of Education Studies, Faculty of Education, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa.

The objective of this study was to examine the effect of a critical thinking intervention (CTI) on stress management among undergraduates of adult education and extramural studies programs.

A total of 44 undergraduates were randomly sorted into experimental and waitlist control groups. We used the Perceived Stress Scale for data collection at the pre-test, post-test, and follow-up stages. We used unpaired t and paired t- tests to analyze the data collected. SPSS version 22.0 was used for the data analyses (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL).

It was shown that the CTI was effective in reducing the mean stress of the participants compared to the control group both in the post-test ( t [42] = −22.453, P  < .001) and follow-up periods ( t [42] = −34.292, P  < .001). There were statistically significant changes in the mean stress of participants in the experimental group from the pre-test to post-test phases ( t [23] = 26.30, P  = .000, r = .08], and from pre-test to follow-up( t [23] = 37.10, P  = .000, r = .30). The mean stress of the participants in the experimental group from post-test to follow-up signified the sustained positive influence of the CTI on the mean stress ( t [23] = 2.41, P  = .000, r = .46) of the undergraduates.

Conclusion:

This study adds to the literature by showing that a CTI is a valuable strategy for stress reduction in a university environment. Given that the CTI demonstrated the ability to reduce stress among undergraduates enrolled in adult education and extramural studies programs, we hope that similar interventions will be adopted to manage and prevent stress among students in other departments and disciplines.

1. Introduction

Stress is a growing problem among undergraduates at many universities. It affects both their health and academic performance. [ 1 ] Studies have shown that stress is highest for final-year students. [ 2 ] Another study showed that third-year students exhibited a considerable difference in stress levels from both first- and final-year students. [ 2 ] It was recorded that high achievers were less stressed than low achievers. [ 2 ] Studies also found that 97.7% of undergraduate students used Facebook as a tool for curbing stress. [ 3 ] Studies on undergraduate medical students showed that 3.12% reported experiencing no stress, 55.6% reported mild to moderate stress, and 41.2% had experienced severe stress. [ 4 ] In a study on 300 students of a Nigerian university, 94.7% had experienced a high level of stress, while 5.3% had experienced a low level of stress. [ 5 ] Another study in Nigeria found that 94.2% of undergraduate trainees were stressed; the major stressors identified were excessive academic workload (82.3%), inadequate holidays (76.4%), and insufficient time for recreation (76.2%). [ 6 ] In this respect, the objective of this study was to examine the effect of a critical thinking intervention (CTI) on stress management among undergraduates of an adult education and extramural studies programs at Nigerian universities.

Critical thinking is the ability to evaluate information and experiences in an objective manner; it contributes to health by helping individuals be aware of and assess factors that control thoughts and behavior. [ 7 ] A critical thinking intervention aims to inculcate a series of critical thinking skills relevant to solving personal and professional problems. Studies have revealed a significant relationship between critical thinking and stress, with the indication that as critical thinking improves, so does an individual's ability to handle stress. [ 7 ] Studies further indicated that it is important for students to acquire critical thinking skills through the national education system. [ 8 ] Thus, through a critical thinking intervention program, undergraduates of adult education and extramural studies programs can learn how to apply critical thinking skills in stressful situations while they are learning. Therefore, it was hypothesized that a critical thinking intervention would have a significant positive effect on stress management among undergraduates of adult education and extramural studies programs at Nigerian universities.

A randomized controlled trial was conducted in line with the ethical principles of the WMA Declaration of Helsinki. The Faculty of Education Research Ethics Committee at the first author's institution approved the research. All students included in this study provided written informed consent. From a sample of 350 undergraduates of adult education and extramural studies programs approached to take part in the study, a total of 44 were randomly sorted into experimental and waitlist control groups using computer-generated random numbers. [ 9 ] An a priori statistical power of .72 with an effect size of .80 showed that a sample of 40 participants would be adequate for a two-tailed t-test analysis, as determined using G∗power 3.1 (see Fig. ​ Fig.1 1 ). [ 10 ] The participants’ allocation to the experimental and control groups is shown in Figure ​ Figure2. 2 . The inclusion criteria were high perceived stress as ascertained using the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) [ 11 ] and consent to participate. Participants received and completed the PSS at the pre-test, post-test, and follow-up stages. The PSS items (Cronbach's α = .734) were rated on a scale ranging from ‘never’ to ‘very often’. [ 11 ]

Sample size calculation with the aid of Gpower.

Enrollment/eligibility flowchart.

The CTI for stress lasted for 6 weeks (2 hours, twice per week). A 4-week follow-up was performed three months after the intervention was concluded. The CTI encompassed strategies for building critical thinking skills that included Socratic questioning, [ 12 ] generating, reasoning, analyzing, inferring, evaluating, and interpreting. [ 13 ] Borun et al's 5-step framework (determine learning objectives; teach through questioning; practice before assessment; review, refine, and improve; and provide feedback and assessment of learning) for teaching critical thinking to students was adapted to help the researchers effectively guide the study participants towards thinking critically. [ 14 ] Using these procedures, the participants were equipped with critical thinking skills that would enable them to deal with stress. We used unpaired and paired t- tests to analyze the collected data. Blinding was performed using procedures described in previous randomized controlled trials. [ 15 , 16 ] There were no cases of dropout or withdrawal, and no reports of adverse effects from the intervention. SPSS version 22.0 was used for all analyses (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL).

Table ​ Table1 1 shows that there was no significant difference in the number of male and female undergraduate students who participated in the study ( P  = .072). However, there were significant differences in the age ( P  = .000) and tribe of the participants ( P  = .020).

Demographic characteristics of the participants.

The between-group analysis, as seen in Table ​ Table2, 2 , showed that the pre-test mean stress of the participants in the experimental group (34.67 ± 2.82) did not differ significantly from that of those in the control group (34.65 ± 2.64, t [42] = .020, P  = .984). The post-test showed that the mean stress of the participants in the experimental group (14.21 ± 2.79) differed significantly from that of those in the control group (32.40 ± 2.52, t [42] = -22.453, P  < .001). Similarly, the follow-up assessment showed that the mean stress rating of the participants in the experimental group (12.96 ± 1.85) differed significantly from that of those in the control group (32.10 ± 1.83, t [42] = -34.292, P  < .001). This suggests that the CTI had a significant positive effect on stress management among undergraduates from adult education and extramural studies programs. Figure ​ Figure3 3 further elucidates the significant mean change in stress across groups.

Results of independent samples t-test for the difference in mean stress of the experimental and control groups’ participants at pretest, posttest and follow-up.

Significant mean change in stress across the groups.

The within-group analysis, seen in Table ​ Table3, 3 , revealed significant positive changes in the mean stress of participants in the experimental group from the pre-test to post-test stages( t [23] = 26.30, P  = .000, r = .08), and pre-test to follow-up stages ( t [23] = 37.10, P  = .000, r = .30). The mean stress of participants in the experimental group from post-test to follow-up further demonstrated the sustained positive influence of the CTI on mean stress ( t [23] = 2.41, P  = .000, r = .46) among undergraduates in the experimental group.

Paired t test for the difference in the mean stress of the experimental group participants at pretest, posttest and follow-up.

4. Discussion

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a critical thinking intervention on stress management among undergraduates of adult education and extramural studies programs. The findings showed that at the pre-test assessment stage, a high level of stress was found among the study participants in both the treatment and control groups. However, after the intervention program, it was shown that the critical thinking intervention was significantly effective in reducing stress among the participants. Taking into consideration the evidence that critical thinking intervention is significantly effective in reducing students’ stress, we would like to emphasize that previous research has supported the fact that as critical thinking increases, individuals’ ability to deal with stress often increases as well. [ 7 ]

Although one previous study reported an insignificant relationship between critical thinking and stress coping strategies, the investigators did acknowledge that this outcome could have been due to the nature of the questionnaire utilized and, perhaps, the respondents’ erroneous estimation of their critical thinking skills and stress coping strategies. [ 8 ] Thus, there should be an objective estimation of students’ skills in any given category such as application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation, which require the kind of higher-order thinking that characterizes critical thought. [ 17 ] Also, interventions for improving critical thinking skills should help students develop an understanding of how to make consistent observations by having them work through demanding examples and develop a checklist based on their own collective judgment. [ 18 ] Interventions for improving critical thinking and stress management may benefit midwifery students, as it has been observed that up to 73% of them experienced stress during the program, with academic and psychosocial problems being among the main sources of stress. [ 19 ]

More so, critical thinking interventions for stress management should equally involve medical students, as positive outcomes; positive student feedback; improved psychological health; improved physiological and immunologic health markers; improved quality of life, spirituality, and empathy; improved psychological states of mind; increased awareness about stress, its effects, and its management; and an improved ability to cope effectively and positively with stress have all been observed. [ 20 ]

This study has added to the literature by showing that CTI is a valuable strategy for stress reduction in a university environment. One of the aims of the CTI approach is to decrease erroneous thinking and increase rational thinking through the inculcation of relevant critical thinking skills. The outcome of this study has implications for school counseling and philosophically oriented interventions in the future. There is a need for school counselors to collaborate with philosophy educators to develop other therapeutic frameworks based on the CTI approach to help undergraduate students deal with academic stress. Given that CTI demonstrated a significant outcome in reducing stress among undergraduates of adult education and extramural studies programs, we hope that similar interventions will be adopted to manage and prevent stress among students in other departments and disciplines.

Even though this study demonstrated a significant effect by a CTI on stress reduction, its limitations have to be acknowledged. The participants resided in Southeast and South-South Nigeria; therefore, the results cannot be generalized to all undergraduates of adult education and extramural studies programs in other parts of the country. In addition, our sample size was small, which could affect the generalizability of our findings. A larger number of participants should be utilized in future CTI studies.

5. Conclusion

This study added to the literature by showing that a critical thinking intervention is a valuable strategy for stress management in a university environment. The CTI demonstrated a significant effect on stress management among undergraduates of adult education and extramural studies programs. Therefore, we hope that similar interventions will be adopted as a way to manage the stress experienced by students in other departments and disciplines.

Author contributions

Conceptualization: Charity Chinelo Okide, Ifeyinwa O. Ezenwaji, Uzoamaka Lucynda Koledoye, Nwakaego Ebele Ekwealor, Chioma Osilike, Ngozi Justina Igwe, Ruphina U. Nwachukwu, Lambert Peter Ukanga, Godwin C. Abiogu, Michael Eskay, Christian S. Ugwuanyi.

Data curation: Charity Chinelo Okide, Ifeyinwa O. Ezenwaji, Rosemary Ogochukwu Igbo, Uzoamaka Lucynda Koledoye, Nwakaego Ebele Ekwealor, Chioma Osilike, Nkechi Mercy Okeke, Ngozi Justina Igwe, Ruphina U. Nwachukwu, Lambert Peter Ukanga, Mulii Falaremi Olajide, Anthonia Ekanibe Onuorah, Lambert K. Ejionueme, Michael Eskay, Christian S. Ugwuanyi.

Formal analysis: Charity Chinelo Okide, Ifeyinwa O. Ezenwaji, Moses O. Ede, Rosemary Ogochukwu Igbo, Uzoamaka Lucynda Koledoye, Chioma Osilike, Nkechi Mercy Okeke, Ngozi Justina Igwe, Ruphina U. Nwachukwu, Lambert Peter Ukanga, Mulii Falaremi Olajide, Anthonia Ekanibe Onuorah, Lambert K. Ejionueme, Patrick Ujah, Godwin C. Abiogu, Michael Eskay, Christian S. Ugwuanyi.

Funding acquisition: Charity Chinelo Okide, Ifeyinwa O. Ezenwaji, Moses O. Ede, Rosemary Ogochukwu Igbo, Uzoamaka Lucynda Koledoye, Nwakaego Ebele Ekwealor, Chioma Osilike, Nkechi Mercy Okeke, Ngozi Justina Igwe, Ruphina U. Nwachukwu, Lambert Peter Ukanga, Mulii Falaremi Olajide, Anthonia Ekanibe Onuorah, Lambert K. Ejionueme, Patrick Ujah, Godwin C. Abiogu, Michael Eskay, Christian S. Ugwuanyi.

Investigation: Charity Chinelo Okide, Ifeyinwa O. Ezenwaji, Moses O. Ede, Rosemary Ogochukwu Igbo, Uzoamaka Lucynda Koledoye, Nwakaego Ebele Ekwealor, Chioma Osilike, Nkechi Mercy Okeke, Ngozi Justina Igwe, Ruphina U. Nwachukwu, Lambert Peter Ukanga, Mulii Falaremi Olajide, Anthonia Ekanibe Onuorah, Lambert K. Ejionueme, Patrick Ujah, Godwin C. Abiogu, Michael Eskay, Christian S. Ugwuanyi.

Methodology: Charity Chinelo Okide, Ifeyinwa O. Ezenwaji, Moses O. Ede, Rosemary Ogochukwu Igbo, Uzoamaka Lucynda Koledoye, Nwakaego Ebele Ekwealor, Chioma Osilike, Nkechi Mercy Okeke, Ngozi Justina Igwe, Ruphina U. Nwachukwu, Lambert Peter Ukanga, Mulii Falaremi Olajide, Anthonia Ekanibe Onuorah, Lambert K. Ejionueme, Patrick Ujah, Godwin C. Abiogu, Michael Eskay, Christian S. Ugwuanyi.

Project administration: Charity Chinelo Okide, Ifeyinwa O. Ezenwaji, Moses O. Ede, Rosemary Ogochukwu Igbo, Uzoamaka Lucynda Koledoye, Nwakaego Ebele Ekwealor, Chioma Osilike, Nkechi Mercy Okeke, Ngozi Justina Igwe, Ruphina U. Nwachukwu, Mulii Falaremi Olajide, Anthonia Ekanibe Onuorah, Lambert K. Ejionueme, Patrick Ujah, Godwin C. Abiogu, Michael Eskay, Christian S. Ugwuanyi.

Resources: Moses O. Ede, Rosemary Ogochukwu Igbo, Nwakaego Ebele Ekwealor, Nkechi Mercy Okeke, Ruphina U. Nwachukwu, Mulii Falaremi Olajide, Patrick Ujah, Michael Eskay, Christian S. Ugwuanyi.

Software: Charity Chinelo Okide, Ifeyinwa O. Ezenwaji, Rosemary Ogochukwu Igbo, Nwakaego Ebele Ekwealor, Chioma Osilike, Ngozi Justina Igwe, Ruphina U. Nwachukwu, Lambert Peter Ukanga, Mulii Falaremi Olajide, Anthonia Ekanibe Onuorah, Lambert K. Ejionueme, Patrick Ujah, Godwin C. Abiogu, Michael Eskay, Christian S. Ugwuanyi.

Supervision: Charity Chinelo Okide, Ifeyinwa O. Ezenwaji, Uzoamaka Lucynda Koledoye, Chioma Osilike, Nkechi Mercy Okeke, Ngozi Justina Igwe, Ruphina U. Nwachukwu, Mulii Falaremi Olajide, Anthonia Ekanibe Onuorah, Lambert K. Ejionueme, Godwin C. Abiogu, Michael Eskay, Christian S. Ugwuanyi.

Validation: Charity Chinelo Okide, Ifeyinwa O. Ezenwaji, Uzoamaka Lucynda Koledoye, Nwakaego Ebele Ekwealor, Chioma Osilike, Nkechi Mercy Okeke, Lambert Peter Ukanga, Anthonia Ekanibe Onuorah, Godwin C. Abiogu, Christian S. Ugwuanyi.

Visualization: Ifeyinwa O. Ezenwaji, Rosemary Ogochukwu Igbo, Uzoamaka Lucynda Koledoye, Ngozi Justina Igwe, Mulii Falaremi Olajide, Patrick Ujah.

Writing – original draft: Charity Chinelo Okide, Ifeyinwa O. Ezenwaji, Moses O. Ede, Uzoamaka Lucynda Koledoye, Nkechi Mercy Okeke, Ngozi Justina Igwe, Ruphina U. Nwachukwu, Lambert Peter Ukanga, Godwin C. Abiogu, Michael Eskay, Christian S. Ugwuanyi.

Writing – review & editing: Charity Chinelo Okide, Ifeyinwa O. Ezenwaji, Moses O. Ede, Rosemary Ogochukwu Igbo, Uzoamaka Lucynda Koledoye, Nwakaego Ebele Ekwealor, Chioma Osilike, Nkechi Mercy Okeke, Ngozi Justina Igwe, Ruphina U. Nwachukwu, Lambert Peter Ukanga, Mulii Falaremi Olajide, Anthonia Ekanibe Onuorah, Lambert K. Ejionueme, Patrick Ujah, Michael Eskay, Christian S. Ugwuanyi.

Abbreviations: CTI = critical thinking intervention, PSS = perceived stress scale, r = correlation.

How to cite this article: Okide CC, Eseadi C, Ezenwaji IO, Ede MO, Igbo RO, Koledoye UL, Ekwealor NE, Osilike C, Okeke NM, Igwe NJ, Nwachukwu RU, Ukanga LP, Olajide MF, Onuorah AE, Ujah P, Ejionueme LK, Abiogu GC, Eskay M, Ugwuanyi CS. Effect of a critical thinking intervention on stress management among undergraduates of adult education and extramural studies programs. Medicine . 2020;99:35(e21697).

The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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How do I improve my time management skills?

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With a busy schedule, it’s important to make the most of your time during the working day. Abi Rimmer talks to four experts about how to do this successfully

Don’t neglect self care

Laura-Jane Smith, consultant in respiratory and internal medicine at King’s College London, says, “In the clinical environment it may feel like you have little control over your time but there are things you can do. Successful prioritisation is a skill that you can develop, and batching related tasks can also help. If you need to concentrate, mute your phone and ask a colleague to hold your bleep. If you’re always leaving late, tracking your time using a diary or an app like Clockify can help you understand how you could work smarter.

“For career progression, identify what you most want to achieve and write it down. You don’t need grand aims—just set goals that are meaningful to you and be realistic about what steps are needed to achieve them. Give yourself deadlines and discuss progress with a mentor or supervisor.

“If you feel unable to manage your time, take a critical look at whether the problem is you or your environment. Colleagues or family may be asking too much of you and you may need to say no. Sometimes telling someone about your other commitments is enough. Sometimes you need to be more direct. If your boss keeps asking for more, ask which existing tasks can be deferred, in order to prioritise the new.

“Most importantly, take time for yourself. Decision fatigue has potentially serious consequences. Walk the outside route between wards to get some fresh air. Make plans outside work and keep them. Commit to spending time on things that bring you professional satisfaction and personal joy. Self care is not a luxury, it’s a responsibility.”

Follow five principles

Trevor Bibic, learning and development consultant at Brightbloom Training, says, “Start with the basics.

“Get it out of your head—trying to juggle everything you need to do in your head will overwhelm your brain’s ability to process information, make decisions, and be creative. Whatever the source, capture the things you need to do, both personal and professional, in a system you trust.

“Prioritise prioritising—do you regularly dedicate time to prioritising for the day, week, or month ahead before you accumulate more actions? Time is one of your most precious resources. You have to choose what you will and won’t do or risk being driven by the actions that are shouting the loudest at the time.

“Automate or delegate—what tasks can you create an autopilot for? For example, paying bills by direct debit, getting a cleaner, or setting rules in your inbox to help your emails sort themselves. These actions then become something you only have to consciously interact with once in a while.

“Identify manageable actions—when you are feeling overwhelmed or something seems too challenging, identify the smallest possible next action that you feel you can do and do it. Then the next and so on. This helps create momentum.

“Email is not your to-do list—if the email contains an action then put the action in your system and don’t rely on revisiting it in your inbox.

“Finally, treat this as a learning experience, be forgiving when things don’t work, and celebrate the wins.”

Set boundaries

Ellie Mein, medico-legal adviser at the Medical Defence Union, says, “Although time management can’t increase the hours in the day or reduce your workload, it can help you feel more in control and reduce stress. It can also help you achieve your personal and professional goals and ensure you have enough time to effectively communicate with patients and colleagues and perform administrative tasks.

“With heavy workloads, effective time management is also important for clinician wellbeing and patient safety. A study by the University of Manchester and Keele University found that burnout was associated with an increase in the likelihood of unsafe care and unprofessional behaviour, such as not following treatment guidelines and poor quality communication. 1 The researchers also found that patient satisfaction was likely to be lower when doctors were physically, emotionally, and mentally exhausted.

“Good time managers take a few minutes at the start of their day to prioritise tasks and consider how much time is needed to perform them. It can help to make a list, setting priorities according to urgency. You might think it’s quicker to do everything yourself but appropriate delegation can help you to be more efficient.

“Although it can be easier said than done, try not to be distracted by non-urgent tasks and focus on your priorities. If a task seems overwhelming, break it down into smaller parts which are more achievable.

“Recognise that being a good team player doesn’t equate to never saying no. Setting boundaries in a polite but firm way can help safeguard your time, allowing you to focus on the urgent tasks that only you can do.”

Plan and prioritise

Sarah Christie, executive coach, says, “With increasing workloads and fewer resources, it’s easy to fall into the habit of fire-fighting crises, while your to-do list gets longer.

“Accept that you will not get everything done on your to-do list each day, but make a list anyway, so that you can track what needs to be done.

“Rate your tasks in order of priority. Which ones must be done this week and cannot be delegated? Make sure these are ones that you rate as very important and highly urgent.

“Prepare a weekly schedule. Put in all your regular commitments such as meetings and clinics, and then look at it each day. Schedule in as many of your top priority tasks as you can.

“Be realistic about how long each task will take and allow some extra time because often things take longer than anticipated. Do not schedule back to back commitments in your day or you will slip straight back into feeling overwhelmed. Having gaps will give you the flexibility to move your planned tasks around, without causing you more stress if unexpected events occur.

“Most importantly of all, protect your planned schedule. Focus on your priorities and get them done.

“When your top priority tasks are complete you can then repeat the process with the next lot of tasks on your list—the ones that are also very important but not as urgent.

“Make this planning process a weekly habit and you will soon be back in control of your workload and your life.”

Trevor Bibic will be delivering the seminar “Getting things done” at BMJ Live on 4-5 October 2019 at the Olympia Conference Centre in London. Register for free at: https://live.bmj.com

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A Crash Course in Critical Thinking

What you need to know—and read—about one of the essential skills needed today..

Posted April 8, 2024 | Reviewed by Michelle Quirk

• In research for "A More Beautiful Question," I did a deep dive into the current crisis in critical thinking.
• Many people may think of themselves as critical thinkers, but they actually are not.
• Here is a series of questions you can ask yourself to try to ensure that you are thinking critically.

Conspiracy theories. Inability to distinguish facts from falsehoods. Widespread confusion about who and what to believe.

These are some of the hallmarks of the current crisis in critical thinking—which just might be the issue of our times. Because if people aren’t willing or able to think critically as they choose potential leaders, they’re apt to choose bad ones. And if they can’t judge whether the information they’re receiving is sound, they may follow faulty advice while ignoring recommendations that are science-based and solid (and perhaps life-saving).

Moreover, as a society, if we can’t think critically about the many serious challenges we face, it becomes more difficult to agree on what those challenges are—much less solve them.

On a personal level, critical thinking can enable you to make better everyday decisions. It can help you make sense of an increasingly complex and confusing world.

In the new expanded edition of my book A More Beautiful Question ( AMBQ ), I took a deep dive into critical thinking. Here are a few key things I learned.

First off, before you can get better at critical thinking, you should understand what it is. It’s not just about being a skeptic. When thinking critically, we are thoughtfully reasoning, evaluating, and making decisions based on evidence and logic. And—perhaps most important—while doing this, a critical thinker always strives to be open-minded and fair-minded . That’s not easy: It demands that you constantly question your assumptions and biases and that you always remain open to considering opposing views.

In today’s polarized environment, many people think of themselves as critical thinkers simply because they ask skeptical questions—often directed at, say, certain government policies or ideas espoused by those on the “other side” of the political divide. The problem is, they may not be asking these questions with an open mind or a willingness to fairly consider opposing views.

When people do this, they’re engaging in “weak-sense critical thinking”—a term popularized by the late Richard Paul, a co-founder of The Foundation for Critical Thinking . “Weak-sense critical thinking” means applying the tools and practices of critical thinking—questioning, investigating, evaluating—but with the sole purpose of confirming one’s own bias or serving an agenda.

In AMBQ , I lay out a series of questions you can ask yourself to try to ensure that you’re thinking critically. Here are some of the questions to consider:

• Why do I believe what I believe?
• Are my views based on evidence?
• Have I fairly and thoughtfully considered differing viewpoints?
• Am I truly open to changing my mind?

Of course, becoming a better critical thinker is not as simple as just asking yourself a few questions. Critical thinking is a habit of mind that must be developed and strengthened over time. In effect, you must train yourself to think in a manner that is more effortful, aware, grounded, and balanced.

For those interested in giving themselves a crash course in critical thinking—something I did myself, as I was working on my book—I thought it might be helpful to share a list of some of the books that have shaped my own thinking on this subject. As a self-interested author, I naturally would suggest that you start with the new 10th-anniversary edition of A More Beautiful Question , but beyond that, here are the top eight critical-thinking books I’d recommend.

The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark , by Carl Sagan

This book simply must top the list, because the late scientist and author Carl Sagan continues to be such a bright shining light in the critical thinking universe. Chapter 12 includes the details on Sagan’s famous “baloney detection kit,” a collection of lessons and tips on how to deal with bogus arguments and logical fallacies.

Clear Thinking: Turning Ordinary Moments Into Extraordinary Results , by Shane Parrish

The creator of the Farnham Street website and host of the “Knowledge Project” podcast explains how to contend with biases and unconscious reactions so you can make better everyday decisions. It contains insights from many of the brilliant thinkers Shane has studied.

Good Thinking: Why Flawed Logic Puts Us All at Risk and How Critical Thinking Can Save the World , by David Robert Grimes

A brilliant, comprehensive 2021 book on critical thinking that, to my mind, hasn’t received nearly enough attention . The scientist Grimes dissects bad thinking, shows why it persists, and offers the tools to defeat it.

Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know , by Adam Grant

Intellectual humility—being willing to admit that you might be wrong—is what this book is primarily about. But Adam, the renowned Wharton psychology professor and bestselling author, takes the reader on a mind-opening journey with colorful stories and characters.

Think Like a Detective: A Kid's Guide to Critical Thinking , by David Pakman

The popular YouTuber and podcast host Pakman—normally known for talking politics —has written a terrific primer on critical thinking for children. The illustrated book presents critical thinking as a “superpower” that enables kids to unlock mysteries and dig for truth. (I also recommend Pakman’s second kids’ book called Think Like a Scientist .)

Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters , by Steven Pinker

The Harvard psychology professor Pinker tackles conspiracy theories head-on but also explores concepts involving risk/reward, probability and randomness, and correlation/causation. And if that strikes you as daunting, be assured that Pinker makes it lively and accessible.

How Minds Change: The Surprising Science of Belief, Opinion and Persuasion , by David McRaney

David is a science writer who hosts the popular podcast “You Are Not So Smart” (and his ideas are featured in A More Beautiful Question ). His well-written book looks at ways you can actually get through to people who see the world very differently than you (hint: bludgeoning them with facts definitely won’t work).

A Healthy Democracy's Best Hope: Building the Critical Thinking Habit , by M Neil Browne and Chelsea Kulhanek

Neil Browne, author of the seminal Asking the Right Questions: A Guide to Critical Thinking, has been a pioneer in presenting critical thinking as a question-based approach to making sense of the world around us. His newest book, co-authored with Chelsea Kulhanek, breaks down critical thinking into “11 explosive questions”—including the “priors question” (which challenges us to question assumptions), the “evidence question” (focusing on how to evaluate and weigh evidence), and the “humility question” (which reminds us that a critical thinker must be humble enough to consider the possibility of being wrong).

Warren Berger is a longtime journalist and author of A More Beautiful Question .

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What is Critical Thinking and Why is it Valuable in the Workplace?

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• > Personal Effectiveness and Preparing for Change
• > What is Critical Thinking and Why is it Valuable in the Workplace?

There are times at work when you simply have to “do.” A tight deadline, a demanding project outline, or a highly particular superior might mean that it makes sense to complete a task without too much mental tinkering. But work like this can be unsustainable and worse — it won’t leverage your ability to think critically.

There is value in thinking critically in every aspect of your life. From making decisions in your personal life, to interrogating the media you consume, to assessing your work with a critical eye, applying critical thinking is an essential skill everyone should be trying to hone.

At your workplace, critical thinking can distinguish you as a leader, and a valuable mind to bounce ideas off. It can help improve the quality of your work, and the perception those higher up the chain have of you.

Here’s what you need to know about critical thinking in the workplace:

What Exactly is “Critical Thinking”?

  In a nutshell, critical thinking is the ability to think reasonably, detaching yourself from personal bias, emotional responses, and subjective opinions. It involves using the data at hand to make a reasoned choice without falling prey to the temptations of doing things simply because they’ve always been done a certain way.

Critical thinking takes time. It might be quicker simply to take instruction at face value, or rely on the traditions of your team. But without analyzing the reasons behind decisions and tasks, it becomes extremely easy to adopt bad habits. This might be time-wasting meetings, inefficient uses of effort, or poor interactions with team members. Taking the time to ask “why” you’re doing something is the first step to thinking critically.

Sometimes, data is available which allows you to make reasoned decisions based on absolute facts. If you can show that a new best practice can objectively improve current processes with hard data, you’ve used the very basics of critical thinking. That said, actual numbers aren’t always available when making a decision. Real critical thinking involves taking a careful look at situations and making a decision based on what is known, not what is felt.

Why Is Critical Thinking Important in the Workplace?

The short answer to the above question is this: critical thinkers make the best decisions, most often. And in the workplace, where choices about how to complete tasks, communicate information, relate with coworkers, and develop strategy are so common, critical thinkers are extremely valuable.

A savvy hiring manager will make this part of the recruitment process. It’s pretty easy to gauge how someone is inclined to solve a problem — ask them how they would deal with a specific situation, and give them the opportunity to use their critical thinking skills, versus deferring to an emotional, or prescribed reaction. Employing people who can think and act reasonably will pay enormous dividends down the road.

Using your critical thinking skills in the workplace will define you as a problem solver. This is not only useful career-wise (although having upper-level people at your company think highly of you is undoubtedly a benefit) it also establishes you as a leader among your fellow team members. Demonstrating your ability to solve problems and accomplish goals effectively will help instill confidence in you with all your coworkers.

How to Use Critical Thinking in the Workplace

The first step to actually using critical thinking is approaching every situation with an open mind. You need to be receptive to all information available, not just the kind that satisfies your preconceived notions or personal biases. This can be easier said than done, of course — lessons learned and beliefs held are often done so with a reason. But when it comes to critical thinking, it’s important to analyze each situation independently.

Once you’ve analyzed a situation with an open mind, you need to consider how to communicate it properly. It’s all very well and good to approach situations with objective logic, but it doesn’t do you any favours to sound like  Mr. Spock  when you’re conveying your conclusions. Be tactful, patient and humble when you are explaining how and why you’ve come to decisions. Use data if available to support your findings, but understand that not everyone is able to remove emotion from situations.

The final, and perhaps least obvious, application with critical thinking is creativity. Often, getting creative means pushing boundaries and reshaping convention. This means taking a risk — one that can often be worth the reward. Using a critical thinking approach when getting creative can help you mitigate the risk, and better determine what value your creativity can bring. It will help you and your team try new things and reinvent current processes while hopefully not rocking the boat too much.

Learn More About Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is a valuable skill for all aspects of your life. It benefits problem solving, creativity, and teamwork. And it translates particularly well to the workplace, where it can distinguish you as a valuable employee and leader.

Taking the extra time to examine things objectively, make decisions based on logic, and communicate it tactfully will help you, those you work with, and your work goals prosper. To learn more about how to do that, have a look at our  Critical Thinking and Problem Solving for Effective Decision-Making   workshop and register today!

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Time Management: 10 Strategies for Better Time Management

The term Time Management is a misnomer. You cannot manage time; you manage the events in your life in relation to time. You may often wish for more time, but you only get 24 hours, 1,440 minutes, or 86,400 seconds each day. How you use that time depends on skills learned through self-analysis, planning, evaluation, and self-control. Much like money, time is both valuable and limited. It must be protected, used wisely, and budgeted.

• Are more productive.
• Have more energy for things they need to accomplish.
• Feel less stressed.
• Have more free time to do the things they want.
• Get more things done.
• Relate more positively to others.
• Feel better about themselves. (Dodd and Subdheim, 2005)

Finding a time management strategy that works best for you depends on your personality, ability to self-motivate, and level of self-discipline. By incorporating some, or all the ten strategies below, you can more effectively manage your time.

1. Know How You Spend Your Time

A time log is a helpful way to determine how you use your time. Record what you are doing in 15-minute intervals for a week or two. Evaluate the results:

• Did everything you needed to do get done?
• Which tasks require the most time?
• What time of day when you are most productive?
• Where is most of your time is devoted (i.e. job, family, personal, recreation)?

Identifying your most time-consuming tasks and determining whether you are investing your time in the most important activities can help you to determine a course of action. Having a good sense of the time required for routine tasks can help you be more realistic in planning and estimating how much time is available for other activities. Many apps exist to help you keep track of your time, as mentioned in Strategy 3.

2. Set Priorities

Managing your time effectively requires a distinction between what is important and what is urgent (MacKenzie, 1990). Experts agree that the most important tasks usually aren’t the most urgent tasks. However, we tend to let the urgent tasks dominate our lives. Covey, Merrill, and Merrill (1994) categorize activities into four quadrants in their Time Management Matrix: urgent, not urgent, important, and not important. While activities that are both urgent and important must be done, Covey et al. suggests spending less time on activities that are not important (regardless of their urgency) to gain time for activities that are not urgent but important. Focusing on these important activities allows you to gain greater control over your time and may reduce the number of important tasks that become urgent.

Creating a "to do” list is an easy way to prioritize. Whether you need a daily, weekly, or monthly list depends on your lifestyle. Be careful to keep list-making from getting out of control. List manageable tasks rather than goals or multi-step plans. Rank the items on your “to do” list in order of priority (both important and urgent). You may choose to group items in categories such as high priority, medium priority, or low priority; number them in order of priority; or use a color-coding system. The goal is not to mark off the most items, but to mark off the highest priority items (MacKenzie, 1990). A prioritized “to do” list allows you to set boundaries so you can say “no” to activities that may be interesting or provide a sense of achievement but do not fit your basic priorities.

3. Use a Planning Tool

When using a planning tool:

• Always record your information on the tool itself. Jotting notes elsewhere that must be transferred later is inefficient and wastes more time.
• Review your planning tool daily.
• Keep a list of your priorities in your planning tool and refer to it often.
• Keep planning tools synchronized. If you keep more than one, make sure your phone, computer, and paper planning tools match.
• Keep a back-up system.

Apps on your phone can be great planning tools. Apps typically fall into one of the following categories:

• Time Trackers – Gain an awareness of how you spend your time.
• Time Savers – Increase productivity and break time-wasting habits.
• Task Managers – Prioritize and organize tasks to improve time management.
• Habit Developers – Create healthy habits to encourage time management.

4. Get Organized

Disorganization leads to poor time management. Research has shown that clutter has a strong negative impact on perceived well-being (Roster, 2016). To improve your time management, get organized.

Set up three boxes (or corners of a room) labeled "Keep," "Give Away," and "Toss." Sort items into these boxes. Discard items in your “Toss” box. Your "Give Away" box may include items you want to sell, donate, or discard.

The next step is to improve the time you spend processing information. For example, tasks such as email can eat up your day. To combat wasted time, implement an email organization system that allows you to process the information in each email as efficiently as possible. Use folders, flagging, or a color-coded system to keep track of what’s what.

5. Schedule Appropriately

Scheduling is more than just recording what must be done (e.g., meetings and appointments). Be sure to build in time for the things you want to do. Effective scheduling requires you to know yourself. Your time log should help you to identify times when you are most productive and alert. Plan your most challenging tasks for when you have the most energy. Block out time for your high priority activities first and protect that time from interruptions.

Schedule small tasks such as drafting an email, creating a grocery shopping list, reading, watching webinars or listening to podcasts for long commutes or when waiting for a call or appointment. Capitalize on what would otherwise be time lost. Avoid nonproductive activities, such as playing games or scrolling through social media. Limit scheduled time to about three-fourths of your day to allow for creative activities such as planning, dreaming, and thinking.

6. Delegate: Get Help from Others

Delegating means assigning responsibility for a task to someone else, freeing up your time for tasks that require your expertise. Identify tasks others can do and select the appropriate person(s) to do them. Select someone with the appropriate skills, experience, interest, and authority needed to accomplish the task. Be specific. Define the task and your expectations while allowing the person some freedom to personalize the task. Check how well the person is progressing periodically and provide any assistance, being careful not to take over the responsibility. Finally, reward the person for a job well done or make suggestions for improvements if needed. (Dodd and Sundheim, 2005). Another way to get help is to “buy” time by obtaining goods or services that save time. For example, paying someone to mow your lawn or clean your house, or joining a carpool for your children’s extracurricular activities frees time for other activities. The time-savings from hiring someone for specialized projects is often worth the cost.

7. Stop Procrastinating

People put off tasks for a variety of reasons. Perhaps the task seems overwhelming or unpleasant. To help stop procrastination, consider “eating the big frog first.” A quote commonly attributed to Mark Twain says, “If it’s your job to eat a frog today, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the big frog first.” Unpleasant tasks we procrastinate completing are “big frogs.” Complete these tasks as your first action of the day to get them out of the way. Another option is to “snowball” your tasks by breaking them down into smaller segments, completing preparatory tasks, and eventually completing the larger task at hand. Whether you choose the “big frog first” or “snowball” method, try building in a reward system for completed tasks to help stay motivated.

8. Manage Time-Wasters

Reduce or eliminate time spent in these activities by implementing some simple tips.

Handheld Devices

• Take advantage of voice-to-text features such as transcribed voicemails or to make notes or draft emails and text messages when you are on the go.
• Avoid small talk. Stay focused.
• Take any necessary action immediately following a call.
• Impose screen time limits and regularly monitor your digital wellness (see Strategy 10).
• Schedule breaks from your devices.
• Set aside a specific time to view and respond to email, but don’t let it accumulate to the point it becomes overwhelming to sort.
• Turn off notifications for email.
• Handle each item only once if possible.
• Immediately delete or unsubscribe from junk emails.
• Keep address books up-to-date and organized.
• Utilize built-in shortcuts to sort email.

Unexpected Visitors

• Schedule time for face-to-face visits.
• Inform visitors of your time constraints and politely offer to reschedule.
• Set a mutually agreeable time limit for the visit.
• When someone comes to the door, stand up and have your meeting standing to help keep it brief.

In-Person and Virtual Meetings

• Know the purpose of the meeting in advance.
• Arrive early.
• Start and end the meeting on time.
• Prepare an agenda and stick to it. Use a timed agenda, if necessary.
• Don’t schedule meetings unless they are necessary and have a specific purpose or agenda.
• Use recording software or designate a note-taker.

Family Obligations

• Use and sync virtual calendars for easy sharing between busy family members.
• Make each family member responsible for consulting the master calendar for potential conflicts.
• Create a central area or agreed upon app for posting communications such as appointment reminders, announcements, and messages.

9. Avoid Multi-tasking

Psychological studies have shown that multi-tasking does not save time. In fact, the opposite is often true. You lose time when switching from one task to another, resulting in a loss of productivity (Rubinsteim, Meyer, and Evans, 2001). Routine multi-tasking may lead to difficulty in concentrating and maintaining focus. Do your best to focus on just one task at a time by keeping your area clear of distractions, including turning off notifications on your devices, and set aside dedicated time for specific tasks.

10. Stay Healthy

The care and attention you give yourself is an important investment of time. Scheduling time to relax or do nothing helps you rejuvenate physically and mentally, enabling you to accomplish tasks more quickly and easily. Be sure to monitor your screen time as a part of your digital well-being, setting boundaries to stay healthy. A study conducted by Google showed that four out of five study participants who took steps to improve their digital well-being believe their overall well-being was positively impacted as well (Google, 2019). To improve your digital well-being, set time limits or utilizing built-in software on electronic devices such as phones and tablets to help maintain your digital wellness. Blue light blockers and grayscale mode may also help you improve your digital well-being. Set a time each night to shut off all digital devices to give your mind time to relax; this can also help improve your sleep schedule.

Unfortunately, poor time management and too much screen time can result in fatigue, moodiness, and more frequent illness. To reduce stress, reward yourself for time management successes. Take time to recognize that you have accomplished a major task or challenge before moving on to the next activity.

Whatever time management strategies you use, take time to evaluate how they have worked for you. Do you have a healthy balance between work and home life? Are you accomplishing the tasks that are most important in your life? Are you investing enough time in your own personal well being? If the answer is “no” to any of these questions, then reevaluate your time management strategies and transition to ones that will work better for you. Successful time management leads to greater personal happiness, more accomplishments at home and at work, and a more satisfying future.

Previously updated by: Roxie Price, University of Georgia Extension Dana Carney, University of Georgia Extension Rachael Clews, K-State Research and Extension

Originally written by: Sue W. Chapman, retired, UGA Extension Michael Rupured, retired, UGA Extension

Covey, S. R., Merrill, A. R., & Merrill, R. R. (1994). First things first: To live, to love, to learn, to leave a legacy . Simon & Schuster.

Dodd, P., & Sundheim, D. (2005). The 25 best time management tools and techniques: How to get more done without driving yourself crazy . Peak Performance Press, Inc.

Google, Global (DE, ES, FR, IT, PL, U.K., U.S.). (2019). Digital wellbeing survey (General population, 18+ years, n=97).

MacKenzie, A. (1990). The time trap (3rd ed.). American Management Association.

Roster, C., Ferrari, J., & Jurkat, M. (2016, March 16). The dark side of home: Assessing possession ‘clutter’ on subjective well-being. Journal of Environmental Psychology , 46 , 32–41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2016.03.003

Rubinsteim, J., Meyer, D., & Evans, J. (2001). Executive control of cognitive processes in task switching. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 27 (4), 763–797. https://doi.org/10.1037/0096-1523.27.4.763

Status and Revision History Published with Full Review on Apr 25, 2014 Published with Minor Revisions on Aug 26, 2020 Published with Full Review on Feb 19, 2024

Have a question?

Related publications.

Time management

Time management quick overview, time management in detail.

Effective time management allows you to work smarter but not harder or longer. You can plan your study time, set goals, prioritise tasks and break down tasks into smaller workable parts.  

Follow the steps below to begin managing your time.

What are the current demands on your time?  

Consider a typical week on your calendar or weekly planner. Record all study and non-study activities like, eating, sleeping, socialising and paid work. Find out how you really spend the time available to you. 

Time management style

How do you prefer to work? 

Reflect on your preferred time management style.

• Do you prefer to work to a deadline or work best when under pressure?
• Do you prefer spontaneity or planning your work ahead of time?
• Do you prefer to work on many tasks simultaneously or complete one task at a time?
• Do you like to constantly keep perfecting your work or do you prefer to complete tasks and move on? 

Use your responses to help raise your self-awareness of your time management style. Recognise the advantages and disadvantages of your style of working. Use the information to adapt your style to university requirements for learning and assessments.  

For example, make a list of all your tasks according to due dates or value to you if you have difficulty prioritising tasks. Or, set yourself a series of mini-deadlines in a course with one large assessment if deadlines help keep you on track.

Adapted from Clark (2021).

Goal setting

Set yourself specific and realistic goals. Remember to prioritise assessments according to their percentage of your grade. For example, an assessment worth 30% should be prioritised over an assessment worth 10%.  

Semester planner

Use a semester planner (scroll down to Further resources) to mark all your activities over the entire semester. Note all important dates for each assessment on the semester planner. Include other commitments relating to paid work, family and friends. This gives you the ‘big picture’ of all your commitments. Identify the busy periods so that you can spread out your workload across the semester. 

Weekly planner

Use the weekly planner (scroll down to Further resources) to mark all your activities over each week of the semester. This will identify time available for planning outside class study or any group work that is required.

Daily planner

Use a daily planner or ‘To-do’ list to identify and keep track of what you must do each day. Write the tasks as a list of dot points and rank them in order of importance. Cross them off as you complete each task and reward yourself at the end of the day.

Assessment planner

Use the Assessment Planner to create a schedule for completing your assignment on time.         

Hint : use an end date that is at least 3 days prior to the actual due date to allow time for the unexpected or interruptions outside your control.  

Procrastination

There are many reasons for procrastination. Negative effects of procrastination are wide-ranging and may affect your academic progress and success. Recognise episodes of procrastination and your reasons for it to avoid repetition in the future.  

To defeat procrastination, you must:

• Remove distractions
• Be more organised
• Be realistic with your goals
• Clarify your tasks and expectations
• Acknowledge and reward your past successes
• Share your goals with others to accept responsibility
• Apply time management strategies given in the next section. 

Time management strategies

Pomodoro technique.

Use the Pomodoro technique (Cirillo, n.d.) to ‘get in the zone', focus on a task and be productive. The Pomodoro encourages you to do intense work in blocks of time with regular breaks in-between.    

• Choose a task.
• Set a timer for 25 minutes.
• Work on the task until the timer rings.
• Note where you are with the task.
• Take a 5 min break, reward yourself.
• Take a longer break of 30 minutes after every four Pomodoro sessions.

Daily top three

Use this simple yet effective technique if you prefer to focus on a set number of tasks. 

• Note the three most important tasks on your daily ‘To-do’ list. 
• Make these the ‘daily top three’ tasks to complete that day.  
• You may modify the technique if required to fit in with other commitments. 
• Do the ‘daily top two’ or ‘daily task’, depending on the time you have on a specific day (Clark, 2021).

Break down tasks

Use this technique for large and complex tasks.

• Break down the large task into smaller parts that are easier to complete.
• Specific – you know what it is
• Measurable - you can measure it
• Achievable - you can complete it
• Relevant – you know it must be done
• Time-bound - you know when to complete it.
• Complete either the easiest part first or the most difficult part first – the latter will give you a greater sense of satisfaction and more incentive to complete the other parts. 
• Manage your environment - find a physical environment that helps you to concentrate.
• Manage stress effectively don’t be afraid to ask for help from friends and family.
• Consult with an Academic Skills and Language Advisor or drop in to see a Peer Learning Advisor (PLA) for guidance.
• Speak with a counsellor .  
• Set limits on phone and social media usage. Set aside a regular time for social media. Move apps to a folder outside the home screen. Try an app that helps you manage social media.
• Boost your confidence by thinking of the successes and accomplishments you’ve had so far.
• Don’t give yourself a hard time if things don’t work out as planned.
• Persist with your plan.
• Be kind to yourself. Self-compassion is important!

Further resources

• Daily Planner [Word 23kb]
• Daily Planner [Excel 20kb]
• Weekly Planner [Word 74kb]
• Weekly Planner [PDF 77kb]
• Term Planner [Word 64kb]
• Term Planner [PDF 31kb]
• Semester Planner 2024 Semester 1 [Word 57kb]
• Semester Planner 2024 Semester 1 [PDF 136kb]
• SMART goals
• Time management - A realistic approach (Journal article)

Pathfinder link

Still have questions? Do you want to talk to an expert? Peer Learning Advisors or Academic Skills and Language Advisors  are available.

Cirillo, F. (n.d). The Pomodoro technique. Cirillo Consulting. https://francescocirillo.com/pages/pomodoro-technique/

Clark, L. (2021). Time management. In C. Bartlett, T. Cawthray, L. Clark, S. Conway, K. Derrington, A. Devi, A. Frederiks, L. Gunton, W. Hargreaves, D. Howarth, S. Irvine, M. Jeffers, K. Lovric, R. McGregor, E. Peters, L. Pickstone, B. Retallick, Y. Rose, A. Sahay, ... R. Tweedale (Eds.),  Academic success  (Australian ed., pp. 51-75). University of Southern Queensland.  https://usq.pressbooks.pub/academicsuccess/  Used under  CC BY-NC-SA 4.0  license.

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• How to build your critical thinking ski ...

How to build your critical thinking skills in 7 steps (with examples)

Critical thinking is, well, critical. By building these skills, you improve your ability to analyze information and come to the best decision possible. In this article, we cover the basics of critical thinking, as well as the seven steps you can use to implement the full critical thinking process. 

Critical thinking comes from asking the right questions to come to the best conclusion possible. Strong critical thinkers analyze information from a variety of viewpoints in order to identify the best course of action.

Don’t worry if you don’t think you have strong critical thinking abilities. In this article, we’ll help you build a foundation for critical thinking so you can absorb, analyze, and make informed decisions. 

What is critical thinking? 

Critical thinking is the ability to collect and analyze information to come to a conclusion. Being able to think critically is important in virtually every industry and applicable across a wide range of positions. That’s because critical thinking isn’t subject-specific—rather, it’s your ability to parse through information, data, statistics, and other details in order to identify a satisfactory solution. 

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In this ebook, learn how to equip employees to make better decisions—so your business can pivot, adapt, and tackle challenges more effectively than your competition.

Top 8 critical thinking skills

Like most soft skills, critical thinking isn’t something you can take a class to learn. Rather, this skill consists of a variety of interpersonal and analytical skills. Developing critical thinking is more about learning to embrace open-mindedness and bringing analytical thinking to your problem framing process. 

In no particular order, the eight most important critical thinking skills are:

Analytical thinking: Part of critical thinking is evaluating data from multiple sources in order to come to the best conclusions. Analytical thinking allows people to reject bias and strive to gather and consume information to come to the best conclusion. 

Open-mindedness: This critical thinking skill helps you analyze and process information to come to an unbiased conclusion. Part of the critical thinking process is letting your personal biases go and coming to a conclusion based on all of the information. 

Problem solving : Because critical thinking emphasizes coming to the best conclusion based on all of the available information, it’s a key part of problem solving. When used correctly, critical thinking helps you solve any problem—from a workplace challenge to difficulties in everyday life. 

Self-regulation: Self-regulation refers to the ability to regulate your thoughts and set aside any personal biases to come to the best conclusion. In order to be an effective critical thinker, you need to question the information you have and the decisions you favor—only then can you come to the best conclusion. 

Observation: Observation skills help critical thinkers look for things beyond face value. To be a critical thinker you need to embrace multiple points of view, and you can use observation skills to identify potential problems.

Interpretation: Not all data is made equal—and critical thinkers know this. In addition to gathering information, it’s important to evaluate which information is important and relevant to your situation. That way, you can draw the best conclusions from the data you’ve collected. 

Evaluation: When you attempt to answer a hard question, there is rarely an obvious answer. Even though critical thinking emphasizes putting your biases aside, you need to be able to confidently make a decision based on the data you have available. 

Communication: Once a decision has been made, you also need to share this decision with other stakeholders. Effective workplace communication includes presenting evidence and supporting your conclusion—especially if there are a variety of different possible solutions. 

7 steps to critical thinking

Critical thinking is a skill that you can build by following these seven steps. The seven steps to critical thinking help you ensure you’re approaching a problem from the right angle, considering every alternative, and coming to an unbiased conclusion.

 First things first: When to use the 7 step critical thinking process

There’s a lot that goes into the full critical thinking process, and not every decision needs to be this thought out. Sometimes, it’s enough to put aside bias and approach a process logically. In other, more complex cases, the best way to identify the ideal outcome is to go through the entire critical thinking process. 

The seven-step critical thinking process is useful for complex decisions in areas you are less familiar with. Alternatively, the seven critical thinking steps can help you look at a problem you’re familiar with from a different angle, without any bias. 

If you need to make a less complex decision, consider another problem solving strategy instead. Decision matrices are a great way to identify the best option between different choices. Check out our article on 7 steps to creating a decision matrix .

1. Identify the problem

Before you put those critical thinking skills to work, you first need to identify the problem you’re solving. This step includes taking a look at the problem from a few different perspectives and asking questions like: 

What’s happening? 

Why is this happening? 

What assumptions am I making? 

At first glance, how do I think we can solve this problem? 

A big part of developing your critical thinking skills is learning how to come to unbiased conclusions. In order to do that, you first need to acknowledge the biases that you currently have. Does someone on your team think they know the answer? Are you making assumptions that aren’t necessarily true? Identifying these details helps you later on in the process. 

2. Research

At this point, you likely have a general idea of the problem—but in order to come up with the best solution, you need to dig deeper. 

During the research process, collect information relating to the problem, including data, statistics, historical project information, team input, and more. Make sure you gather information from a variety of sources, especially if those sources go against your personal ideas about what the problem is or how to solve it.

Gathering varied information is essential for your ability to apply the critical thinking process. If you don’t get enough information, your ability to make a final decision will be skewed. Remember that critical thinking is about helping you identify the objective best conclusion. You aren’t going with your gut—you’re doing research to find the best option

3. Determine data relevance

Just as it’s important to gather a variety of information, it is also important to determine how relevant the different information sources are. After all, just because there is data doesn’t mean it’s relevant. 

Once you’ve gathered all of the information, sift through the noise and identify what information is relevant and what information isn’t. Synthesizing all of this information and establishing significance helps you weigh different data sources and come to the best conclusion later on in the critical thinking process. 

To determine data relevance, ask yourself:

How reliable is this information? 

How significant is this information? 

Is this information outdated? Is it specialized in a specific field? 

4. Ask questions

One of the most useful parts of the critical thinking process is coming to a decision without bias. In order to do so, you need to take a step back from the process and challenge the assumptions you’re making. 

We all have bias—and that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Unconscious biases (also known as cognitive biases) often serve as mental shortcuts to simplify problem solving and aid decision making. But even when biases aren’t inherently bad, you must be aware of your biases in order to put them aside when necessary. 

Before coming to a solution, ask yourself:

Am I making any assumptions about this information? 

Are there additional variables I haven’t considered? 

Have I evaluated the information from every perspective? 

Are there any viewpoints I missed? 

5. Identify the best solution

Finally, you’re ready to come to a conclusion. To identify the best solution, draw connections between causes and effects. Use the facts you’ve gathered to evaluate the most objective conclusion. 

Keep in mind that there may be more than one solution. Often, the problems you’re facing are complex and intricate. The critical thinking process doesn’t necessarily lead to a cut-and-dry solution—instead, the process helps you understand the different variables at play so you can make an informed decision. 

6. Present your solution

Communication is a key skill for critical thinkers. It isn’t enough to think for yourself—you also need to share your conclusion with other project stakeholders. If there are multiple solutions, present them all. There may be a case where you implement one solution, then test to see if it works before implementing another solution. 

7. Analyze your decision

The seven-step critical thinking process yields a result—and you then need to put that solution into place. After you’ve implemented your decision, evaluate whether or not it was effective. Did it solve the initial problem? What lessons—whether positive or negative—can you learn from this experience to improve your critical thinking for next time? 

Depending on how your team shares information, consider documenting lessons learned in a central source of truth. That way, team members that are making similar or related decisions in the future can understand why you made the decision you made and what the outcome was. 

Example of critical thinking in the workplace

Imagine you work in user experience design (UX). Your team is focused on pricing and packaging and ensuring customers have a clear understanding of the different services your company offers. Here’s how to apply the critical thinking process in the workplace in seven steps: 

Start by identifying the problem

Your current pricing page isn’t performing as well as you want. You’ve heard from customers that your services aren’t clear, and that the page doesn’t answer the questions they have. This page is really important for your company, since it’s where your customers sign up for your service. You and your team have a few theories about why your current page isn’t performing well, but you decide to apply the critical thinking process to ensure you come to the best decision for the page. 

Gather information about how the problem started

Part of identifying the problem includes understanding how the problem started. The pricing and packaging page is important—so when your team initially designed the page, they certainly put a lot of thought into it. Before you begin researching how to improve the page, ask yourself: 

Why did you design the pricing page the way you did? 

Which stakeholders need to be involved in the decision making process? 

Where are users getting stuck on the page?

Are any features currently working?

Then, you research

In addition to understanding the history of the pricing and packaging page, it’s important to understand what works well. Part of this research means taking a look at what your competitor’s pricing pages look like. 

Ask yourself: 

How have our competitors set up their pricing pages?

Are there any pricing page best practices? 

How does color, positioning, and animation impact navigation? 

Are there any standard page layouts customers expect to see? 

Organize and analyze information

You’ve gathered all of the information you need—now you need to organize and analyze it. What trends, if any, are you noticing? Is there any particularly relevant or important information that you have to consider? 

Ask open-ended questions to reduce bias

In the case of critical thinking, it’s important to address and set bias aside as much as possible. Ask yourself: 

Is there anything I’m missing? 

Have I connected with the right stakeholders? 

Are there any other viewpoints I should consider? 

Determine the best solution for your team

You now have all of the information you need to design the best pricing page. Depending on the complexity of the design, you may want to design a few options to present to a small group of customers or A/B test on the live website.

Present your solution to stakeholders

Critical thinking can help you in every element of your life, but in the workplace, you must also involve key project stakeholders . Stakeholders help you determine next steps, like whether you’ll A/B test the page first. Depending on the complexity of the issue, consider hosting a meeting or sharing a status report to get everyone on the same page. 

Analyze the results

No process is complete without evaluating the results. Once the new page has been live for some time, evaluate whether it did better than the previous page. What worked? What didn’t? This also helps you make better critical decisions later on.

Critically successful 

Critical thinking takes time to build, but with effort and patience you can apply an unbiased, analytical mind to any situation. Critical thinking makes up one of many soft skills that makes you an effective team member, manager, and worker. If you’re looking to hone your skills further, read our article on the 25 project management skills you need to succeed . 

Related resources

Don’t let your digital tools sabotage the employee experience

12 tips for effective communication in the workplace

Unmanaged business goals don’t work. Here’s what does.

How Asana uses work management to drive product development

Top Time Management Skills for Nurses

7 time management tips for nurses, when it’s too late for time management: reducing stress.

By Lee Nelson     

Sandi Thorson works as a registered nurse on 12-hour shifts. In addition, this South Dakota nurse is a wife, mom, grandmother, and a student earning her master's of nursing administration.  She shared her top tips for managing time effectively as a nurse with us. Read on to find out how she handles it all.

Here are some skills, personality characteristics, and other tips that can help nurses manage their workload and their home lives.

1. Delegate the Right Way

Healthcare is a team effort for a reason. Nurses don’t have enough time to be hands-on with every aspect of patient care. And that’s OK. Other healthcare professionals, including other nurses, are there to do their part.

A good nursing assistant will make life so much better on the floor, but there’s an art to how you use this resource. Don’t simply delegate all the dirty work to your assistant, says Christy Golden, a nurse in North Carolina with 15 years of hospital experience. 

“Nursing, at its core, is all about relationships, which includes your relationships with your nursing assistants." “Make sure when you delegate that you’re delegating only because you have a more pressing need that only a nurse can meet.

“This will save you time in the long run because you’re showing your nursing assistant that you’re not just going to leave all the dirty work to them. This forges teamwork which will always save everyone time.”

2. Arrive Early to Prepare the Little Things

Showing up for your shift about 10 minutes early can be a time investment that pays off all day.

Golden says she makes sure she has scissors, tape, saline flushes, alcohol swabs, pens, medicine cups -- any basic supply she may need during the course of the day -- before clocking in.

“Anything to save you a trip up the hall to get something later,” she said.

Nurses can’t control their workspace the way people in other professions can. Anything can happen in a 12-hour shift. So spending a few minutes controlling the little things can pay off a lot later. 

3. Prioritization Is a Nurse’s Best Friend 

Nurse Thorson believes time management is all about critical thinking and how to prioritize your time and effort as a nurse.

To get comfortable prioritizing, she says that nurses need to ask these four questions that can help put everything in its place in your mind and in your schedule:

• What am I going to do first and why?
• Which is more important to do, and why is it the most important?
• What’s the worst thing that could happen if I don’t do it now?
• What is most important to the patient?

“That’s how they teach time management in many nursing schools; but nurses have to remember that they can’t do everything they set out to do that day unless, of course, it’s giving medicine to a patient,” Thorson says. 

“There are certain duties that must be accomplished. But there just might be a few things that can be left off until the next day or next shift, such as some administrative duties that aren’t so critical.”

Experienced nurses know patient care is a 24-hour job. Work as hard as you can, get better at multitasking, and sharpen your time management skills -- but also remember there’s another shift coming in to relieve you later today or in the morning.

Unless they're related to medication administration or patient safety, many tasks can probably wait. 

4. Take Breaks When You Can (Even if You Don’t Need One Yet)

Novice nurses are often surprised when they get their first nursing jobs and learn there truly is no way to predict how a day will go. All it takes is one phone call to turn a routine day into a blur of exhausting activity.  

So if you find yourself in a lull, take a few minutes to have a snack while you update patients’ charts. You never know whether you’ll have time for an actual break later. You may never have a chance to grab the lunch you packed and put it in the break room at the beginning of your shift.

5. Anticipate Needs

During slower times, Golden says she likes to ask patients whether they’d like to use the restroom or have some water or juice.

“Patients don’t like to feel like they’re trouble,” she said. “When you ask about specific things it’s often a lot more effective than saying, ‘Is there anything else you need?’ Patients don’t always think about what they need unless you bring it up.”

And getting these little tasks out of the way while it’s slow can keep the patient from needing you during an emergency in another room.

Thorson uses similar strategies.

“I'll try to anticipate the patient’s needs and bring everything I think they may ask for in the room with me' this cuts down on unnecessary trips."

For instance, if she is dealing with a newborn and her mother, Thorson will try and schedule assessments at the same time so she does not have to return within a short time frame.  

“I also write down the name and phone number of the nurse giving me a report in case I have any questions,” Thorson says. 

6. Balance Work With Life

Twelve hours is a long shift. Add in getting ready, commuting, and staying late to give that complex report and your workday can easily turn into 14 hours or more.

“That can be a struggle for some people, especially those with families and kids,” Thorson says. “It all depends on your organizational skills. If shift work is stressful for you, then you need to balance out that heavy workload with the things that eliminate stress for you – which can be exercise, hobbies, or time with friends or family.”

Hopefully, she says, your family can be supportive of your weird hours, and accommodate by helping out around the house and scheduling family events when you are available.

Thorson adds that she tries to spend her weekends with her husband and visiting her children and grandchildren.

“I do try to go out for walks but am not always successful getting that done every day."

Thorson also tries to just get out of the house and take a trip to the store or take a ride just to clear her head for a few minutes in between studying.

7. Have Fun

Nursing jobs can be intense, so picking the right times to just goof off or blow off steam in a pleasurable way can help relieve that tension and prevent burnout.

“I've been known to do a cartwheel or two in the hallway when nobody from management is around,” Thorson says. “I just try to stay positive and do the best job that I can.”

Cartwheels may not be part of everybody’s nursing practice. Every nurse needs his or her own way to relieve some of the pressure that comes along with the job.

In many ways, time management is stress management. When you’re already overwhelmed, it’s often too late to start looking for time-saving tricks.

Everyone has their breaking point, along with their own ways of avoiding that breaking point.

• Thorson tries to speak with a colleague for a few minutes when she finds she's getting too stressed. “Sometimes, I'll try to look at what has me so stressed out and think of other options. In the worst case, I'll step into the break room or leave the unit for a minute and go for a walk. 
• “I've visited the chapel on a few occasions as well. I also know that sometimes I'm just not going to get it all done, and I'm OK with that because I know that I did the best job I could.
• “Even just a few minutes can really help you out. You can go to the bathroom, go to another floor, or walk up and down some stairs. Taking that short breather instead of sipping your 18th cup of coffee can refresh you instantly,” she explains.
• “At home, my husband and daughter have really stepped up to the plate to take care of household issues so I can concentrate on my school work,” she says.

Being a nurse can be a rewarding career, but with an unending stream of responsibilities, stressful situations, and demands.

By learning and using time management skills every day, nurses can get through their shifts successfully and live fuller and happier lives.

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7 Critical Time Management Skills to Boost Your Productivity

Joe Martin is currently the VP of marketing at Scorpion, a leading provider of technology and marketing to help small businesses grow. Formerly he was…

We all want to be more productive and improve our time management skills. Unfortunately, while time management is simple in theory, it’s not always an easy concept to put into practice. It takes knowledge, effort, and discipline. Here are seven critical time management skills to boost your productivity.

We can’t make you work harder or become more disciplined, but we can provide you the knowledge you need to be more productive. In this post, you’ll learn seven critical time management skills you can use to boost your productivity levels today.

The Truth About Time Management

We can’t control time, only what we do with the time we have.

‍ First, it’s important to realize that time can’t really be managed — at least not in the traditional sense. We can’t slow down or speed up it’s passing; we can only control what we do with the hours we have. This may seem obvious, but it’s worth noting.

Effective time management isn’t proper management of time, but  proper management of self . The way we spend our time will ultimately dictate how productive (or not) we are.

‍ You also need to understand that productivity isn’t achieved through one specific skill set. It takes a combination of multiple best practices to succeed. The rest of this post will explain seven essential time management skills and how you can harness them to become more productive. ‍

7 Critical Time Management Skills

‍ Use these seven critical time management skills to boost your productivity today.

‍ Even small improvements to the following time management skills will boost your productivity levels. We encourage you to study these techniques and begin applying them to your daily routine.

‍ 1. Know Your Goals

Successful time management starts with goal setting .  We can’t control how quickly time passes, but we can decide how we’ll spend the 24 hours in each day. The most productive people are simply those who know how to make every second count towards their objectives.

What are you trying to achieve? A clear understanding of your goals will greatly increase your chances of reaching them. So don’t rush this process. Really think about what you want, when you want it, and how you’ll make it happen. Then craft your goals according to the  S.M.A.R.T. framework :

‍ The core pillars of the S.M.A.R.T. time management framework

• Specific: The more specific your goals are, the more likely it is that you’ll be able to achieve them. For example, instead of saying, “I’d like to climb the corporate ladder at my company,” say, “In five years I’d like to become the CMO of my company, have a corner office, and manage a team of 10 people.”
• Measurable: Measurable goals allow you to gauge your progress and determine when you’ve accomplished what you set out to do. You can make your goals measurable by setting milestones at various stages in your journey.
• Achievable: Your goals need to be achievable. Meaning they need to be both humanly possible and important enough to you to put in the work required to achieve them. To get what you want, you may need to develop new skills, or put in more hours. Are you willing to do that?
• Relevant: Each of your goals needs to make sense in the broader context of your life and career. Becoming the CMO at your company is a great goal, unless your big life mission is to start your own business.
• Timed: Finally, your goals need to be time-bound. Do your best to set realistic timeframes for each of the things you hope to accomplish. Do you want to run a department at your company, become employed by a global brand, start a business? Great, by when? Timeframes will help keep you on track.

2. Know Yourself

Knowing when you work best is one of the most valuable time management skills you can have. For some, it’s the first thing in the morning. Others are more productive at night. There’s nothing wrong with either approach as long as you’re able to optimize your schedule to accommodate your natural tendencies.

Your work environment should also be taken into account. Do you need complete silence and a tidy desk to perform your best? Perhaps more chaotic surroundings (like a coffee shop) are better suited to you. Again, there is no right or wrong way to work. It’s about discovering what your personal preferences are and putting yourself in the best position to succeed.

Obviously there will be limits to what you can change about your work schedule and environment. Your boss may not support you working outside the office. Your family life may keep you from working late at night. Just do your best to coordinate your personal tendencies with your work and your time management skills will flourish.

3. Prioritize Your Todo List

At this point, you know the goals you hope to accomplish and how you personally work best. Now you need to prioritize the tasks on your todo list.

Many people make the mistake of simply organizing their tasks by necessity. But an effective time manager first analyzes each job and eliminates the ones that won’t help him achieve success. Don’t waste a single second on worthless assignments.

To do this, we recommend using the  Eisenhower Box , which classifies every task into one of four categories:

‍ The Eisenhower Box: How to be More Productive ‍

– Important and Urgent

These are tasks that are both critical to achieving your goals and demand immediate attention. For example, responding to customer service emails will help grow your business, which makes the task important. If your customers don’t receive a response in a timely manner, they may become impatient and take their business to one of your competitors , making your need to respond urgently as well.

‍- Important but Not Urgent

These assignments are those that will greatly help you achieve your goals but don’t demand your immediate attention. For instance, implementing a new email marketing strategy could help you grow your business, which makes it important. But, unless your current efforts are driving away customers, this task wouldn’t be considered urgent.

‍- Urgent but Not Important

Tasks that fall into this category are often given priority. They must be done now so our natural inclination is to complete them first, no matter their level of importance. For example, answering a phone call from an unlisted number is an urgent but not important task. It’s urgent because, if you don’t pick up, you won’t be able to talk to the caller. But, in most cases, it wouldn’t be considered important.

‍- Neither Urgent or Important

Tasks that are neither urgent or important may include constantly checking email, designing a new support form, or setting up social media support. There’s nothing wrong with these activities, but they should only be completed when everything else on your todo list is already done.

This matrix from  Skills You Need illustrates the order in which you should complete these four tasks. Have a look at your todo list and separate each item into one of the four boxes below. Then accomplish assignments in the appropriate order.

Every task can be divided based on its importance and urgency.

‍ 4. Eliminate Multitasking

You’ve seen the  studies and heard the results: multitasking actually decreases productivity. The reason has to do with the human brain’s ability to concentrate. Researchers say that it takes an average of  23 minutes for our minds to refocus once they’ve been distracted.

If you’re constantly switching back and forth between tasks, you never give your brain the time it needs to concentrate on the project at hand. This can lead to subpar work, lower job satisfaction, and even  burnout .

To sharpen your time management skills, try monotasking instead. Monotasking is the act of focusing intently on just one thing at a time.

‍ 5. Eliminate Distractions

Taking the last tip a step further, when expending serious brainpower, eliminate distractions from your environment. Log out of your email (or pause your inbox using a tool like Boomerang ), turn off your phone, close your office door — whatever you have to do to keep your brain from losing focus.

Whether you realize it or not, constant email updates or social media notifications keep you from doing your best work. Your brain is pulled in so many directions it can’t possibly produce at peak level. So do your time management skills a favor and remove distractions while working.

One exception to this rule may be listening to music while working. According to  science , certain genres such as classical, ambient, or other wordless tunes can increase productivity. Try experimenting with different musical styles to see if one of them helps you stay in the “zone” while working.

‍ 6. Use the Resources at Your Disposal

‍ Another way to improve your time management skills is to use all of the technology software resources at your disposal. Living in the 21st century means you have access to amazing, productivity-boosting apps. Here are a few worth trying:

• To better track and analyze your time, use  Toggl . This app makes it incredibly easy to log the hours you spend on certain tasks. You can then analyze the results and discover areas for improvement .
• To manage projects more efficiently, use software like  Trello , an intuitive project management solution that represents todo lists in a very visual way. This approach makes the task prioritization quite simple.
• CloudApp allows you to communicate more efficiently via HD video screen recording , personalized webcam videos , annotated screenshots , GIF creation , and screen capture . The human brain processes visual information 60,000x faster than plain text. With CloudApp you can use this to your advantage and save up to 56 hours every week !

These are just a few of the productivity-boosting apps on the market. Take some time and discover which pieces of software will best fit your workflow .

‍ 7. Optimize for Time Management

Finally, it’s important to realize that optimizing your time management skills isn’t a one-time event. You need to constantly analyze yourself and seek new ways to increase your  productivity levels. How can you get better?

Maybe you need to rearrange your work schedule to better suit your working habits. Perhaps you should invest in a specific piece of technology. Maybe you just need to sit down and determine what you’re really trying to achieve.

Do what it takes to become a better time manager. Eventually, all your hard work will pay off and you’ll become much more productive! ‍

Improve Your Time Management Skills

Your time management skills can be improved with practice and dedication. ‍

By mastering the seven techniques outlined in this blog post, you can improve your time management skills. It will take effort, but the results will be more than worth it.

• Start by identifying your goals and understanding the way you personally operate best. These are key first steps in becoming a better time manager.
• Then use the included matrix to properly prioritize the items on your todo list, focusing on just one of them at a time. The more distractions you can remove from your work environment, the better.
• Next, look for technology tools to help you on your quest for greater productivity . There are plenty of them out there, but CloudApp is definitely one you should consider.
• Finally, optimize your daily habits and routines for productivity . By analyzing yourself, you can improve your time management skills faster.

Try Out Productivity Tools We Are Using

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Joe Martin is currently the VP of marketing at Scorpion, a leading provider of technology and marketing to help small businesses grow. Formerly he was CloudApp’s GM and CMO and a Head of Marketing at Adobe. With over 15 years of experience in the industry and tech that makes it run, he provides strategic guidance on how to build and use the right stack and marketing for businesses to grow. Joe believes marketers need smart training and leadership to scale company growth. Connect with Joe on LinkedIn and follow him on Twitter @joeDmarti.

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Critical Thinking Definition, Skills, and Examples

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Critical thinking refers to the ability to analyze information objectively and make a reasoned judgment. It involves the evaluation of sources, such as data, facts, observable phenomena, and research findings.

Good critical thinkers can draw reasonable conclusions from a set of information, and discriminate between useful and less useful details to solve problems or make decisions. Employers prioritize the ability to think critically—find out why, plus see how you can demonstrate that you have this ability throughout the job application process. 

Why Do Employers Value Critical Thinking Skills?

Employers want job candidates who can evaluate a situation using logical thought and offer the best solution.

 Someone with critical thinking skills can be trusted to make decisions independently, and will not need constant handholding.

Hiring a critical thinker means that micromanaging won't be required. Critical thinking abilities are among the most sought-after skills in almost every industry and workplace. You can demonstrate critical thinking by using related keywords in your resume and cover letter, and during your interview.

Examples of Critical Thinking

The circumstances that demand critical thinking vary from industry to industry. Some examples include:

• A triage nurse analyzes the cases at hand and decides the order by which the patients should be treated.
• A plumber evaluates the materials that would best suit a particular job.
• An attorney reviews evidence and devises a strategy to win a case or to decide whether to settle out of court.
• A manager analyzes customer feedback forms and uses this information to develop a customer service training session for employees.

Promote Your Skills in Your Job Search

If critical thinking is a key phrase in the job listings you are applying for, be sure to emphasize your critical thinking skills throughout your job search.

Add Keywords to Your Resume

You can use critical thinking keywords (analytical, problem solving, creativity, etc.) in your resume. When describing your  work history , include top critical thinking skills that accurately describe you. You can also include them in your  resume summary , if you have one.

For example, your summary might read, “Marketing Associate with five years of experience in project management. Skilled in conducting thorough market research and competitor analysis to assess market trends and client needs, and to develop appropriate acquisition tactics.”

Mention Skills in Your Cover Letter

Include these critical thinking skills in your cover letter. In the body of your letter, mention one or two of these skills, and give specific examples of times when you have demonstrated them at work. Think about times when you had to analyze or evaluate materials to solve a problem.

Show the Interviewer Your Skills

You can use these skill words in an interview. Discuss a time when you were faced with a particular problem or challenge at work and explain how you applied critical thinking to solve it.

Some interviewers will give you a hypothetical scenario or problem, and ask you to use critical thinking skills to solve it. In this case, explain your thought process thoroughly to the interviewer. He or she is typically more focused on how you arrive at your solution rather than the solution itself. The interviewer wants to see you analyze and evaluate (key parts of critical thinking) the given scenario or problem.

Of course, each job will require different skills and experiences, so make sure you read the job description carefully and focus on the skills listed by the employer.

Top Critical Thinking Skills

Keep these in-demand critical thinking skills in mind as you update your resume and write your cover letter. As you've seen, you can also emphasize them at other points throughout the application process, such as your interview. 

Part of critical thinking is the ability to carefully examine something, whether it is a problem, a set of data, or a text. People with  analytical skills  can examine information, understand what it means, and properly explain to others the implications of that information.

• Asking Thoughtful Questions
• Data Analysis
• Interpretation
• Questioning Evidence
• Recognizing Patterns

Communication

Often, you will need to share your conclusions with your employers or with a group of colleagues. You need to be able to  communicate with others  to share your ideas effectively. You might also need to engage in critical thinking in a group. In this case, you will need to work with others and communicate effectively to figure out solutions to complex problems.

• Active Listening
• Collaboration
• Explanation
• Interpersonal
• Presentation
• Verbal Communication
• Written Communication

Critical thinking often involves creativity and innovation. You might need to spot patterns in the information you are looking at or come up with a solution that no one else has thought of before. All of this involves a creative eye that can take a different approach from all other approaches.

• Flexibility
• Conceptualization
• Imagination
• Drawing Connections
• Synthesizing

Open-Mindedness

To think critically, you need to be able to put aside any assumptions or judgments and merely analyze the information you receive. You need to be objective, evaluating ideas without bias.

• Objectivity
• Observation

Problem Solving

Problem-solving is another critical thinking skill that involves analyzing a problem, generating and implementing a solution, and assessing the success of the plan. Employers don’t simply want employees who can think about information critically. They also need to be able to come up with practical solutions.

• Attention to Detail
• Clarification
• Decision Making
• Groundedness
• Identifying Patterns

More Critical Thinking Skills

• Inductive Reasoning
• Deductive Reasoning
• Noticing Outliers
• Adaptability
• Emotional Intelligence
• Brainstorming
• Optimization
• Restructuring
• Integration
• Strategic Planning
• Project Management
• Ongoing Improvement
• Causal Relationships
• Case Analysis
• Diagnostics
• SWOT Analysis
• Business Intelligence
• Quantitative Data Management
• Qualitative Data Management
• Risk Management
• Scientific Method
• Consumer Behavior

Key Takeaways

• Demonstrate that you have critical thinking skills by adding relevant keywords to your resume.
• Mention pertinent critical thinking skills in your cover letter, too, and include an example of a time when you demonstrated them at work.
• Finally, highlight critical thinking skills during your interview. For instance, you might discuss a time when you were faced with a challenge at work and explain how you applied critical thinking skills to solve it.

University of Louisville. " What is Critical Thinking ."

American Management Association. " AMA Critical Skills Survey: Workers Need Higher Level Skills to Succeed in the 21st Century ."

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Critical Thinking Case

Interface inc.’s strategy for sustainability.

Watch Interface CEO Ray Anderson present his vision for Interface, Inc.:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NskixbVn0BE

Interface, Inc. is the world’s largest manufacturer of carpet tile. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, the global company manufactures the kind of carpet that millions of commercial buildings of all types have on their floors. Carpet manufacturing is a historically dirty business. Not only is commercial carpet a petroleum-based product, the manufacturing process is water-intensive, and carpet squares are installed using toxic glue. Because this carpet is aimed at the commercial market (think schools, libraries, malls, office buildings), it usually does not have a long life span. Malls and schools regularly remove and replace carpet after just a few years because of fading and wear from daily foot traffic. This puts millions of square feet of old carpet into landfills annually.

In 1994, Ray Anderson, the founder of Interface, was put on the spot when he was asked what his company was doing to be sustainable. He realized that the answer to the question was, unfortunately, “not much.” Anderson realized that in order to improve the company’s sustainability performance, Interface was going to have to radically reimagine every part of their business.

Unlike what many CEOs in his position might have done, Anderson decided to do just that. He gave Interface a new vision, which he called Mission Zero. The objective was to reduce Interface’s environmental impact to zero by the year 2020. To accomplish this vision, the company looked at every aspect of its operations and developed what it called the “Seven Fronts of Sustainability”:

Front #1—Eliminate Waste: Eliminate all forms of waste in every area of the business. Front #2—Benign Emissions: Eliminate toxic substances from products, vehicles, and facilities. Front #3—Renewable Energy: Operate facilities with 100% renewable energy. Front #4—Closing the Loop: Redesign processes and products to close the technical loop using recycled and biobased materials. Front #5—Efficient Transportation: Transport people and products efficiently to eliminate waste and emissions. Front #6—Sensitizing Stakeholders: Create a culture that uses sustainability principles to improve the lives and livelihoods of all of our stakeholders. Front #7—Redesign Commerce: Create a new business model that demonstrates and supports the value of sustainability-based commerce.

To achieve the seven sustainability goals, Interface needed to redesign their operations from start to finish and even reconsider what constituted the start and finish for their products. Anderson empowered employees and invested in research to develop new ways to design, manufacture, and install carpet tiles. Interface also reimagined how its clients would use and dispose of carpet tiles.

Changing the strategy of a successful company is always risky, but Anderson felt he had to take the risk. Developing action plans for such a radical change meant that every step of the business had to be rethought, and Interface is on the way to achieving Ray Anderson’s vision. “Since January 2014, Interface's plants in Holland and Northern Ireland have been using around 90% less carbon and 95% less water than in 1996, with no waste going to landfill. Its plant in Scherpenzeel, Netherlands, has hit two of its zero targets.”

How has Interface made these changes? In addition to changing the way they thought about their product’s life cycle, Interface has implemented performance measures to track its progress and it has incentivized employees to be part of the company’s successful redesign. Connecting company actions to real cost savings was a key part of Ray Anderson’s vision. “Over time, programs that linked bonuses for employees at all company levels to reductions in waste started to put meat on the bones of Ray's ‘business case for sustainability.’” Interface’s costs have dropped as they have learned to use fewer resources to manufacture their products, and the cost savings have improved profitability even as Interface continues to invest in Mission Zero.

• What reaction do you think employees had when Ray Anderson announced he wanted to change the company’s mission?
• How would you turn the Seven Fronts of Sustainability into SMART goals?
• How is tying rewards to improved sustainability performance a form of strategic control?

Sources: Interface Inc. company website: http://www.interfaceglobal.com/Company.aspx and sustainability site: http://www.interfaceglobal.com/Sustainability.aspx ; Thorpe, Lorna (2014). “Interface is a carpet-tile revolutionary.” The Guardian Sustainable Business. https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/sustainability-case-studies-interface-carpet-tile-revolutionary; Davis, Mikhail (2014). “Radical Industrialists: 20 years later, Interface looks back on Ray Anderson's legacy.” Greenbiz.com. https://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2014/09/03/20-years-later-interface-looks-back-ray-andersons-legacy.

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Register for the oss 25th anniversary event, dirty dozen a good movie name, but gets thumbs down as list of pesticide residue.

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This article was first published in The Montreal Gazette .

It is spring and that means a flood of questions come my way about pesticide residue on produce. That’s because it is at this time of the year the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a non-profit consumer advocacy organization in Washington, D.C., annually freaks out the public with a press release that unveils the fruits and vegetables with the highest levels of pesticide residues.

The “Dirty Dozen” is the name EWG has coined for its targets, pilfered from the 1967 movie by that title. This year, the ignominious pack is led by the strawberry, with spinach nipping at its heel. EWG does an excellent job garnering publicity for its Dirty Dozen, implying anyone concerned about health should choose organic versions of the condemned fruits and veggies. EWG presents itself as a knight in shining armour, a sentinel ready to slay all those dangerous products spewed out by companies that put profits ahead of safety.

The first thing I noted when I checked the list of the Dirty Dozen is the total absence of numbers. Curious, considering numbers are the currency when it comes to discussing toxicity. Actually, the absence of data was the second thing I noted. The first item that appeared when I Googled EWG’s list was a request for a donation so that these guardians of public health can continue to carry out their stated mission of “empowering consumers with breakthrough research to make informed choices and live a healthy life in a healthy environment.” However, sometimes those “informed choices” may be misinformed. Also, EWG’s claim of “breakthrough research” is a bit of a stretch. To arrive at the Dirty Dozen, they used information gleaned from the U.S Department of Agriculture’s annual testing of a random selection of fruits and vegetables for pesticide residues.

It is important to have a look at how pesticides are regulated. And they are, thoroughly. In Canada, the task falls to the Pesticide Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA), while in the U.S., responsibility lies with the Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These bodies evaluate laboratory data, animal studies and potential human exposure to determine a risk/benefit ratio for each pesticide. A substance is allowed if its benefits are found to outweigh risks, but that does not mean free rein of use. How and when a chemical can be applied is carefully regulated, as are tolerable residues. A great deal of attention is paid to safety since pesticides are inherently toxic. After all, they are designed to kill insects, fungi and weeds.

Residue tolerance levels, also referred to as “maximum residue limits” (MRL), are determined by evaluating animal studies, chemical properties such as estrogenic effects, occupational exposure, and non-occupational exposure through diet and drinking water. It is common to determine a “no observed adverse effect level” NOAEL, which is the maximum amount that produces no effect in an animal. This is then divided by a safety factor of 100 to establish an MRL. Of course, no regulatory system is perfect, since so-called “cocktail effects” that may result from various combinations of chemicals, or subtle effects that may turn up after decades of exposure, are virtually impossible to predict.

So, how do tolerance levels stack up? Studies of produce randomly purchased both in North America and Europe consistently show only two to three per cent exceed the MRL (remember this has a 100-fold safety factor built-in) and roughly half have no detectable residue at all. But even within tolerance levels, produce can harbour more or less residue, which is the basis for EWG’s Dirty Dozen. Without any numbers, without any specification about whether produce in the Dirty Dozen exceeds maximum residue levels, the list is meaningless and creates unnecessary fear about eating fruits and vegetables.

This is not a trivial concern, since evidence linking fruit and vegetable consumption to health is overwhelming. Anyone who steers away from eating foods that appear on the Dirty Dozen list is doing themselves a disservice. As far as nutritional differences between organic and conventional produce go, studies can be dredged up to favour either one. In any case, whatever difference there may be is too small to have an effect on the overall diet. Where organic may have an advantage is in its reduced effect on the environment. To give EWG some credit, they do urge people to eat more fruits and veggies be they conventional or organic, but their whole approach casts a shadow on conventionally grown produce.

It is interesting to note most of the residue detected are fungicides to control the growth of mould that can produce potentially dangerous mycotoxins such as the carcinogenic ochratoxin A. Some studies have found higher concentrations of mycotoxins in organic produce since it is not protected by fungicides.

EWG’s Dirty Dozen lists only conventionally grown produce and implies organic foods are grown without pesticides. Indeed, EWG urges consumers to eat organic when possible for that reason. But the message pesticides are not used in organic agriculture is misinformed. There are many pesticides allowed, with the stipulation they come from a natural source. Copper sulfate, lime sulfur, neem oil, pyrethrins from chrysanthemums and spinosyn from a soil bacterium can all be used in organic agriculture and can, like any other pesticide, leave a residue.

Keep in mind that whether a chemical is natural or synthetic has no bearing on its potential toxicity. The reason there is no need to be concerned about organic pesticides is they are regulated the same way as any other pesticide. As far as establishing safety, regulatory agencies make no distinction between conventional or organic pesticides. Both have to jump through the same hoops and over the same hurdles.

That being said, there is no doubt a greater variety of residue can be found on conventional produce since there are far more pesticides approved for conventional than for organic agriculture. However, it is not the number of different pesticide residue that matters, but whether they exceed maximum residue limits. And, unless EWG can show that to be the case, its Dirty Dozen list amounts to no more than a ploy to raise funds.

@JoeSchwarcz

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