Create 1.1.1 Time Management

Time management is a very important skill that people must learn in order to function in our ever growing busy lifestyles.  With all the advancements in technology, there are many tools that can be utilized in order to help us manage our time, activities, and priorities.

 Nozbe - this application helps to prioritize activities and is based on the best-selling author David Allen's "Getting Things Done" philosophy. There is a free plan, but it is limited to only 5 projects.  The other plans range in price dependent upon how many people use it. As online educators this application could help those in the same department to delegate responsibility and get more done with more people. This application could be used for personal or professional use.

StayFocusd- if you have Facebook or Candy Crush constantly calling your name, this just might be the application for you. StayFocusd allows users to put a timer on certain sites to limit the amount of time spent distracted from other more important tasks. This is a Google Chrome extension application and is completely free. Online education is a little more easily sidetracked with the distractions than a face-to-face class.  For the student in an online class this application would be a benefit so that they devote a certain amount of time per day for their games and not a minute more. This could also be used for personal use.

Be Limitless-  Be limitless is another free productivity companion application for Chrome. It turns the new tab that
 that is opened into a dashboard describing where you are using your time.  It also includes a smart notepad that easily 
creates to-do notes, reminders, and countdowns to achieve goals.  The distance educator could use this to keep 
focused on tasks as well as making notes on what needs to be accomplished for the week.  This application could be 
used for professional use and personal use.

List.ly- This tool is ideal for the person that likes to make lists.  It is very similar to Pinterest, and can be used for personal or professional lists.  One person even commented on how she used it to lists links for her followers on her blog.  Chris Danzy from ServiceSphere stated "Without Listly our community could not have democratized content, conferences, and participation.  Listly enabled us to create a platform of peer selected speakers that generated our first six figure event in 2013." It is a free site. The online professional could definitely use this tool to help students have quick and easy access to relevant links which would be a valuable timesaver for the student.

Good old-fashioned calendar-  Whether it be the old paper type or the newest smart phone, just tracking appointments and making time for yourself to complete tasks is an essential tool for anyone. This is a must have.  The other tools listed above are a great add on, but I have to have my datebook.  Sometimes technology fails us, so I still carry a planner with all my important appointments as well as what my classes will be doing, when projects are due, etc.  This, of course, can be used for personal and professional use and is rather inexpensive.  Sometimes the employer even provides one free of charge!

There are many other options for tools to help with time management.  One only has to do a search at Google or Bing with the keywords "time management apps" or even "productivity apps" and a tremendous amount of resources will be at your fingertips.