Support Groups and Workshops
Columbia Health offers several support groups and workshops each semester. A few suggestions are below, but please visit their respective pages for dates, times, and contacts.
ADHD Support Group
The ADHD Group is an 11 session Cognitive-Behavioral program which addresses core symptoms and fosters proven strategies for managing ADHD. Each member of the group works from a manual to develop new skills for better organization and planning, reducing distractibility, and enhancing adaptive thinking.
Distress Tolerance
This group is open to graduate and undergraduate students who are experiencing anxiety and/or difficulty coping with strong emotions and are motivated to increase self-observation and practice relaxation techniques in a supportive environment.
Getting Things Done
This group is for students who have a stalled thesis, incompletes or are simply not performing up to their potential due to procrastination and poor time management. The group acts as a community of support and accountability. Members will have the opportunity to learn to break free from the negative patterns that may be keeping them from accomplishing their personal and professional goals. Participants will learn cognitive behavioral techniques that can increase efficiency, effectiveness, competence and confidence thereby improving their ability to get things done.
Procrastination Workshop
A hands-on workshop in four sequential sessions.
Software Tools
Below is a list of great apps, extensions, and other programs to help you leverage your electronic devices to manage your time. All of these apps feature free versions or trials that are great for basic usage, and some also offer premium versions with greater functionality for purchase.
Apps
- Rescue Time
- Runs in the background and records which apps and websites you spend your time on. A great tool to start with in your quest for better time management!
- Platforms: Windows, OSX, Linux, Android
- Focus Booster
- A digital timer based on the Pomodoro Technique. Makes time-boxing a cinch and serves as a more advanced tool for tracking how you spend your time.
- Platforms: Windows, OSX
- Freedom
- Freedom is designed to eliminate online distractions. The app disables your computer’s internet connection for a fixed amount of time, perfect if you need to stop browsing and get writing! It’s also not easy to disable, as only a full reboot of your machine will reset your connectivity before the timer goes off.
- Platforms: Windows, OSX, Android
- SelfControl
- SelfControl is a free and open-source application that lets you block your own access to distracting websites, your mail servers, or anything else on the Internet. Just set a period of time to block for, add sites to your blacklist, and click "Start." Until that timer expires, you will be unable to access those sites—even if you restart your computer or delete the application.
- Platforms: OSX
Browser Extensions
- Stayfocusd
- A super-simple site blocker. This extension makes it easy to choose your blocked sites (either specific URLs or whole domains) using the extension settings or the button. In the settings, you choose the amount of time upon that you are allowed to spend browsing “distracting” websites each day. Stayfocusd will step in to block your distracting sites once your daily time limit is reached.
- Browsers: Chrome
- Pocket
- Use Pocket to seamlessly reallocate the time you spend reading articles online. Adds a button to your browser that allows you to clip articles from the web and sync them to your Pocket library, both in the cloud and on your iOS device, and then continue with your schoolwork. You can still read that cool article you just found—later, when you have spare time (it works on the subway!).
- Browsers: Chrome, Firefox
- Platforms: iOS, Android, any computer via the browser
Videos
- The Science of Productivity
- In today's crazy world, productivity is on the minds of many. This video introduces what science can tell us about the human brain and productive work, including how we become more efficient at working and how to spend less time working overall.
- How much sleep do you actually need?
- As college students, sleep can be tricky. In this video, find out if you're over or under sleeping. More resources are available through ALICE! Health Promotion.
Presentations
- Train Your Brain: The Science of Time Management
- Feeling overwhelmed? Wondering how to juggle classes, clubs, and new friends? Prone to procrastination? Get your semester off to a great start at this workshop designed to help improve your time management skills. Using science-based strategies, we'll explore the best methods for scheduling, studying, and finding time to relax. This presentation was given live by Katie Henry, Manager of Tutoring and Academic Support, in the Center for Student Advising on Friday September 21, 2016
- How to Manage Your Time (Like a Boss)
- Managing your time well is among the most important skills that you can master, not just at school, but in life. In this session, join Dean R.J. Jenkins to learn how to make more productive use of your time without sacrificing your Netflix and Facebook addictions. Topics will include: time auditing, time budgeting, effective prioritization, the Pomodoro Method, the Eisenhower Method, procrastination, overcommitment, iteration, self-assessment, and how to keep your Snapchat game fresh during final exams. This presentation was given live by General Studies Assistant Dean R.J. Jenkins in the Center for Student Advising on Friday February 6, 2015.
Articles & Research
- Want to Ace That Test? Get the Right Kind of Sleep
- Our scheduling exercise emphasized the importance of arranging your time so that you consistently get enough sleep. Read this article to learn how sleep affects the brain and how you can take advantage of a regular sleep schedule.
- The Benefits of a Lunch Hour Walk
- Just as important as sleep is regular exercise. Read this article to find out how even the simplest exercise can boost your mood and increase your productivity.