Time management: a behavior analysis interpretation

Time management in higher education may contribute to a better organization of the academic-professional and personal demands in the university context. This study aimed at interpreting the phenomenon of time management from the conceptual resources of Behavior Analysis through a bibliographic review. We selected from scientific database 10 articles on time management in university context. From the reading of the articles, four criteria were created to select information: definition of time management; Time management strategies; Difficulties in time management; and consequences of time management. The selected information was organized into two categories: “Complex Behavior Analysis Concepts” and “Behaviors or Components of Time Management Behaviors”. The first one contains four subcategories: (a) Self-control, (b) Self-knowledge, (c) Decision making, and (d) Problem solving. The second one contains five subcategories: a) Application of techniques or resources, b) Planning, c) Productivity and health, d) Academic performance, and e) Organization. The importance of self-control to manage activities over time was examined, since aspects related to this complex behavior such as avoiding academic procrastination and emitting self-controlled responses were identified in most articles analyzed. Self-control seems to involve processes such as self-knowledge, decision making, and problem solving. The results show that the analytic-behavioral interpretation on this phenomenon brings relevant contributions to clarify the types of behaviors required for the individuals to be able to manage their activities over time in an autonomous and effective way.