This is an unusual chapter of Facilitating Effective Sixth Form Independent Learning. It does not have an especially strong information focus, unlike the last four, each of which was devoted in some way to the ‘needing’, ‘seeking’ or ‘using’ element within information behaviour. Chapter 3, meanwhile, was of a more generic character, as the ideas proposed could be applied to a variety of courses that pertain in no way to information literacy and there are some similarities in the nature of that material with what is to follow here. In Chapter 8, however, the concerns are broader still, in that they extend far beyond education. The need for time management is more fundamental than much of the rest of the book's territory; for anyone who juggles a wide range of competing responsibilities, it may be said that time management is a crucial life skill. My interest in this instance, though, is time management in relation to scholarly investigation and it should be considered throughout the research process. In this respect, time management is comparable to the substance of Chapter 3. Specifically, ongoing monitoring is crucial in both contexts, whether the territory be student skills (in Chapter 3) or project tasks (here in Chapter 8).

The nature of time management

At the end of their EPQ studies, I encourage each candidate to reflect on their experience and suggest what, with hindsight, they would have changed. By far the most popular answer I receive each year is that the student feels they should have managed their time more effectively. There can be no more illuminating evidence that demonstrates the importance of time management in independent learning assignments. It is, though, a complex area. Like critical thinking, problem solving and the closely related – but broader – area of project management, the ability to use one's time effectively is not so much a single skill, more a set of them, some of which, in the case of time management, are allied to softer, personal qualities, like being able to:

• • take a flexible stance when faced with changing circumstances

• • stay self-disciplined

• • organise oneself

• • allocate appropriate priorities (to, for example, other academic commitments, part-time employment and obligations to others at home, as well as to one's own leisure)

• • maintain enthusiasm and motivation

• • remain clear-headed under pressure

• • assume a sense of duty, both to oneself and others.