Number 1 Volume 6, 2010 – College Teaching Methods & Styles Journal 13 Managing Time: A Study Among Arab Open University Tutors In Kuwait Branch Abdin M. Sharif, Arab Open University, Kuwait Omer H. Ismail, Sultan Qaboos University, Sultanate of Oman ABSTRACT The purpose of this paper was to investigate how tutors at the Arab Open University (AOU) in Kuwait Branch manage their time given workloads they are assigned. Group interviews were conducted with a sample that was selected from AOU tutors in Kuwait branch. The findings showed that tutors do not ask for more time or cut down workloads; instead, they ask for a better organized and healthy work environment where they can make use of the available time and be more productive and creative. Keywords: Teaching load; Time management; Arab Open University INTRODUCTION veryone is often under pressure to get things done on time and to meet the deadline, but most of us complain that "there is no time" to finish the required job. This complaint raises a number of questions: 1) Why is time given as an excuse for not finishing a job? 2) Why is there never enough time to do the work? 3) Is the workload greater than the working hours or are working hours wasted? and 4) Does time really fly or is it mismanagement of the available time? Tutors' ability to manage time is very important in handling such workload and to produce good quality work in a given time. In their study of perceived stress among regular classroom teachers, Hawkins and Klas found that time management was the highest ranking stressor (Shelly, 2004). Time management is often associated with tasks to be carried out or a job to be done, but the real value of time management is the way people can use their available time to make their life easy and carry out their duties. In our day–to-day life, we often use time as an excuse for not finishing a job or completing an assignment. It is true that everyone is under pressure to get things done in a given period of time, but there are never not enough hours in the day, as we always argue. If a tutor does not finish his/her work, he/she takes it home. This situation gives rise to tension, stress, continuous questioning of the subordinates by senior staff, and – if not seriously discussed – may lead to the breakdown of the individuals at all levels. As Tracy (2001) mentioned, when teachers take their work home, they are trading hard time for soft time and neglecting the time they should be spending with their families. Managing time is a common issue to many people. An ex-military woman, who stayed at home and started a family, wrote: "I feel like go-go-go, do-do-do all day long and still just barely scrape by not doing anything well. I have scheduled time to do my school work every evening, but what about all the other stuff - the stuff I would consider most important and my main priority?" (http://community.elearners.com/blogs/liberty_university). She listed a number of activities, such as taking care of her two young kids, feeding and watering her pets and birds, meal preparation, and basic household cleaning, as most important. For tutors, time is even more important. According to Shelly (2004), when teachers have more time for planning and collaborating, they can be more creative; and when they feel overwhelmed and starved for time, there will be no creativity and only the basics of the curriculum will be targeted. E