Time Strategies

Time Management Strategies

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I am a very busy person. I am enrolled in 18 hours of class and I work 20-30 hours a week. Because of my busy schedule, I have had to become a very organized person. In the past year and a half, I have learned a lot about time management strategies and have found ones that work for me. I am still learning what works best and I am constantly trying new things and improving my plans. Some strategies I utilize are: taking timed breaks, studying in distraction-free places, studying alone, taking notes on my reading assignments, and reading things out loud. I also use whiteboards, calendars, colored pens, highlighters, tons of notebooks, and a planner. I love making lists! Lists are a way for me to instantly minimize my stress because I can lay out all of my tasks in front of me. I read The Psychology of Checklists: Why Setting Small Goals Motivates Us to Accomplish Bigger Things, and I completely agree with it. Setting small goals and checking them off as I go makes me feel more accomplished and gives me a renewed sense of productivity. 

I am guilty of procrastination, but from my point of view, it's not something that can be helped. I try my best, but I am so busy, I typically end up doing assignments last minute. I read Caroline Webb's article: How to Beat Procrastination and, while I do think she gave some good advice, I didn't find it particularly applicable to my situation. I believe that I am already doing most of what she recommended, but I simply don't have the time to actually start my assignments. However, I think this advice would be helpful for me when talking about big projects or papers that we know about long in advance. I also read The Important Habit of Just Starting. I thought this article had some very interesting tips. I really liked the part about using a commitment device because it seems like sound advice that could be helpful in the future (or maybe I just liked the examples they used). I enjoyed the entire article and I found that the advice given was more suited to me than the previous article's. I think this was a great assignment to prepare us for the semester ahead, as it gets us thinking about strategies for success!