Wrapping it up!

This whole blogging experience was way better than I thought it would be. In the beginning of this semester, when I first heard that we were blogging in my English 112 class, I hated the idea because, writing really isn’t my thing, and that I wasn’t really comfortable putting my blogs and my business out in public. I would have never pictured myself ever blogging, but these past four months blogging has been great!

There were so many topics to choose from, but I knew that time management was the right choice for me. My time management in the beginning of the semester was terrible, I would never have any time on my hands, I procrastinated way too much, and I was stressed to the max. But blogging about my problems with time management definitely helped me get through it.

Blogging about time management made me realize that I just can’t do everything and that I need to say no sometimes. Reading other bloggers in my community and reading articles, gave me some really good suggestions and ideas.

After reading blogs and articles, I made a huge decision, and that was to quit dance for the rest of the year. Honestly, quitting dance was one of the best things that I have done, because I thought I would never give up something that I loved and have been doing for 15 years, but I realized that it was taking up too much of my time and that I needed to stop and focus on school.

Ever since quitting dance I have had more time on my hands, I am less stressed and I have been able to focus on my school work. I wouldn’t have been able to do all of this if I never have blogged, so I am very happy that I chose this topic, because it has to help me get through my struggles and has helped make some really big decisions and also, I have gotten some really great feedback.

Even though I don’t think I was a part of my community at all, I really enjoyed reading and commenting on other peoples blogs in my community. I felt that I wasn’t a part of my community because I would comment on blogs more than once but they never would never respond or would never comment on my blogs.  But I am pretty sure that I am not the only that this is happening to.

For being a first time blogger, I thought my blogs were pretty good and very successful. I have over 150 page views, and have had people from all over the world read my blogs, which makes me feel great. Even though I was a bit nervous about writing my blogs, a lot of people have tend to like my posts which it great.  Although, I did have a hard time writing my first couple of blogs, but they started to get easier each week I did them.

Overall, I am very pleased with all of my blog posts, and I honestly wouldn’t change a thing. I think that blogging is such a great way to get out your thoughts, ideas, struggles, and experiences. Even though I am not continuing with my blogs, I am so happy that I was able to blog about time management in my English 112 class; I probably wouldn’t be able to accomplish all of the things that I have been able to accomplish now.

I finally was able to say NO!

Last week, I got an unexpected call from my dance teacher saying that he needed to me to teach for one of my teachers since she is pregnant and is going on bed rest soon.  I called him on Saturday saying that I don’t think I will be able to teach, because, I need to focus a lot on school since finals and exams are around the corner and that I will be really stressed going up to Alexandria 4 days a week. He said that he understands, and that he is going to try to find someone else. He felt bad because all of the pressure was on me and because this was a last minute thing.

I think I made the right decision by saying no, even though I feel really bad because I know I let my dance teachers down. But at the end of the day, focusing on my education is more important.

Yesterday, I got another unexpected call and it was my dance teacher again. He called to apologize about asking me to teach at the last minute me and that he found someone else to teach, so I don’t have to worry. But he also called to tell me that he is going to need a teacher in the summer for summer classes, I told him that I am willing to do it because its only twice a week, for only a month.

Since my teacher offered me to teach summer classes, I think I am going to take his offer and do it. He told me that I would get paid, and that would be good for me because I could really use some money over the summer.

The only thing I am not looking forward to in teaching summer classes is that I have to go all the way to Alexandria, and there probably will be a lot of traffic going up there and going back home.  But in the end I am willing to do anything for my dance studio since they have done a lot for me.

I dont know what to do!

It has been a month ever since I have taken a break off of dance, and I love it and miss it all at the same time.

I got an unexpected call the other day; my tap teacher wants me to teach for my jazz teacher because she is pregnant and is due in May and she is leaving in a week or so. When he told me this I was so shocked that I had to tell him that I would have to call him back. I talked to my mom about this and she didn’t really think it would be a great idea because she said that she has noticed a change in me, for example I am less tired, I get all of my work done, I seem very happy and that I have more time on my hands. So I had no clue what I was going to say to my teacher about this

 I really wanted to do it, but, I know that I’m going to go back to the same routine as before which is go to class, then go to dance, then do my homework, and then go to sleep. I thought about this for a couple of days and I called him back and I asked him when he needed an answer and he said by tomorrow, so I am really torn on what to do.

This is a lot of pressure on me because I don’t want to let them down, and because I am really the only person they have left to ask. I wouldn’t mind doing it if it was for a couple of days but the days I would teach would be Tuesday-Friday, and that would be a lot of time I am giving up.  

I keep on having mixed feelings about this, because I really want to teach but I don’t want to lose my freedom again, and not only am I dancing but I am teaching so that is a really big step for me if do it. If I do it I feel like I am going to be really stressed out because when my teacher is gone there are still three competitions left and then recital! So that is really stressful and the pressure is all on me if I say that I can’t teach.

I mean I will do anything for my dance studio because I have been there for 15 years, but this is big and hard decision for me and I really don’t know what I am going to do.

It just stinks because I have been doing so well with my time management and then all of sudden this comes up, and I know if I say yes to teaching all of my hard work and my time management is going to down grade a lot. This is just a really hard decision, any ideas or suggestions?

Sources for my analysis paper

My first potential source for my analysis paper is a blog called Mindful Time Management. I chose this blog because it also has tips, but it also has things that are a waste of time, and that I shouldn’t get distracted by. This blog really relates to me and my topic, even though the blogger doesn’t blog that often but they really talk about organization with time management. For example, procrastination, lack of poor planning, interruptions, etc. These are mainly the things that waste my time, especially procrastination. I always tend to do things at the last minute and I can’t do that because I already have plenty of other stuff to do.

My second potential source for my analysis that I will be using an article called Time Management. I use this article a lot because it has a lot of helpful tips on time management and they are very effective. This article is mainly about how time management affects college students and how they give you tips and goals to set to help improve the struggle with time management.

The reason I chose this article was because it relates to me a lot. For example, it talks about setting goals, scheduling ahead of time, having a calendar and etc. All of these things relate to me because after reading this article I now use a calendar, I set my goals, and I try to schedule things ahead of time. So these examples have really helped me a lot, this is why it is going to be my potential source for my analysis paper.

My third blog is called Time Management Blog. This blog has really helped me out a lot because the tips and the time wasters are very useful and helpful. It also has helped me with being less stressed and made me realize that I need to cut back on certain activities.

Time Management Article." Business Coaching for Results with Business Coach Wendy Hearn. Web. 30 Jan. 2012. http://www.business-personal-coaching.com/time-management-article.html.

My accomplishments

This week I have decided that I am going to blog about what I have accomplished ever since I have stopped dancing. Ever since I have stopped dancing I have been able to manage my time and I have been able to accomplish so many more things that I haven’t been able to do in such a long time, and these things are:

·         Managing my time- Instead of rushing everything when I use to dance, Now that I don’t anymore I have a planner and schedule what I need to do so I have more time on my hands

·         Getting all of my school work done on time-I use to put off my homework at the last minute, or I wouldn’t do it at all, but I now I usually do my homework the night I get it or the next day.

·         Spending time with my family and friends- I can actually have family night Fridays now or I can hang out with my friends and not be so tired.

·         Going to the gym and still staying active- Even though I quit dance I decided that I wanted to join the gym to relieve all of the extra stress that I have and I want to still stay active.

·         More time to myself- Although I love being around my friends at dance an all, but having time to myself is great! I tend to get more things done when I am by myself.

·         Getting more sleep- When I use to dance I only got about 5 or 6 hours of sleep, but now I can take naps and get 8-9 hours of sleep

·         Focusing more on my career and future- When I was dancing I wasn’t really focusing on my school work and my career but I realized that school is more important because dance isn’t want I want to do for my career teaching is.

I am so glad that I have been able to accomplish all of these things on my own, and realizing that I made the right decision so I could accomplish these goals. I am excited to see what I will accomplish in the next few weeks and to see where I will go from here.

Taking it one day at a time

During my spring break I decided to go to my dance studio’s dance competition at Forest Park High School. I was already a little nervous about going because I didn’t want my dance teachers to say anything negative to me, and I didn’t want to get depressed watching all of the dances that I use to be in now that I am not there at the dance studio anymore.

While the dance completion was going on one of my favorite dances that I was supposed to be the “star” in was about to go on! So after the dance was over I started balling my eyes out, I was so upset that I wasn’t competing with any of my close friends anymore and that I wasn’t in my favorite dance.  My dance teacher saw me crying and pulled me aside and said “I know you are upset, but you have to realize that you were stressing yourself out with all of this dancing, there is always next year.” I thought to myself she is right, I wanted to take a break dancing and focus and when I can manage my time and be less stressed can start dancing again. I just need to take it step by step.

After my breakdown at the competition I was thinking about all of the symptoms that were listed from the Mayo Clinic and I realized that crying and feeling sad is a sign of depression. I usually don’t cry a lot but lately I have been very in my feelings and I think I am a little depressed. So I am going to try to work on that and to just try to get dancing off my mind at the moment.

Watching my dance studio compete was a really big step for me, and I am proud of myself for going, but it really made me realize that I do miss dancing. Who knows, maybe I might take a couple of classes during the summer since I won’t have any classes.

Now that I am not dancing at the moment I decided to sign up for the gym so I am still active. I love going to the gym, but I am just not as motivated as I was when I went to dance.  But going to the gym is a really good way to relieve all of my stress and it helps me clear my mind.

Overall I really do think my time management has gotten a lot better, I am much focused on my school work and looking forward to perusing my career.


Staff, Mayo Clinic. "Definition." Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 10 Feb. 2012. Web. 27 Feb. 2012. <http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/depression/DS00175/DSECTION=symptoms>.

Nervous of having symptoms of depression ever since quitting dance

It has been a week since I have quit dancing, and it has felt great to have so much free time on my hands. I am very happy with the decision I have made, I thought I would regret my decision but so far I am very glad that I have made this choice. I can’t say that I don’t miss dancing because I do a lot! But it just feels great to not go up to Alexandria every single day and then get home at 10:30 at night, it was just way too stressful, but I do miss dancing a lot.

I was looking at some research on withdrawal and depression symptoms, because I was nervous that I might experience this a few weeks from now.  While I was looking at these symptoms, I realized that some of them relate to me, and it kind of worries me. For example:

·         Feelings of sadness or unhappiness

·       "  Irritability or frustration, even over small matters

·         Loss of interest in normal activities

·         Insomnia or excessive sleeping

·         Changes in appetite — depression often causes decreased appetite and weight loss, but in some people it causes increased cravings for food and weight gain

·         Agitation or restlessness — for example, pacing, hand-wringing or an inability to sit still

·         Indecisiveness, distractibility and decreased concentration

·         Fatigue, tiredness and loss of energy — even small tasks may seem to require a lot of effort

·         Trouble thinking, concentrating, making decisions and remembering things

·         Back pain or headaches"

I just hope I can try to get rid of these symptoms, and try not to worry about all of these things because it really worries me to think that I will have depression or something near that.

My goals for these next few weeks is to try not to worry about everything, to relax, to focus on school and my career, and to try to take my mind off of dance.  But as I said I am very happy with the decision I have made but, I just don’t want to be depressed that I am not dancing every day and that I don’t really see any of my dance friends anymore.  I just need to give it some time.

Staff, Mayo Clinic. "Definition." Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 10 Feb. 2012. Web. 27 Feb. 2012. <http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/depression/DS00175/DSECTION=symptoms>.

I finally did it!

So I just got home from my last day of dance, and tonight was the night that I had to tell my dance teachers that I am quitting dance. I decided to tell them after my classes were over and I also told my mom to come with me. When I told them they were really surprised and very shocked, they said that they weren’t expecting this at all and that I kind of picked a bad time to quit since we have a lot of competitions coming up. Then they made me tell my whole dance studio that I was quitting, I felt really bad because I am really close to the people at my dance studio and when I told them a lot of them starting crying. I felt bad, but I knew that I was making the right choice.

Making this decision is probably one of the hardest things I have ever done. But I want to pursue my career and I know that I am making the right choice of quitting now. So now I can really focus on school, which is my number one priority right now. As Charles Buxton said

“You will never find time for anything. If you want time you must make it.”

My mom was asking me if I wanted to do anymore extracurricular activities, but I don’t think I want to do any right now. I might want to look for a job where I could only work on the weekends but I am not sure yet, I just want to enjoy my free time and work on managing more of my time. So I am just going to take one step at a time and see how it goes.

I just wonder how I am going to be like a week from now, I hope I will be a lot more stressed and will still be happy with the decision I made.

"Time Management Quotes and Sayings | Time Management Made Easy." Time Management Training by Time Management Expert Peter "TheTimeMan" Turla. Web. 20 Feb. 2012. <http://timeman.com/time-management-tips/time-management-quotes-and-sayings>.

Doing what is best for me

These past few weeks taking a break from dance has been pretty good. But I realize that I am not as interested in dancing as I use to be, I think the reason is that I have had so much more time, and I have been able to accomplish a lot more things, and I am focused on my work.  So I think I am going to go into my studio and tell them that I need to take a break from dance for the rest of the year. I am scared to tell them because I know they aren’t going to take it well, but I know I am making the right decision.

I talked to my mom last night and I told her how I felt, surprisingly she took it better than I thought. She told me that if this is what I want to do than I should go for it and that she will support me 100%. I know deep down I know she is hurt that I am taking the rest of the year off, and I feel like I am letting her down but I know that this isn’t what I want to do for a career and I have to stop dancing at some point.

Dance is not something I want to pursue as a career; I just do it because I enjoy it a lot. This is why I should stop dancing now and focus on my actual career which is being a teacher. I think this the perfect time to stop dancing because I’m in college and I really want to do well so I can get into a 4 year college and pursue my dream as a teacher. Also, I need to learn how to cut back on things, and learn how to manage my time, and I think after quitting dance I think managing my time won’t be that much of a problem as it was before.  

The only thing that I am worried about is that I don’t want to regret giving up dance, I mean I have been dancing since I was three so I don’t know how I am going to feel a month from now. So I am just very nervous that I am going to regret quitting dance.

Potential sources for my analysis paper

My first potential source for my analysis that I will be using an article called Time Management. I use this article a lot because it has a lot of helpful tips on time management and they are very effective. This article is mainly about how time management affects college students and how they give you tips and goals to set to help improve the struggle with time management.

The reason I chose this article was because it relates to me a lot. For example, it talks about setting goals, scheduling ahead of time, having a calendar and etc. All of these things relate to me because after reading this article I now use a calendar, I set my goals, and I try to schedule things ahead of time. So these examples have really helped me a lot, this is why it is going to be my potential source for my analysis paper.

My second potential source for my analysis paper is another article called The Time Management Article. I chose this article because it also has tips, but it also has things that are a waste of time, and that I shouldn’t get distracted by. For example, procrastination, lack of poor planning, interruptions, etc. These are mainly the things that waste my time, especially procrastination. I always tend to do things at the last minute and I can’t do that because I already have plenty of other stuff to do.

This article has really helped me out a lot because the tips and the time wasters are very useful and helpful.  It also has helped me with being less stressed and made me realize that I need to cut back on certain activities. So The TimeManagement Article will be my second potential source for my analysis paper.

"Time Management." Welcome to Grad Resources. Web. 06 Feb. 2012. <http://www.gradresources.org/articles/time_management.shtml>.

"Time Management Article." Business Coaching for Results with Business Coach Wendy Hearn. Web. 30 Jan. 2012. http://www.business-personal-coaching.com/time-management-article.html.

Finally managing my time

This was the first week where I haven’t had dance every day, and to be honest it felt great! I have had so much time on my time on my hands this past week.  I haven’t had this much time on my hands in a long time. I have been able to get my homework early, studied for my tests for two hours instead of studying 10 minutes before; also, I have been able to hang out with my family and friends.

Now that I only dance two days a week instead of five I feel less stressed, I feel a lot more accomplished and I feel that I have managed my time a lot more. Time management has been a struggle for me from the start, but now that I have been starting to cut things down like dance, I feel like I have somewhat  been able to manage my time. I think my struggle with time management will get a lot better once I start realizing that I can’t do everything at once. But cutting down dance has been a big step for me, I am glad that I made this decision.

 I am starting to think I might just want to take the rest of the year off, so I can continue to focus on my degree and career. The only thing about quitting dance is that I know my mom will not be happy with me, I say that because, she has always supported me dancing since I will three, and she is kind of one of those competitive moms, so I think she is going to be a little disappointing, especially since competition season is here.  Another reason why I don’t want to take the year off is I will probably get really bored not dancing, I have been doing it since I was three I don’t know what it’s going to be like if I take a year off. I just don’t want to make the wrong choice,  I think I need to go with what is right which is to focus on school.

Having more time on my hands

Today was the first day that I didn’t have dance on Monday in a really long time all because of cutting back on my classes. And to be honest, it felt great. I managed to take a short nap after my classes were over, studied for my exam and did all of my homework. The best part about today was I still had plenty of time to do whatever else I needed to do, and that usually never happens to me.  I love this feeling of getting my work done early, trying to pursue my career, and having time on my hands.

 I am so glad that I made the decision of cutting back from 12 classes to 6 classes.  So I now dance only on Wednesdays and Thursdays. I have dance 3 classes each day and get out of dance at 8. The only thing that I still don’t like about going dance is that I have to drive all the way to Alexandria which is about 45 minutes away  from my house, and plus traffic. So that takes up about an hour for me, in the amount of time I could be doing homework.

Now that I have cut back on my dance classes and have started to manage my time I think I want to start applying for a part time job, but not just yet. I think I want to wait a couple of more weeks to see how I am really feeling. I just hope I don’t stress myself out again and then have to have time management problems again.  But if I could get a job that I could work about three times a week because that would be great.

Reading Time Management has helped realized that I did make the right decision.  For example, I made my goals, “which give a framework for motivation.” My goals are that I want to achieve are focusing on school more and getting my degree. I am very excited to see how this week is going to go, I hope I will have a lot more time on my hands and be able to get things done early and not at the last minute.

"Time Management." Welcome to Grad Resources. Web. 06 Feb. 2012. <http://www.gradresources.org/articles/time_management.shtml>.

Making the right decision

This weekend was my first competition since May 2011; I competed in 12 dances and had a solo. I was so nervous and so stressed out! The most stressful part about this weekend was that the competition was on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, so I had no time for anything besides dancing.  Waking up at 5:30am and staying at the competition until 10pm was a pain, I had no time to relax or anything because all of my dances were back to back.  During the awards, my studio did really great and I won first place for my tap solo. But, I kept on thinking to myself “do I really want to keep on doing this?”, “do I really want to keep stressing myself out, and not having any time for anything else but dance?.” I thought about this all of Sunday night, and I realized that dancing is not what I want to do as a profession. I need to focus more on college so I can get into a 4 year college and work on getting my degree as being an elementary teacher.

Sunday night I talked to my mom and told her how I felt, and she told me that I should cut down on dance classes since I am already am taking a lot, I am struggling with my time management, and that I really need to focus on college and getting my degree.  I was speechless when she told me that, because I knew that was she was right, but I didn’t want to cut down on dance classes.  Sometimes I think I can do everything at once and on my own, but this past weekend made me realize that I really can’t everything because it stresses me out and that I don’t have enough time to do all of the things I want to do.

Cutting down my classes was really hard for me because, I felt like I was letting my parents, my dancing teachers, and my whole dance studio down. But in the end I need to realize that this is what’s best for me so I mange my time, not be so stressed and focus on college. Maybe if I get everything back on schedule I can start adding more classes, but as of now I am only taking 6 classes instead of 12.  I don’t think I would have realized or have changed most of my problems if it wasn’t for writing blogs and getting feedback from my classmates. But I know I am making the right decision, hopefully I will have more time on my hands, and will not be so stressed.

Managing this week's hectic schedule

This past week has been so hectic for me, dealing with tons of homework, dance, school, and babysitting.  I have been struggling with time management a lot lately, but I guess it just takes some time to get use to all of this.  On the bright side, I have gotten a lot of things accomplished this past week like homework, spending time with my family, and relaxing. This hasn’t happened to me since I started college, but I realized that I can’t do everything at once, I just have to take it step by step and try to do one thing at a time.

This weekend I am so nervous because I have a dance competition coming up, so I have practice every day this week from 3:30 until 9:30, and then I have tons of homework on top of that, and an exam. I am already stressing out because I know I’m not going to have time to do everything and that worries me a lot.  My goal is to try to get everything done before my dance competition so I’m not stressed out, but also manage my time. So I have decided to make a planner, and write out all the things I need to do and then check them off when they get accomplished. Here are some suggestions to help with time management:

a. Place in your schedule only the events that actually match the goals

b. Plan to plan! In other words, set in your schedule each week a small amount of time to plan for the following week. Those fifteen to thirty minutes could be the most valuable activity of your week!

c. Review your schedule daily. You may want to place your daily goals at the top of your schedule for quick review.

d. Schedule time for flexibility, correspondence, and crisis management. If you can learn- to have "scheduled crises" you will be able to keep them from taking over your personal and family time.

e. Evaluate your schedule weekly. Begin keeping a journal of how time is actually spent.

f. Manage a to do list. It has been said that the palest ink is better than the best memory. Therefore, I have always recommended writing down EVERYTHING! Once your list is developed, prioritize your activities.

I was reading some articles about time management, and reading them has helped me a lot, because I have realized that I’m not the only one struggling with this issue.  According to some of the articles, tons of people struggle with time management. In the TimeManagement article, it has said that, “Managing your time effectively will bring about some dramatic improvements in your life, but you must be prepared to make some fundamental changes.” Because of this, try to take one step at a time. Reading articles have really helped to understand how to manage my time, and how to take it one day at a time.





"Time Management Article." Business Coaching for Results with Business Coach Wendy Hearn. Web. 30 Jan. 2012. http://www.business-personal-coaching.com/time-management-article.html.


"Time Management." Welcome to Grad Resources. Web. 30 Jan. 2012. <http://www.gradresources.org/articles/time_management.shtml>.

Time Management Tips

Tick, tick, tick, time is passing by. Once the time is gone there is no going back. There is little time for all the things that need to be done each day, week, month and year is always a challenge for me. There are so many conflicting needs for my time. Like, family, dance, friends, entertainment, and don't forget sleep. So I have decided to think of some tips for myself to help me with time management. My first tip is to schedule around the activities I do every day, No matter how crazy my schedule is, I should probably have some things that I can plan around. For example, homework, school, dance etc. I should put those in my schedule first, and do the less important things later. My second tip to help me with time management is to Keep fewer priorities that matter more, so Instead of trying to stay on top of homework, family, dance, friends, entertainment, and sleep, have four or five activities each day instead of cramming it all in in one day .It will help me be more effective, and help me fully accomplish a few things at a time rather than all in one day. My last tip is to take advantage of “quiet time” on the days I am free. On Fridays Saturdays and Sundays I try to mainly relax, do homework, and spend time with my family and friends. I enjoy the weekends because these are the days where I have a lot of free time on my hands, and I realized that I am not as stressed and worried about getting things done so quickly. These tips are really helpful for me, so I think these time management tips will be helpful for a lot of people in the future. Time Management Tips is really helpful and interesting for my time management topic.

Introduction

It was a hard decision trying to pick a topic for my blog; there were so many choices out there to talk about. But I have decided that my topic for my blog this semester is going to be on time management, and how it has taken a toll on my life. I chose this topic for my blog because throughout my 15 years of participating in extracurricular after school activities, time management has always been a major obstacle in my life. Going from changing in the car after school, to go to dance every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, then going to private art lessons every Tuesday, and on top of that, going to choir practice every Friday. It was a struggle for me doing all of these things every day after school. So after about 7 years I decided to quit everything except for dance. Time management was still a problem for me after I quit all of these activities because ,I danced every day except for Sundays, had tons of homework, and never had time to hang out with my family or friends.  Time management takes toll on everyone in life at some point, looking at other people’s blogs I can tell I am not the only one with this problem; it’s a hard situation to deal with. So my goal for this semester for my blogs is to tell people that time management really affects your life, and takes up most of your time and is really hard and stressful thing to deal with. I would also really like feedback on my blogs. The feedback could be anything, for example: how I could change this issue? Or what I can do to make this work? Because I know a lot of people have gone through this situation and have managed to narrow things down. So it would be really helpful for some feedback. Overall, I am very glad I chose time management as my topic because it has affected my life ever since I was little, and because I am very interested to learn more about it throughout this semester.