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." Welcome to Grad Resources. Web. 30 Jan. 2012. <http://www.gradresources.org/articles/time_management.shtml>.
I really liked that fact that you let everyone into your life. I never realized until now how much time you put into dance. I feel like that is more then some people put into their work. That amazes me.
ReplyDeleteYour plan of attack for time management is a very smart idea as long as you stay determined to follow through with it. Less tweeting and more studying.
Believe me when I say you are not alone with time management. I feel like there is a lot I will learn from your blog this semester.
Hope to find out about how the competition went and if you have survived the weekend.
Mikayla,
ReplyDeleteYou make excellent points about time management here, and you do a nice job of warming us readers up regarding what your schedule looks like. But I wonder: is that bullet list a quote from one of your sources? You must put quotes around the beginning and end of that list (or set it off by saying something like, "According to 'Time Management": ..." so we know this list is something you are borrowing, not something you came up with yourself.
When you say "tons," think of saying it with more power: tons feels a bit vague. How about "millions of Americans"? I can guarantee that "millions" is accurate!
Julie
I have known you since elementary school and you were always at competitions with Chris. I know a lot of these time management tips are extremely helpful in planning your week, but have you ever thought of taking a break from dance? Maybe even cutting back? I know that dance is your life and you have done it since you were three, but do you ever feel like it affects your grades? I personally think that I couldn’t be a full time student and not have weekends to do homework.
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