Time Management Assignment

Time management is a constant battle as a student. As someone who takes on a lot of responsibilities, managing my time is a skill that I have developed throughout college. It's not difficult for me to say "no" to activities or events that I don't really want to do. But I still oftentimes find myself overcommitted - not because I can't say no, but because I love saying "yes." I love having a busy schedule and always having somewhere to be! However, this has often led to a greater amount of stress and less time to do the things that really matter to me. 

The article "The Myth of Too Busy" by Tim Grahl helped me reconsider my struggle to say no. The truth is I don't have time in my day for everything that I want or need to do. I have to cut something. Determining what my top priorities are and actually scheduling my time to reflect those are not indicating of a lack of interest or desire for other things. It's simply a necessary reality given the limited time, energy, and resources available to me. 

The article "Eat The Frogs First Thing in the Morning" by Thomas Oppong will also reshape how I schedule my time. Oftentimes I do put off the most difficult tasks, thinking that I will have more energy if I tackle it later or that I will get more done if in my day if I save it for last. However, more often than not, this line of thinking only results in stress-induced cramming, which rarely produces my best work. I think that simply tackling the hardest thing on my to-do list first thing in the morning would free up a lot of time  for the rest of my day. 

I've learned about myself that I do work best under pressure. The immediate deadline helps me to focus and prioritize my time. But I've found it's best to strike a balance. If I know that I will be more motivated to write the essay or complete the project in the few days before it's due, I will block out that time and make sure that I have done enough work ahead of time so that I can actually accomplish it. For example, I had a large research paper due during finals week of last semester. I completed chunks of research throughout the semester, but didn't write a single paragraph or compete an outline. I intentionally decided to write the paper in the three days before it was due. However, I knew that I had done all the research I needed. I set aside the first day for outlining and figuring out which sources I wanted to include. I allocated the second day to writing the bulk of the body paragraphs. And on the third day I finished the introduction and conclusion paragraphs and edited the whole thing. I was still feeling the stress from the deadline and working long hours each day, but I knew that I had given myself the resources and the time needed to succeed. 

"The Persistence of Memory" by Salvador Dali. All the time management articles reminded me of his creepy melting clocks. 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Persistence_of_Memory#/media/File:The_Persistence_of_Memory.jpg