Articles Review
The problem I chose for the analysis is time management. Time management refers to the process of planning how to divide the time you have between the activities you need to perform as well as to the idea of controlling how the schedule is followed (Panek, 2014). Good time management skills increase your effectiveness and productivity while saving time wasted on procrastination. On the contrary, the inability to manage time may hurt study and job outcomes (Glover, Ronning, & Reynolds, 2013).
This problem is especially relevant to me as I am a single mother, who has to work full time while continuing to study.
To find out more about the problem, I decided to look for various sources that could help me have a deeper insight into the issue. I have selected four sources with related articles and one book that seemed the most informative to me:
- How to manage time with 10 tips that work: The article appears credible and useful as it is published in a reliable online edition related to business activities. Since business people need clear-cut instructions on how to manage this or that problem, the article is practice-oriented. I have learned specific, detailed techniques that made it clear to me what steps must be taken to succeed.
- Time management: The article is provided by a reputable educational public service, featuring more than 10 million visitors speaking 39 languages. Since the site provides study guides, the problem of time management is viewed from the perspective of studying. This will determine my future career; that is why it is the major domain where I am going to apply time management skills.
- Time management training doesn’t work: The site attracted me because the article was one of the few that criticized time management training. The author explains that the outdated concept of time management should give place to more modern approaches such as workflow and attention management. I believe that the combination of these methods would boost the performance even quicker.
- Why time management is ruining our lives: The article comes from The Guardian, which is a credible online magazine. The author describes potential threats of personal productivity movement and warns the reader against the increased anxiety we create trying to improve our performance.
- Handbook of creativity: Finally, I chose one book to check whether academic sources prove the points I have read. The book connects time management with intellectual productivity and creativity. Knowing the theory is important before I can pass it on to practice.
The two sites I decided not to use are:
- Ten ways to improve your time management skills: The site seems to be more commercial than informative. The techniques described are shallow and inconsistent. Furthermore, the information is neither exhaustive nor specialized.
- Easy time-management tips: The case is the same as the previous one. Moreover, when someone offers to do something easily and quickly, it means that the method is not evidence-based.
Despite the seeming simplicity of making schedules and following them, few people can manage their time. The problem might be caused by excessive anxiety or a fear of possible failure. Furthermore, some people are simply unable to follow schedules and rules. Thus, time management problem simultaneously triggers stress and is aggravated by it. It impacts not only you but others as you become irritable and apathetic when you feel that your efforts are all in vain.
I have to combine family life with work and studies, which means that I have very little time to afford to procrastinate. However, I find it challenging to schedule my day in such a way that I could devote enough time to everything important to me. That is why I am sure that this task will help me come up with the most effective solution.
References
Burkeman, O. (2016). Why time management is ruining our lives.The Guardian. Web.
Easy time-management tips. Web.
Glover, J. A., Ronning, R. R., & Reynolds, C. (Eds.). (2013). Handbook of creativity. Springer Science & Business Media.
How to manage your time effectively. (2017). Web.
Kukreja, R. (2017). Ten ways to improve your time management skills. Web.
Mathews, J., Debolt, D., Percival P. (2017). How to manage time with 10 tips that work. Web.
Panek, E. (2014). Left to their own devices: College students’ “guilty pleasure” media use and time management. Communication Research, 41(4), 561-577.
Thomas, M. (2015). Time management training doesn’t work.Harvard Business Review. Web.
Time management. (2017). Web.