The concept of managing time might seem fairly simple. In fact, following a schedule is part and parcel of everyday life, from waking up at a specific time to carrying out routine actions. However, when placed in a new environment, people tend to reconsider their plans and adjust it so that a new schedule could be formed. Because of the lack of experience in the arrangement of activities, the experience of managing time is likely to be rather deplorable. However, with a detailed analysis of the issue, the reconsideration of one’s habits, and their further change so that new tasks could be completed successfully, one is likely to succeed in managing time, as my experience during my first year has shown.
I have to admit that my time management skills left much to be desired. I used to have little to no control over the time that I spend on seemingly minor activities, such as playing an online game or taking a snack in the middle of a certain task.
As a result, I used to be late for practically everything, from my school activities to home-related ones. The failure to identify the problem that would not let me focus aggravated the situation to an even greater degree, therefore, creating the environment in which successful use of time became practically impossible. As a result, I was forced to come up with regular excuses about why I was unable to complete a particular task within the suggested amount of time. Asking for regular extensions on school projects was another tool that I used to introduce some modicum of orderliness into my life.
At present, however, I am capable of using a well thought-out time management framework as the means of approaching my roles and responsibilities, including both academic and the ones related to my family and personal life. The class that I have taken has taught me a lot about managing time efficiently. First and most obvious, the skills for getting the priorities straight can be viewed as an crucial ability that the class has helped me develop. Furthermore, essential information about the harmful effects of procrastination as the key factor contributing to a failure in time management has been provided to me. As a result, the opportunities for rearranging the schedule have been created.
Which is even more important, the issue of multitasking has been explored in depth, making it clear that the specified activity is not recommended as the means of improving time management. Particularly, I have learned to focus on a single activity so that it could be completed perfectly as opposed to carrying out several (two to four) tasks the results of which will, later on, have to be improved, anyway.
The identified information has been especially important since I used to believe that multitasking was an important acquired ability that needed to be developed as part and parcel of a successful student and employees’ inventory. However, the course has taught me that there is a plethora of myths surrounding the concept of time management, and bursting these bubbles on time helps prevent further waste of time on engaging the unneeded and often downright harmful training activities.
The information acquired during the course is bound to help me in the future a lot. The significance of time management skills can hardly be overrated in both academic and business setting. Therefore, I will most likely need them not only as a student but also as an employee. More importantly, the application of the relevant time management skills will also help me improve some of the aspects of my personal life. For example, I will spend more time with my friends and family since I will no longer default on my work-related deadlines and, thus, will not have to work overtime.
The specified change is admittedly pleasant as it has had a tangible positive effect on not only my academic life but also personal experience, creating the environment in which I feel much more relaxed and composed. Without the stress factors associated with time pressure and with a strong and positive feeling of control over my schedule, I feel much more confident and, therefore, am capable of completing significantly more complicated tasks.
While adjusting to the new environment and new standards of quality can be rather complicated, a step-by-step analysis of one’s schedule arrangement and the following improvement of one’s use of free time is likely to lead to a significant improvement in the time management strategy, as my first-year experience has shown. It is important to focus on the analysis of the factors that contribute to the irrational use of time and the development of the strategies that allow eliminating the identified factors from one’s life. As a result, a gradual improvement of the time management technique is expected.
Which is even more important, the reconsideration of one’s approach toward one’s roles and responsibilities serves as a powerful impetus for improving the time management approach and using the available time wisely.