Time Strategies

Time management is a topic that has been researched and lectured for years, yet most people still struggle with it. This proper management will be especially relevant for this class because it lacks physical meetings to act as reminder of things due, and no peer pressure from people seen in class to get tasks done.

I read two articles about time management, the first being How to Beat Procrastination (link here.) This was a very useful article because it soothed that procrastination is perfectly normal, then went into thought processes and actions to help overcome it. One of the points that stood out to me was about procrastinating because we do not think about the effects of not getting the task done. I procrastinated planning my Study Abroad trip until senior year because I was scared of it, and as a result I had to pick an awkward term that gets me back to school a week and a half late. Pros and cons apply to not getting things done as well, not just accomplishing things.

The second article was Eat The Frogs First Thing in The Morning (And Other Better Work Habits) (link here.) It was about completing the most unpleasant task you have to accomplish (such as eating a frog,) first, early in the morning if possible. By getting that out of the way, other tasks will seem much more doable. This is a fair point, and prioritizing, for example, the longest reading guarantees more success on it than delaying until the last moment and not really processing the information.

My best time management strategy is writing lists, but nonetheless I tend to leave big tasks I don't want to get to at the bottom, putting them off until it's time to write a new list. This semester, I will try to eat the frog and break the procrastination circle for better success.

Why do it now when you can do it later? (Via eBaum's World)