Time Strategies

This semester, I am taking 19 hours so time management is something that I am going to have to really work on in order to succeed. For this reason, I have been trying to really sit down this week as it has been the first week of classes and figure out how in the world I am going to get everything that needs to be done finished. The Important Habit of Just Starting by John Mackay is something that I found very useful in thinking about this task. All too often, as the author said, I tend to put off doing the work for longer than the assignment itself actually would take me. For this reason, if I could just overcome this hurdle I think my semester would be come a lot less stressful.

I am also a big believer in The Psychology of Checklists. For as long as I can remember, I have lived by my planner. I write everything down in it, usually color code things, and am sure to cross things off as soon as they are completed. This is something that I think has been huge in my ability to get things done efficiently thus far in my academic experience and a huge key to my ability to utilize good time management.

A personal photo of my own planner that I use

in my own adaptation of a checklist method for time management.

I am not entirely sure that the schedule I set up earlier this week is going to be the most effective, but it might be. I have never taken 2 online classes in one semester like I am right now, as well as one blended course, so I am still trying to figure out how this is going to work best, seeing as it is still just the first week of classes. However, with a little bit of effort and planning, I am sure that I can plan out a schedule that will be applicable to most weeks in order to succeed in not only this course, but my other ones as well.