on time management

With finals season right on the horizon, I thought this post would be particularly fitting. I currently have to prepare a presentation for a client due at the end of the calendar year, have a final on Saturday morning, have a final Tuesday morning, have to submit my final BA thesis proposal before the end of the quarter, am wrapping up my term as my sorority's President, am finishing up a write-up of my research for a fellowship grant due at the end of the calendar year, have to complete the patient interviews for a health policy study I'm assisting on, and I'm applying to jobs for after graduation.

I have never missed an assignment. I have never even turned one in late without obtaining professor approval first. But I have had a lot of stressful days and nights where I'm struggling to get it all done at the expense of my sleep schedule, social life, or sanity.

This obviously is unideal. Poor time management jeopardizes the quality of work produced and burns you out, affecting the effort you have left to give to other assignments. So here are some of my best practices for staying organized and managing your precious time well.

1.) Set daily goals.

Every morning, I wake up and write down 5-10 goals I have for the day. These can be simple little things like "Drop off dry cleaning" or "Email Joann about ______." They can also be much larger, such as "Study physics for 4 hours" or "Finish fellowship proposal." I try to limit myself to 3 big projects a day. I then set these as "Tasks" on my Google Calendar. Then I get to check off each goal as you complete it. I like the app Wunderlist as well. 

2.) Limit distractions. 

If you are working on something that doesn't require being plugged in, do not plug yourself in. Disable Wifi, put on Airplane mode. I am always surprised by how much I accomplish as soon as I stop texting/Facebooking/e-mailing and start working.

3.) Take Breaks

Ah now this is a tricky one, that can be easily abused. Let me clarify. If you are stuck on a, let's say, physics concept and you have now spent a good 45 minutes on it, close your book, stand up, walk around a little bit. I like to do a lap around the 1st floor of the library, say hi to a few friends, and get some coffee before I return to it. Sometimes I'll go complete another assignment or task.  Usually, taking that time to clear my head means I come back stronger and suddenly, something clicks. This also works for me with video games.

4.) Spend less time worrying, more time doing

A common inflicting my friends and I tend to have (and perhaps the entirety of my college) is to spend a huge portion of time fretting over the amount of work we have to complete. Don't do this. Make your list in the morning, add to it as necessary, and get 'er done. The more time spent worrying, the more you SHOULD worry. It takes up time, it affects your work quality...Very bad negative feedback loop.

5.) Reflect upon your day 

Before bed (yes you heard me, go to bed!!), review your day. Admire what you've accomplished, drag tasks you didn't complete onto the next day so you can do them first thing in the morning, and assess what went well or not-so well so you can learn from your mistakes. This is so important, and so rarely done. Self-assessment can be the difference between improvement and stagnation. And it doesn't need to be an official type deal where you sit across a desk from yourself. Hell, do it on the toilet. But do it!

With regard to the last one, some self-reflection has revealed that this blog is going to need a major revamping post finals. COMING SOON: fluff & stuff & more stuff 2.0.