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I'm managing my time: Conclusion

By: Daniel Luscombe Posted: 05/03/09 8:21pm Comments: 1

Scheduling my time this week has proved to be nearly impossible. My time commitments changed frequently and the Red Wings, a girlfriend and a few late night movies proved to be distractions that were just too tempting.

In the end, I failed. Instead of having a structured schedule, I’ve been fitting things in when the time presents itself. This I admit has not been extremely efficient, but it has been a bit more practical.

When I started this process I pictured myself using a chart to account for every hour. Inevitably, I fell back into my old ways, making excuses and justifying my frequent study breaks.

So here I am, a Sunday afternoon, and I still have a pile of work awaiting me. My original schedule would have had me finishing my last hour of studying, but now, I am just beginning.

Taking note of my time usage has been a valuable experience. I’ve learned how easy it is to become distracted and how quickly the most earnest plans go awry. I’ve also been reminded that regardless how inefficient my time usage is, the work still needs to get done.

The original idea of planning all my time proved to be ineffective. Instead what I have learned to do is to keep track of my responsibilities and to estimate how long they will take to complete. By keeping track of what I have to do, I am better at getting all my work done and adapting as my schedule changes (or when I succumb to distractions).

I have failed at developing a perfect system for efficient time use, but I have learned what types of systems don’t work.

Finals week starts tomorrow!

MORE FROM A WEEK IN THE LIFE:

I'm managing my time: Day 4

Posted 04/30 @ 8:24am (0 comment(s) )

Scheduling my time this week has proved to be nearly impossible. My time commitments changed frequently and the Red Wings, a girlfriend and a few late night movies proved to be distractions that were just too tempting.

I'm managing my time: Day 3

Posted 04/28 @ 11:12pm (0 comment(s) )

Scheduling my time this week has proved to be nearly impossible. My time commitments changed frequently and the Red Wings, a girlfriend and a few late night movies proved to be distractions that were just too tempting.

I'm managing my time: Days 1 and 2

Posted 04/27 @ 6:42pm (0 comment(s) )

Scheduling my time this week has proved to be nearly impossible. My time commitments changed frequently and the Red Wings, a girlfriend and a few late night movies proved to be distractions that were just too tempting.

I'm off the grid: Days 6 and 7

Posted 04/26 @ 10:23pm (0 comment(s) )

Scheduling my time this week has proved to be nearly impossible. My time commitments changed frequently and the Red Wings, a girlfriend and a few late night movies proved to be distractions that were just too tempting.

I'm off the grid: Day 5

Posted 04/23 @ 7:47pm (1 comment(s) )

Scheduling my time this week has proved to be nearly impossible. My time commitments changed frequently and the Red Wings, a girlfriend and a few late night movies proved to be distractions that were just too tempting.

I'm off the grid: Day 4

Posted 04/23 @ 2:07pm (1 comment(s) )

I’m becoming less willing to take the blame for my social networking obsession as I find other ways to bide my time. If social networking Web sites were in some kind of race, Twitter.com and Facebook would be neck and neck, the world would be cheering them on and the media would be all over it.

I'm off the grid: Day 3

Posted 04/21 @ 10:36pm (1 comment(s) )

Next time you have a thought, just let it go.

I'm off the grid: Days 1 and 2

Posted 04/20 @ 9:21pm (5 comment(s) )

Hello, my name is Whitney and I’m a social networking addict.

I'm working out: Day 7

Posted 04/19 @ 4:06pm (1 comment(s) )

Yesterday, my team placed second in the volleyball tournament.

A Week in the Life

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to step outside yourself and try something new? Each week, a reporter from the Features desk will be taking on a new lifestyle and spilling all the details on what it takes to live a week in the life of someone else.

This week, just in time for finals, entertainment reporter Daniel Luscombe will attempt to be more time efficient. He’ll document how he wastes the more time and find ways to thwart his procrastination.

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