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I'm managing my time: Day 3

By: Daniel Luscombe Posted: 04/28/09 11:12pm

Today I tracked the source of my time wasting. Here are where most of my precious minutes and seconds go:

Social Networking: Facebook and Twitter take up tons of my time. When I use these sites, I don’t browse them at length, but rather I visit them frequently for short periods of time throughout my study session. Like a nicotine addict on a smoke break, when I feel stress or confusion from an assignment, I instinctively log on for some sort of micro-break. In the past during final exam, I’ve had my friend Dithu, who goes to school in St. Louis, change my passwords to deny me access. This, however, has been an ineffective solution for everyday usage. (Also, I spent even more time trying to guess the password.)

Food: Often when studying, I eat a lot. I make the excuse that I need the proper energy for studying. As someone who eats in a cafeteria, I have an unlimited amount of food for quick snack breaks. Also, I run to 7-11 for coffee and energy drinks. I make myself so alert that my hopped up brain often is more keen to search Wikipedia or make phone calls than it is to focus on the assignment.

Dorm Life: Living in the dorms is also an easy way to get distracted from doing work. Friends are literally everywhere, and even if I have hours of work to do, someone is there to suggest a quick video game, a movie or a series of important YouTube videos. Even in the study lounge, other desperate students looking for a distraction from economics or calculus will want to chat.

Cell Phone: My cell phone can be a huge time waster. A 15-minute phone call can become an hour in an instant and text messages can go on late into the night. I would leave my phone in my room, but I often use it to call other students and ask questions. Also my reliance on technology makes me feel naked and vulnerable without my phone.

Tomorrow, I will combat my time wasting by establishing a strict schedule. I will then attempt to follow it exactly. I will budget time for breaks and budget time for work. I will also take note of times where I stray from the schedule.

Wish me luck! I need to be ready to focus for upcoming final exams.

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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