I'm managing my time: Conclusion

By Daniel Luscombe

Created:
05/03/09 8:21pm

Last updated:
05/03/09 8:21pm

1 comment

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!

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student

(05/03/09 8:55pm)
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I think that the reason it didn’t work for you, it is because you knew that it was only for an article and not for your personal use. You knew that as long as you had an article to write about you didn’t have to be organized. Managing your time is not about doing everything in less than an hour, it is about organizing yourself and finding space each day to do the work. Nothing suddenly comes up, it just comes up in your mind.

About 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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