Time Strategies

 

I will be the first to admit that time management is one of my biggest weaknesses. I've submitted more assignments than I can count at 11:59, and I've spent hours reading articles and watching videos about how to manage time while simultaneously procrastinating an important task. Here are some ideas on how to make this semester better—

The first article I chose to read was "How to Beat Procrastination" by Caroline Webb. I picked this one because I recently heard Webb speak on a podcast, and though she talked about a familiar topic, I found what she said nuanced and accurate. Her article talks about present bias, which refers to people's tendency to complete smaller, more short-term tasks than big, important ones. To combat this, Webb suggests imagining the rewards of a task already completed, telling others when you plan to have it done, thinking about the hardship that will come from not doing a task, taking a small first step, doing the task in a rewarding setting, and identifying why it is hard to do something. For this class and my other coursework this semester, I think mentally breaking assignments into smaller tasks and rewarding myself for taking the first step will be the most helpful.

Next, I perused the article titled "Increase your creative output with 14 time management tips just for creatives" by Amanda Oliver because my style of getting things done is very sporadic and inspiration-based, so I thought these tips might suit me. Some useful ideas included thinking of deadlines in terms of days away (not weeks or months or years), taking purposeful breaks instead of mindless ones, distinguishing between truly important tasks and ones that are just urgent, using the Toggl app to track time, and actually disconnecting at the end of the day. I definitely want to start thinking about important vs. urgent tasks, because I usually prioritize urgent.

"Mend the roof before it rains" photo from Brett Jordan on Unsplash.