Time Strategies

My daily thought process. Found on flikr.

Time management and organization are probably my least favorite subjects, possibly due to the fact that they are a couple of my biggest weaknesses. I consider myself a professional procrastinator, spending a lot of time refining that skill in high school and paying for it in college. I wouldn't say I was messy, but I don't organize my things in a way that would help set myself up for an easier day or for an easier time completing a project. I think one of the hardest parts about breaking the habit of being a procrastinator is convincing yourself that a more organized method is better even though, because you're used to procrastination, you can still complete a lot of assignments and do fairly well on exams while procrastinating. I think a big plus for me, once I become a better planner, will be having the ability to reap the benefits of experiencing less stress on a daily basis because I am better able to manage my future time.

I read a handful of the time management strategies that were linked on the assignment page but here were a couple that really struck me:

The Important Habit of Just Starting by Jory Mackay

• I thoroughly enjoyed this article. Like you may have guessed, it discusses the importance of getting the ball rolling. Instead of telling yourself you're going to do something later it encourages you to just go ahead in do it in that moment and you'll realize that it was worth the time to begin that work early. The author talks about how a lot of procrastinators have trouble envisioning themselves in the future enjoying the rewards that come from completing the task they are putting off, and that was something I could identify with. A good step for me to take is to work on envisioning myself enjoying the benefits of completing whatever I was procrastinating on instead of reminding myself of those benefits.

Three Steps to Recapture Time by Joynicole Martinez

• While all three of these steps seemed very helpful and interesting to read about, the 3rd step seemed like something I should really focus on. I have a very passive personality and often try to be a team player for a group. This leads to me committing to a lot of different things, and ultimately having a hard time saying "no". I think if I can work on using the power to say "no" I can better limit myself to spontaneous work that appears in the day which will then help me be able to better follow the "success plan" I made in the first minutes of my day.