ASSESSMENT TASK 7: TIME MANAGEMENT

Time management is about using the time you at your disposal wisely in order to achieve and meet deadlines. In order to create better time management skills, I have looked at what worked for me and what did not, and then formulated a plan that would assist me in better management of this valuable resource, in order to achieve my study goals.

I have a wall planner which is helpful as it shows the dates that we have on-line class and dates for the practical blocks. I also have a diary which I can take with me when away from home. I decide each day which things are priority and try to set a goal for the day. Instead of just a reminder to work on a specific assignment, I have started to list specific small goals, e.g. what exactly about the assignment I wanted to get done that day. This has been very helpful and felt more like an achievement. It has also helped to set more realistic goals as some goals set turned out to take much more time than I anticipated. I have also tried to find little pockets of time that I could use during the day that could help even just to achieve something small, e.g. tea breaks at work. That has been helpful, even just to find a reference on the web.

What I find very difficult to manage is unplanned events, e.g. a friend that takes ill and needs help and funerals! I have also discovered that if I stay and try to study at home, that there are too many distractions. Friends tend to think you are available and can take time off if you are at home. So I have had to look at other venues to study at, e.g. a library.

I find it difficult to say 'no' when asked to help someone. I realised that I need to become more assertive when expectations are set by family members which I am unable to achieve without sacrificing time I set aside for studying. I need to set firm boundaries around the time I set aside to achieve my study goals.

I also find that I tend to spend a lot of time trying to 'finalize' my assignment and that I keep adding to it in an attempt to get it perfect. I have to be more realistic in my expectations and allocate a certain amount of time to the task and then learn to be happy with the outcome.

Distractions will always be part of life. However, learning to adjust to circumstances and planning around it become necessary when study goals become high priority. I have become more time conscious by being made aware of time wasters and other factors that impact on my studies. I am now learning to make adjustments and to set boundaries in place to use my time more effectively.


Reference
Time Management (n.d.). Retrieved on 22 August from http://www.ulc.psu.edu/studyskills/time_management.html