In my previous years at school, I have always been a full time, on campus student. This semester, however, I am commuting from Alvarado on Tuesdays and Thursdays for my twelve hours, on top of working 40+ hours a week at my local gas station. Unfortunately, this drastic change has left my time management skills lacking desperately.
Since I know I have so many school obligations, I know that I have to work on this skill. Here are a few things that I've learned so far in the past two weeks of school.
- If you have multiple assignments from multiple classes, MAKE SURE to do the least exciting, most time-consuming assignments first. This way, the assignments you are looking forward to doing are sort of a reward for finishing those assignments you don't particularly want to do.
- If your work schedule, like mine, is uncertain from week to week, the best thing to do is to plan to wake up for the early shift (which means out of bed by 5 am for me) whether you're working in the morning or the afternoon. This way, you have a full work shift to study/do homework and a full shift for work. In the same respect, if you are working the morning shift, dedicate the time for the afternoon shift (2 - 10 in my case) for studying, reading, writing, assignments.
- The most important thing i've learned so far is, ALWAYS do your work before you have fun. I love playing guitar, but I realized after the first day of classes that I will absolutely have to finish homework before I start playing guitar. Otherwise, I could be playing for five hours, start my homework and not have time to finish.
I am not sure if anyone else will benefit from these tips, but they help me in my daily struggle to maintain sanity in work, the classroom and at home. "_"
Jesse, your schedule not only seems mature but also manageable. Rewarding yourself with your guitar is Smart thinking!
ReplyDeleteYou could pass this advice on to freshmen who often have time management problems.
Reading about time management is paramount for me, this semester! I'm taking 18 hours, and a 12-hour/week internship. Time management is key for the next 12 weeks. Good on you for figuring out what works for you so early in the semester!
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your tips. I too have trouble with time management. Instead of working, I take care of my 20 month-old son and try to spend time for my husband while maintaining a 16-hour class load.
ReplyDeleteI have a hard time not procrastinating and making myself start on homework right away. I am just so afraid I will miss things with more son or I find myself distracted by time-waster websites such as facebook.
I really need to follow your model and try to be better at managing my time. Maybe we can all support each other together.
Good luck!