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Time Management: Will You Have the Edge?

Miles Davis, the famous Jazz musician said, “Time isn’t the main thing, it is the only

thing.” At one point, we have all wondered what it truly means to “manage time and have a

successful life.” For those who believe effective time management can improve the quality of

their lives, this doesn’t have to be just a one time project; we can all be a part of a long term

journey together. When one wastes time, it can nearly feel the same as losing happiness. In my

case, the art of time management is what I need the most in my life at the moment but it is not an

easy skill to execute. Often times daily, I feel controlled by time, when it should be the other way

around. I often feel guilty because of the one or two hours I waste every day and feel as if my life

is getting shorter day by day. Why? Because I felt there is no “life” in time used to daydream, or

because I hesitate prior to starting a task. I often wish to lessen the suffering during final exams

and find more fun in studying. There are still many times I have managed time well and balanced

school well, which makes me hopeful and joyous during my studies.

Many often underestimate the value of “time” but it is an important concept used to show

how long we are meant to exist in this world. As we may all know, human lives are short and we

need to use the best of our precious hours while we are still breathing. Many people confuse time

management with hard work I used to believe time management means working hard to finish a

task regardless of how much time is left after procrastinating all day. However, I learned from

countless attempts from the past that this isn’t quite the case. According to Mindtools, time

management is the “process of organizing and planning how to divide one’s time between

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specific activities.” In other words, good time management allows an individual to work

smarter--not harder--so that they get more done in less time, even when the time is tight and

pressures are high. Failing to manage our time damages our effectiveness and causes stress.

From my own efforts and struggles to manage time, the question I want to ask is: “How

have students used effective time management strategies to succeed academically and achieve

emotional wellbeing?” There are many ways to manage time and people may either add or not

use certain strategies, depending on which one works out best for them. At the end of the day,

people must not forget the three essentials when it comes to managing time effectively: Knowing

how to set priorities, having a calendar/to do list, and motivation.

First of all, “prioritization” comes prior to all other essentials of time management.

People need to understand which tasks must be prioritized over which tasks. Of course, things do

not have to be perfect before starting on tasks. However, people must have a general idea of what

needs to come first and they will get used to doing so as they practice day by day. According to

the Academic Resource Center of Webster University, one method they promote is for people to

just write down all the things they wish to do on a certain day, though it does not necessarily

have to be written on a calendar. People can note homework due or tests to take or personal

subjects they want to emphasize. This list is a reminder. People should use it to set priorities and

reduce decision-making and worry. If time is tight, people can move items to their long-term list

and rewrite this list each morning. It is crucial to use visualization every day (Martin).

Visualization becomes crucial in a way because it gives us preview in our head of how we are

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going to spend a day in order to finish a given task on that day. According to life coach Julia

Gleeson, one becomes more effective as they gain more uninterrupted time during the day to

work on important tasks. Coach Gleeson sets her priorities different from her three column

strategy. “I use three columns. The first one says ‘Up Now’, the second one says, ‘Coming Up’

and the Third one says, ‘Not Up,’” stated Coach Gleeson. She explained: “The trick is to make a

complete list of all that needs to be done first. Then look at the list and choose the one thing that

is essential to get done immediately. The ‘one thing’ goes in column one. In column Two,

Coming Up, go the other pressing things, preferably in order. The total number of things in this

column is usually less than ten. In Column Three, Not Up, are all the other items you need to

track, but not yet address.” Gleeson elaborated an organization techniques: For an example, if the

items are: prepare for an exam being given tomorrow, pay a bill that will be late tomorrow, write

an essay due next week, pick up food for dinner tonight. The priorities might be: paying the bill

because it will cost me $25 in late fees If I don’t get the bill payment in the mail today. That

would go in column one. Prepping for the exam would most likely end up in column two,

followed by getting food for dinner. Essay writing would be in column three. We must be able to

identify the activities that tend to disrupt our work and find a solution; we can do things such as

avoiding checking emails and answering the phone when we are in the middle of something

important. Instead, one should discipline themselves to work on a task single-mindedly until it’s

complete. It is essential that students follow a consistent routine that involves using strategies

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such as this. Once students stop being consistent or lose this daily flow of productivity, it can be

difficult to reestablish it.

Utilizing a calendar is very essential as well. One can use it to guard yourself from other

people's demands for our time and to accomplish whatever is on a To-do list. ​According to

Cornerstone University, ​“​A calendar allows you to see quickly when you are free and when you

have prior commitments. Planning events or other special occasions also becomes easier when

you know your availability”(Walburg). This shows that a calendar is such a significant tool

because it allows you to see all that is happening in your life just from a single glance. There are

people who are too lazy to take time to find out what is going on in their lives currently and what

important events will come up next in a few days. In other words, these are the ones who simply

just “go through the motions.” This can result in miscommunication with others while making

promises/event arrangements with them on a certain day. ​Lastly, having a calendar keeps people

realistic. ​According to “Successful Steps”, “Overestimating is a great way to ensure we don’t

feel rushed, and allows us that extra time in case unexpected events come up” (Rocha).

Overestimating have made individuals like myself realize that I can actually only finish 50% of

the task that I tried to finish in a estimated time that I thought was sufficient to finish this task.

Overestimating definitely relieves stress since people can stop feeling like they are being chased

by time.

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Though time management is meant to make work easy, nothing can be done without

motivation and drive. Though it depends on the individual, there are many ways to trigger

motivation and drive for a certain task. Especially if a student is working on a project, they can

try to perceive it differently. Did one choose it? If so, what was the original inspiration? If it was

assigned, can one find something exciting or interesting in the project that will allow them to

start? If it is something one dreads doing, is there a way to have someone else do it or have a

conversation with someone to help them find their place in the work? Procrastination is a mask

for fear of something: Failure, being made to do something, the thought that we don’t have

enough time, or we hate the assignment. Those thoughts will stop us in our tracks. Not to

mention, people must learn to change behavior or parts of their personalities if they wish to be

motivated and productive everyday. According to life coach Julia Gleeson, behavior styles and

people’s views of the world affects everything; if one has a foundational structure, it is still

possible to find a design that fits them, Gleeson explained. For instance, if a person loves details,

they still must do only one thing at a time. If they are more extraverted and enjoys to be around

people, maybe they will find others who also want to work on that one thing with them. If they

are go getters, and action is the most important thing, if they realize getting one thing done at a

time is actually the most efficient, they will fly through the list quickly. If they are nurturers, and

love to be sure people around them are cared for, they will accomplish their tasks with and eye to

be sure they are remaining. “Most importantly, students must know the good feeling after having

success from managing their time well. When it comes to academics, feeling competent brings

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out one’s maximum ability to complete each step of a given schoolwork,” Gleeson said. The

more confident one feels, the more they will be motivated to bring their work to a successful

conclusion.

New one interesting psychological aspect of organization is that our own competence is

greatly influenced by past experience. According to Gleeson, some individuals can remember

their past achievements easily, while others will more often think of the past challenges they

have been through in order to trigger their motivation. For example, they can think of a time

when they once failed an assignment or a test and they would motivate themselves by telling

themselves that they would not make it happen ever again. For some individuals however, they

may feel confident because they have been doing well in the past few weeks and it can be easier

for them to keep the same feeling of motivation from the past days. Gleeson added that the way

one starts out their mornings and nights will affect their motivation to be productive that day or

the day after. Once one is rested, then they must allow themselves to find when they are most

alert and trust that insight. “To put it simply, getting enough sleep the day before and planning

out their tasks before the next day or in the morning will become the motor for their motivation

on that certain day,” she said. People can do all sorts of things in the mornings or the night

before; they can read a list of future tasks that needs to be done, pray/meditate, or whatever

works out for them. Gleeson stated that studies show, “if you make your bed each morning the

brain gets into a structured mode and becomes happier. It is important that people strive to have

this feeling everyday because they get to become more productive while feeling happy at the

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same time.” People all just want to be happy at the at of the day and effective time management

can nearly equal to peace and happiness, according to Kathy Vose, a teacher from Northgate

High School.

As a conclusion, students and workers must follow the same essential tips for managing

their time properly. One similarity between all the highest achievers around me was that they

manage their time excellently. By using time-management techniques, one can improve their

ability to function more effectively even when there is high pressure and the time is tight. Of

course, one should always look to create maximum hours out of their daily life first. There is

always time that can be made in a single day; management is the more difficult part. Even when

people make hours to do their job on a certain day, they fail to finish their task due to lack of

management skills. Excellent time managers focus on every minutes intensively instead of

focusing on hours with a laid back mentality, which is the mistake I have made in my past.

In order to manage time effectively in teenage years up until adulthood, people must know how

to set priorities, have a calendar, and be motivated to become productive. In some instances

however, people also may find different strategies or time management skills of their own that

works out for them. People can always make any change in their strategies to bring satisfaction

and happiness: this may be the ultimate purpose of having good time management and it is what

everyone strives for at the end of the day.

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Works Cited

“17 Essential Time Management Skills to Boost Productivity.” ​Coaching Positive Performance,​
20 June 2018,
www.coachingpositiveperformance.com/17-essential-time-management-skills/​.

“Academic Skills Center.” ​Time Management Tips | Academic Skills Center​,

https://students.dartmouth.edu/academic-skills/learning-resources/time-management-tips

Bates, Jordan. “Work Smarter, Not Harder: 21 Time Management Tips to Hack Productivity.”
The Creativity Post,​
www.creativitypost.com/article/work_smarter_not_harder_21_time_management_tips_to
_hack_productivity​.

Collins, Bryan. “The Secrets Of Effective Calendar Management.” ​Forbes,​ Forbes Magazine, 31
July 2018,
www.forbes.com/sites/bryancollinseurope/2018/07/31/the-secrets-of-effective-calendar-
management/#6400eaa22c8a​.

Gleeson, Julie.Life Coach. Personal interview. 23 March 2019.

Jackson, Keith. “What Is Time Management?Working Smarter to Enhance Productivity.” ​Time

Management Skills From MindTools.com​,
www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_00.htm​.

Levasseur, Caroline. “Motivation and Time Management.”

https://www.hec.ca/en/students/support-resources/study-help-support/motivation-and-tim
e-management.pdf

Madsen, Susanne. “7 Essential Time Management Strategies.” ​LiquidPlanner,​ 9 Oct. 2018,

www.liquidplanner.com/blog/7-essential-time-management-strategies/​.

Martin, Donald. “How to Manage Time and Set Priorities.” ​How to Manage Time and Set
Priorities |
Webster University​,
www.webster.edu/academic-resource-center/managing-priorities.html​.

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“Music in the Workplace: Can It Help Productivity or Is It Treble?” ​Patriot Software for Small
Business​, 24 Aug. 2017,
https://smallbusiness.patriotsoftware.com/music-in-workplace-office-law-productivity/

Nyu. “Time Management.” ​NYU,​

www.nyu.edu/students/academic-services/undergraduate-advisement/academic-resource-
center/tutoring-and-learning/academic-skills-workshops/time-management.html​.

Rocha, Andrew. “5 Benefits of Using a Calendar Every Day.” ​Successful Steps,​ 19 Nov. 2017,
https://successfulstepsblog.com/2017/11/19/5-benefits-of-using-a-calendar-every-day/

“Study Guides and Strategies.” ​Time Management,​ www.studygs.net/timman.htm.

“Time Management.” ​Danny's Place,​ ​www.dannys-place.org/time-management​.

TRACY, BRIAN. ​TIME MANAGEMENT​. MANJUL Publishing House, 2018.

Voss, Kathy. Teacher. Northgate High School. 25 March 2019.

Walburg, Ellie. “Five Reasons You Should Be Keeping a Calendar.” ​Cornerstone University,​
www.cornerstone.edu/blogs/lifelong-learning-matters/post/five-reasons-you-should-be-ke
eping-a-calendar​.

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