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Taleah Gregg

Mrs. Davis

Composition 1

October 11, 2023

A Key Importance of Success

When it comes to time management and my strategies, it makes me quite anxious. I

believe that time management can make or break your future. I can’t succeed in school or my

future career if I can’t show up on time. A teacher nor a boss wants to waste their time on

someone who isn’t going to put forth the effort to show up on time. My strategies consist of

triple-checking times the night before, writing down important events and times on a planner,

and always giving myself extra time, even if that means waking up early.

I get the worst anxiety when it comes to showing up on time. Being late is my worst fear,

and I have always lived by “if you aren’t early, you are late.” I often doubt the arrival time or

how long it may take to get somewhere. Due to this fear, I check at least five times the night

before. After reviewing the time, I always set several alarms, usually two different ones for when

I need to wake up and one for when I have about five minutes before leaving. I also think that

this is a good practice for my future and career goals. Making sure I am getting to class and

important events on time is essential, but it’s also preparing me for my plans. My ultimate career

goal is to own my own business. I can’t arrive at my own business late, so I focus on making it a

routine now to always be on time.

Something that has become my best friend ever since I got to college is my physical

planner. I write everything down in it, even something as small as doing my laundry. Physically

seeing what I need to do for the day or homework assignments that are due, I think, has helped
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tremendously. I enjoy crossing my tasks off during the day, and it helps me feel more productive

even if I haven’t accomplished much. I bring my planner almost everywhere; I never know when

I might hear or think of something I must write down. Seeing everything thoughtfully written

down with due dates and times also helps me feel less stressed. I can see what is expected on

what days, and it makes me not feel like I need to get it all done in one day. At first, I would

mark tasks off with a pen, but over time, I realized I would miss a simple task. Now, I use a

bright pink marker and never miss assignments. This has helped my assignments be thoughtfully

done and on time.

No matter how miserable I might feel waking up just a bit earlier, I know it must be done.

Not only do I stress about getting places on time, but I also hate being rushed. I like to wake up

and prepare for the day without feeling pressured. Growing up in the middle of nowhere, I never

had many obstacles slowing me down on my way to school besides a farmer. Now that I am here

in Stillwater, it took me a few weeks to be courteous of the stoplights. I also fear arriving to class

late because I would get embarrassed if I walked in and everyone just looked at me. That is one

of my biggest encouragements to always make it to class on time. Another advantage of waking

up earlier is that it allows me to get comfortable in my seat and get all my belongings out. I hate

to be a distraction in class, and zipping my bag can be loud. I like to get there early and get all

my belongings out and the assignment for the day pulled up so I am prepared before the teacher

even walks in. I think this strategy can be helpful for me and my future when I have kids. I see

my sisters struggle to get out the door on time with their kids, and practicing my time

management now will help me be successful.

Time management is essential, and how you go about it is even more critical. Life gets

more important every day leading up to your career, and practicing these strategies now will help
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me in the long run. I hope and pray that I will succeed in my career one day, but I know the steps

to get me there are crucial. Making sure to give myself extra time, being courteous of times, and

checking them often, as well as writing down tasks in my planner, is something I will always

practice and I believe will make me successful one day.