Abstract

Time management is key to every person’s everyday life. By having proper time management, it creates dependability among oneself, as well as one’s family and peers, and show reliability and efficiency. In today’s economy, the increase load of work has made life even more hectic, but thankfully technology has also evolved, creating more resources to help aid in time availability. Having these resources, allows for even stress management due to the ease that people as a society are being allowed to access, leading to a possibility of even healthier lives amongst oneself.

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In the world we know today, our ways of life have been easier in several ways including being able to create our own schedule versus having assistants creating them for us and advancement in technology, creating the need for said assistants almost nonexistent. By being allowed to create our own schedules, we have better knowledge and control of our day to day needs and wants, this also allows the sense of having control over our own lives instead of someone else controlling this for us. Advancement in technology has also made personal time management more manageable. Cellphones for starters has allowed not only myself, but the world to have their schedule in the palm of our hands. When sudden changes in life happen, we can see in an instant not only our daily, but weekly, monthly, and even yearly schedules to be allowed to adapt to such changes. Even with different technology, I and the world can attend school or meetings with almost anyone, anywhere, and any establishment in our lives i.e. at home, our cars, coffee shops and diners, or if in busy communities like Los Angeles or New York City, cabs, subways, and buses directly from our phones or laptops with anyone in the world, instead of business offices or having to travel long distances and be away from family (Mancini p. 3). Plus, the advancement of the internet, texting, email and voicemail has helped aid in better time management. These allowances make for more realistic time management for everyday life for myself, ensuring that all deadlines for school as well as deadlines for my professional life.

First, by being allowed to have access to control my own schedule, I can decide happens to my life on a day to day basis as well has have a better learning experience of learning new ways to manage time efficiently. Being a college student as well as a stay-at-home mom, being able to manage my time is important by being able to take care of my family and having an appropriate amount of bonding time with my kids, while still being allowed enough time to study for classes. It has been found that in high school, time management is easier because students are in structured environment for majority of the day. Each day there is a set schedule for students, where as in college classes are on specific days, as specific time. One class would be on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday, at 8:00 a.m. whereas there could be a class that is only on Tuesday and Thursday at 2:35 p.m. (Dembo p. 139). Thus college students need to have more time-management on a personal level. Now adding being a mom in college, I have to be able to not only allow myself that time to ensure my kids are getting to school, but that childcare for them for myself to attend required times for school is also established and being able to manage my schedule, I am also able to add other necessary needs i.e. doctor appointments, into my day. Knowing that I have a set schedule for school, I can work around my personal life to be able to have all my needs met. Appropriate time management consists of several strategies; analyzing use of time, developing a time management system, and using strategies to prevent procrastination (p. 140).

“I feel very hyperactive…I do one thing, and my mind races to another subject…I remember what I’m putting on hold, and I go back to finish my original task…I feel like I’m postponing what I really have to do, because I’m too lazy or too distracted to do it at that time…I’m avoiding everything that I have to get done.” (p. 140)

Next, the advancement of technology is believed to aid in time management, however nobody can control time but in reality controls the person. Before personal assistants were needed for those with extremely busy lives i.e. business owners & fashion designers, and these people managed other peoples’ lives, possibly creating greater stress amongst oneself as well as those who work with said person. Time cannot be replaced or created, once it is wasted, that time is gone forever (Alexander p. 5-6). Time was actually created by man for convenience, a convenience that can be then pawned on someone else with personal time is not managed appropriately (p. 6). Having the privilege of advanced technology has help aid time management on the more personal level and cuts out the middle man of assistants. In society, it seemed as if everyone had to be in a specific place at a specific time; as the saying goes “if only I could be in two places at one time…”, now I as well as others can have the chance for that to seem possible. Having advancement from corded phone, to the first cellphone, to touchscreen smart phones, as well as better advancements with cameras, and microphone in the smart phones, both personal and professional lives can be better handled literally in the palms of our hands. Having the luxury of the smart phone has made school life much easier for in the course of the 4 years that I have attended school. I can research topics directly from my phone, from anywhere that I may be, and complete assignments without ever having to look at a computer. Technology has also made it easier by companies creating different applications on phones that if I am in an area where there is no internet connection, I can turn on an application on my phone and connect my laptop to my phone for wireless internet connection.

Another convenience is the advancement in internet. Internet is still relatively new in the world today, being created in the 1983, but becoming more recognizable in 1990 with the invention of the World Wide Web. Personal and professional time is now even better managed because the time that used to be wasted to be able to go where myself as well as other could learn of a topic, can now be done directly from our phones without ever having to leave home. That time can now be used in a more convenient way; more time for studies, work or more time with family. Managing my own time allows me to be able to set windows of time to be able to have quality time with my kids, or even be able to spend one-on-one time with them, and being a college student as well as a working mom, time is greatly valued. I have learned that being able to manage my time better, by not only have new advance technology at my fingertips, but being able to write down my goals or quick notes if I receive an important phone call and need to remember times and days. I also make a list of what my schedule will be like the next day, whether it is written down or I apply it into an application or widget on my phone. I have found it easier however that being able to add notes to my phone, I am more likely going to remember important events because I am able to see every time I look at my phone and see my notes of what needs to be done, whether is for daily events or for something in the future. I can also set reminders on my phone for events that are not only important, but that also may be urgent. Reminders are able to be set that I receive one when I wake in the morning and then multiple times throughout the day, right up to the point when the event is about to happen.

Another advantage to technology is the other resources other that calling and hand-held search engines. Texting, email, and voicemail are also some major advantages due to the different ways of communication. Back before these were created, people didn’t have the option to just send a quick note or leave a message to someone that they needed to get ahold of efficiently. In some scenarios, letters would have to be sent by the post office and may or not reach its destination. There is no one-size-fits-all on time management (setting priorities, planning ahead, delegating), however several books and systems fail to see otherwise (Mancini p. 24). Experience in life seems to show that the one-for-all technique is far from true and that to being able to lead a time manageable and be able to stress manage as well. One form is known as a linear fashion, having the need to complete one task to the fullest prior to beginning another. being able to allow this, helps ensure that each project is complete thoroughly and efficiently, however doing so can set the possibility of other tasks being delayed if deadlines are not met for each task. Multitasking is also efficient, this helps a person feel like that they are completing multiple tasks at once, while being able to still complete the main goal. This can however, raise the risks for more mistakes and then having to go back and redo or edit the mistake that was made, which can cause delays as well, “…like those plate spinners who somehow manage to keep seven or eight disks spinning simultaneously on top of tall poles.). There’s also those that are known as the “sprinters”, using short bursts of energy to complete tasks, or the “cross-country”, less energy being used but can go longer distances for tasks being completed. (p.24)

All in all, tasks need to be prioritized in a way that works for each individual person. Procrastination can only affect and waste valuable time that we as people cannot get back. The world we live in today is chaotic, but I myself, seem to be able to complete multiple tasks at once, while still completing the main goal; school studies, home life, mom-life, work-life, all which mesh together and I am still happy at the end of the day. I am still happy that I can manage my own time to be able to ensure efficiency. I like that I am able to have more control over my life as well as be in the era of where technology is advancing more than ever. I can make my own schedule, or schedule important event around set schedules such as school or work, and I have access to that schedule in the palm of my hand that I can adjust at any time. Time management is key to every person’s everyday life. By having proper time management, it creates dependability among oneself, as well as one’s family and peers, and show reliability and efficiency. The increase load of work has made life even more hectic, however having these resources, allows for even stress management due to the ease that people as a society are being allowed to access, leading to a possibility of even healthier lives amongst oneself.

References

Mancini, M. (2003). Time Management. New York: McGraw-Hill Professional. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.aclin.org:2048/login?auth=pcc&url=http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.aclin.org:2048/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=93212&site=eds-live&scope=site&custid=s8986274

Dembo, M. H. (2004). Motivation and Learning Strategies for College Success: A Self-Management Approach (Vol. 2nd Edi.). Mahwah, NJ: Taylor & Francis [CAM]. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.aclin.org:2048/login?auth=pcc&url=http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.aclin.org:2048/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=108361&site=eds-live&scope=site&custid=s8986274

Alexander, R. (1992). Commonsense Time Management. New York, NY: AMACOM. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.aclin.org:2048/login?auth=pcc&url=http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.aclin.org:2048/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=2637&site=eds-live&scope=site&custid=s8986274