Narrative Essay on Time Management

During my studies, I find time management to be quite difficult due to other obligations I have going on in my life. Balancing parenthood, work, being a good spouse and perusing a degree can be a daunting stream of events. I have taken multiple leadership courses during my time in the military where I have learned many methods for schedule building and time management. First, I assess and analyze what needs to be achieved and then I set realistic goals. After I gather the information from the analysis, I make a schedule consisting of macro and micro time blocks. Second, I prioritize the schedule in which I deem critical to success. Lastly, finding a quiet place free of distractions to chip away at the tasks is probably the most important to myself in order to be successful. Utilizing the combination of time management skills promotes an environment for me to accomplish my tasks.

Assess and Analyze

In the assessment and analysis phase, I collect the tasks that must be completed and determine the weight that each one holds. “A time analysis only needs to be done for a week or two to give us a pretty good idea of where our time is going” (Thriving at Trident). It is imperative that I do not bite off more than I can chew in this phase and avoid becoming overwhelmed. Once I have a good foundation of what needs to be done, I create a macro and micro calendar to schedule the tasks. I start with a weekly project list and break it down to days and hours. This helps me set and achieve realistic goals.

Prioritizing the Schedule

One of the most difficult things when dealing with time management is putting tasks into place. (Eisenhower Matrix) “The method helps to prioritize tasks by urgency and importance while sorting out less urgent and important tasks which you should either delegate or not do at all.” By identifying the importance of each task, I can then prioritize them appropriately. I start by putting the most significant tasks first. If my schedule fills up with the larger tasks, I then can start omitting smaller tasks and shift them on the next planning cycle. I like to think of tasks as rubber and glass balls. Glass balls signify higher priority tasks, and if dropped there will be catastrophic repercussions. Rubber balls are small tasks that will come back for another day. Once my schedule is full it is time to start chipping away at the tasks.

Distraction Free

The vicious cycle of procrastination haunts me while I attempt to manage everything that needs to get completed. If I do not isolate myself, I find myself wandering, then eventually watching TV, or doing anything other than what needs to be accomplished. My wife is great with managing the kids and chores so I can be distraction free while I work. For me, this is one of the most difficult things to master. I must really be cognizant of my surroundings and minimize as many distractions as possible. Just like anything else, practice makes perfect. The more you put this into practice, it will become like second nature.

Utilizing these time management methods aids in my success of college, work, and personal life. Now that I am pursuing my bachelor's degree, I must ensure I stick to the fundamentals of fighting procrastination. If I start to miss scheduled time blocks, I will continue to follow down the detrimental effects of misusing my time. The best advice I would give to my self is take it day by day and task by task. Following this advice is a sure way to keep up with a busy lifestyle.