If I have freshly relearned anything during my time at Camosun, it’s the unshakeable value of time management. It’s one of those lessons I’ve had to keep learning over the years, utilizing strong time-management skills while busy and throwing everything to the wind when my to-do list shrinks. Like most students, I work a lot during the school year, resulting in efficiently using the time available to complete schoolwork while balancing other responsibilities (like researching and writing this column).
Without classes this summer, I can be downright lazy after work. Tasks that used to take 30 minutes stretch out to fill the hours during lazy summer days free of essays, discussion posts, and other pieces of schoolwork.
In short, my productivity has decreased and it’s bothering me. What benefits am I missing out on? Is it impacting my health? What about other facets of life?
The number-one perk of good time management is experiencing less stress. Stress can cause myriad health problems, so finding ways to avoid creating stressful situations is essential to maintaining that delicate balance of mental health during the school year (also known as that sinking feeling when two essays are due on the same day and you haven’t started either of them yet and you reach for the chocolate and fries).
In my mind, there are two types of activity: the get-to-dos and the have-to-dos. Often, my have-to-dos spread out and take over all of the time in a day, bumping get-to-do activities off of the day’s agenda. One strategy that really helps me complete tasks like cleaning the toilet or studying a blah topic is to decide how long the task should take, set a timer, and race to finish it off in that span of time. This makes the task actually end, and it also makes it feel slightly more fun than cleaning a toilet. The main benefit of this, however, is that I get to have more fun.
The main life benefit to time management is that it opens up opportunities to try new things, like volunteering in an exciting role, finally getting into running (and not just pretending, like I do), or dipping into your creative side and learning how to play a new instrument.
In short, time management is not just something that people nag other people about. It’s actually useful and can make your life better. If you are anticipating a busy school year this year, plan ahead to get ahead. It might make all the difference.