Time Management

For clarification, I didn't look at this assignment early enough to make a schedule off predictions of how much time I spend on each thing, but for my Stats class I have to keep track of my everyday schedule so the information in calendar is the reality of my everyday schedule. My schedule looks hectic, but I'm still able to get all my assignments done in a timely manner and not stress about cutting too close to deadlines.

Looking at my schedule, it may seem like I procrastinate a lot because I have a lot of "time wasters" but I see them as mental breaks. As someone who is taking over 12 units this semester with classes that does everything asynchronously, I know how important it is to not procrastinate so majority of my days are filled with hours of studying and doing homework. Every once in a while I'll take social media and Netflix breaks to take my mind off of school for about 10 to 30 minutes. I've found these breaks crucial because, doing school work for several hours can be mentally draining and when I've realized how bad my anxiety gets when I'm under a lot of stress. I know that sometimes when I'm taking a break, I can get carried away, so what my 30 minute breaks occasionally turns into an hour or two. My group had suggested that whenever I take a break I should set a timer or an alarm to let me know when I need to get back to studying. If I'm able to successfully apply this suggestion to my study habits, I may be able to get assignments done sooner and not work all day on homework. However, this may depend because I do tend to spend a lot longer than most people to complete assignments. At times, I'm a slow learner and it takes a longer time for me to comprehend a material I'm learning before I fully understand it. I don't believe it's a bad thing because everyone learns at a different pace, and though it may take longer for me to comprehend a lesson, at the end of the day, I'm able to get to a point where I understand the lesson and complete assignments. 

In my schedule, you may see that sometimes I spend several hours of my day babysitting, and this is because I live with two of my nephews. For the most part, babysitting doesn't interfere a lot with school but I do spend a lot of my free time babysitting. If I didn't have to babysit, I could use that time wisely to work ahead on assignments with later due dates. 

I've noticed that my sleep schedule and eating habits need some improvements. Although I'm still getting a decent amount of hours of sleep, it would be a lot healthier if I could get rid of my screens at night and go to sleep early. Without my screens, I may be able to go to sleep around 11 PM instead of 2 or 3 in the morning like I usually do. I know in my last blog I mentioned that I wanted to begin working out, but I've had a hard time making that transition due to my sleep schedule. One thing that really took me by surprise looking at my schedule was that I don't really eat as much. I especially don't eat breakfast as much anymore and I believe that waking up late is a big factor in that. I also noticed that there was one day where I only ate one meal. To improve my eating habits, I may need to set reminders to eat. 

So far, I have a really good system going that has helped me stay on track with school. I've found that keeping a physical planner is very helpful, especially since college is about accountability and being responsible for your own work; professors aren't going to constantly remind us that an assignment is due soon. Every Monday, before I begin homework, I open the Canvas calendar and copy all the assignments due for that week onto the monthly part of my physical planner. Then I go to the weekly part of my planner and write what I need to get done for the day in order to meet deadlines. As I complete assignments I highlight them so I know what I've completed and see what else I need to get done. I find this method really satisfying because it's a reminder that everyday I'm accomplishing something. It's also fulfilling to see everything highlighted by the end of the week. Through this system, I'm not procrastinating as much and I'm able to manage my time wisely so that I can complete assignments in a less stressful manner. 

In order for me to successfully complete this semester, I would need to stay organized and keep up with the system that I have going right now. I would also need to implement timers and alarms into my breaks so that I'm not losing track of time.