Research Based Service Learning Project Time Management example essay topic

Derrick Smith English 373 December 6, 2004 Project 4: Research Based Service-Learning Project Time Management: Putting Time on Your Side Time is life. It is irreversible and irreplaceable. To waste one's time is to waste one's life, but mastery of time usage is mastery of life and making the most of it. Einstein once said, "There is no absolute relation in time between two events, but there is an absolute relation between space and time" (Sharp 1).

Time is a mystery. It cannot be tied down by definition or confined inside a formula. Like gravity, it is a phenomenon that we can experience but cannot understand. We are aware of the ageing of our bodies, of the effects of the movements of our planet, and of the ticking of the clock. We learn a little about what we call the past and we know that change is built into our lives. But neither philosophers nor scientists have been able to analyze and explain all of the meaning of time.

Not only have they failed to provide easy explanations, but their efforts sometimes seem to have made mystery more mysterious and to have shown us that our lack of understanding was even greater than we supposed. Some philosophers argue that the passage of time is an important metaphysical fact, but one that can only be grasped by non-rational intuition. Others tell us that the flow of time is an illusion and that the future can no more be changed than the past. Some believe that future events come into existence as the present; the future becomes the actual "moment-in-being". When spending money, one presumably tries to balance their expenditures in such a way as to obtain the best possible yield. This means that one will probably refrain from spending all of their assets on a single commodity.

Instead, one will distribute their expenditure over a variety of different goods and services. The optimum situation will have been reached when it is impossible to increase satisfaction by reducing expenditure in one field and making a corresponding increase in another. A more technical description of this condition of equilibrium would be to say that the marginal utility of one dollar must be the same in all different sectors of expenditures. In the same manner, one tries to economize with their time resources. They must be so distributed as to give an equal yield in all sects of use.

Otherwise, it would pay to transfer time from an activity with a low yield to one with a high yield and to continue to do this until equilibrium has been achieved. But in reality, neither concentrating all of one's time and efforts to one activity alone, nor spreading one's time equally across activities of unequal importance are good methods of managing time. Time is a scarce resource, although in a rather special way. The amount of iron-ore in the world is fixed. When it has all been converted into iron and steel, we must then rely on recycling or find other metals as an alternative. Time is inexhaustible, and there are three time related constraints that prohibit us as humans from doing everything we want.

We do not live forever, know not how much time we have left, and cannot use the same sect of time to carry out multiple activities. With the assistance of technology and the somewhat modern philosophy of multi-tasking, we are able to accomplish more than ever. Nonetheless, no one can be in two places at once". 'I feel like I waste so much of my time doing things that are not really important to me, while my life is slipping away,' or, 'I have so much to do; there's just not enough time for me to do it all,' and even, 'I'm harassed, overworked, tired, and tense.

I seem to be forever pushing myself, and can't ever relax completely' are usually the last words you hear people with time management problems say before they reach their breaking point' " (Lakien 25). There is no such thing as a lack of time. Everyone has twenty-four hours each day to do what you want or need to do. Some people may think that they are too busy, but there is always someone who is "busier" and is still able to keep their respective tasks-at-hand under control. It is not because some people have more time than others, but because they use their time to better advantage.

Time management is an idea that has benefits for everyone, no matter what their age or job-title may be. When one manages their time wisely they are in control of their time and their life. Controlling time begins with planning. Planning is the process by which one coalesces tasks into a logical pattern.

Many people feel that a plan does nothing but fence them in, but a plan can actually be a roadmap to freedom. No matter how busy one may seem to be, there should always be time set aside to schedule their daily events. The less time there is to spare, the more important it is to plan one's time carefully. Even if ten minutes is spent at the start or end of the day, the repayment of making a schedule will be many times over.

Writing down daily plans helps you free your mind of clutter, and it can help one's concentration for what is currently taking place. Also, seeing your plans written down on paper acts a good reminder of what is ahead. Effective time use is a skill that can be acquired. Effectiveness should take precedence over efficiency.

Pertaining to time management, effectiveness means selecting the best or most important task from all the possibilities available, and then doing it to the best of one's ability. Making the right choices about how to use time is more important than doing efficiently whatever job seems to be the easiest. Working smarter, not harder, will help keep priorities in line, and it will make life easier. Efficiency is not nearly important as effectiveness-the ultimate goal of time management. However, efficiency should not be a concept of managing time that is completely forgotten.

After making a prioritized schedule, it is important to get as many of one's top goals completed as possible, and perhaps as soon as possible, too. Efficiently accomplishing goals will make plenty of time to spare for relaxation and recreation. Having free time will make life more enjoyable and will keep a busy person at a relatively constant level of sanity. When scheduling daily plans, it is important to remember that there are several key aspects of time management that will help operations run more smoothly. First, do not construct a cluttered schedule. Having frivolous activities that can easily be remembered, or activities that are not important enough to make a day's particular schedule should be left off entirely.

Also, make sure that the schedule has flexibility. Being flexible is necessary for unseen events that may take place. No one can be certain of any given day's occurrences, and there should be some amount of spare time to accommodate any unexpected happenings. Finally, learning how and when to say "no" is vital to maintaining a clutter-free, prioritized schedule. This one word, used promptly, properly, and with courtesy can save one a great deal of time.

Doing what is important, and not letting other people's time mismanagement become a personal obligation will save time and decrease stress. When making a daily plan, the decision making process to determine what should make the list is sometimes the hardest. Some tasks may seem as important as others, but deciding what task should take precedence can be done in a very systematic manner. Decide if what is a "prospective listed task" is being done out of habit, being demanded by others, a "spur of the moment" activity, a form of escapism, or a conscious decision. Knowing how to classify each task individually certainly sorts them, but it also helps one see the importance of each task.

Procrastination could quite possibly be the most wide-spread epidemic in the realm of time management, and it is usually the cause of poor time management. Putting off or delaying tasks, to a large degree, is caused by setting impossibly high standards. Knowing that a certain task simply cannot be done because of a seeming lack of time or because of the task's level of difficulty causes one to ignore it, delay it's completion indefinitely, or taking the desperate measure of waiting until the last possible minute to begin in hopes that the pressure will give a sense of inspiration. Perfectionism is also a main trait that many procrastinators exude. Perfectionism comes in many forms. Whether it is over-organization, over-conscientiousness, or one who is just too hard on their self, being a perfectionist can drive anyone to procrastinate.

A number of interruptions should be expected daily. Interruptions can also disrupt a plan or cause procrastination. However, many of these interruptions can be skillfully eliminated or avoided altogether. Making notes of interruptions that obstruct your progress, and make note of how that time was spent. This one little action can help avoid recurring and needless interruptions. Sometimes interruptions cannot be avoided or eliminated, and one must simply learn how to work through them.

An imperfect situation should not be an excuse to do nothing. There will always be interruptions in one form or another, so it is not wise to wait for them to disappear before starting a task. Mackenzie, a top advisor to many companies and individuals on time management, made list of twenty "time-wasters" that were comprised of more than twenty-five years of research: management by crisis, telephone interruptions, inadequate planning, attempting too much, drop-in visitors, ineffective delegation, personal disorganization, lack of self-discipline, inability to say no, procrastination, meetings, paper work, leaving tasks unfinished, inadequate staff, socializing, confused responsibility and / or authority, poor communication, inadequate controls and progress reports, incomplete information, and travel. Some of the aforementioned time wasters have already been covered earlier in this paper, and some of them do not pertain to students at all.

But all of them will be applicable to someone or even to us students at a different phase of our lives, namely in our careers. Time management, if learned properly earlier in life, can be a very useful tool for the future. Staying on task can be a very difficult task within itself. Learning how to block unnecessary interruptions, conquer procrastination, and avoid time wasters are key elements to staying on task.

When a task has begun, complete it or at least complete as much as possible in its allotted time. Concentrating on the task at hand is the foundation for Kozoll's approach to self-organization". 'I generally work back from the outcome and due date to the beginning point of each major project. From that mental picture, I then outline all the activities or steps to be completed. I then make a list of what must be done each day and plot out the major tasks in my mind from start to finish' " (Kozoll 103). Knowing the outcome desired and the steps to reach that goal can work as a catalyst.

It can make one start even sooner and stay with an important task to completion, despite many interruptions that may arise. Making changes in one's life and how one manages time starts with the present point in time. It is never too early, nor is it ever too late to begin practicing time management. There are many systems to managing time.

Find the one that fits the best around personal constraints. Determine what is important and what is a "time-waster". Make a clear distinction between things that are needless interruptions and what are unexpected happenings that must be tended to. Segment large projects into smaller, more manageable units using periods of available time. Focus on the task at hand by mentally establishing successful outcomes and working back to identify the steps that lead there.

Make a daily, prioritized schedule of tasks and events. Write things down for memory's sake and to keep a clutter free mind. Time management is a skill that needs to be practiced, and once perfected, it will make light of any busy schedule for any busy person.

Bibliography

Sharp, Clifford. The Economics of Time. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1981 Lakien, Alan.
How to Get Control of Your Time and Your Life. New York: David McKay Co., 1973 Schofield, De niece.
Confessions of an Organized Housewife. Cincinnati, Ohio: Writer's Digest Books, 1984 Linder, Staff an Buren stam.
The Harried Leisure Class. New York: Columbia University Press, 1970 Kozoll, Charles E.
Coaches Guide to Time Management. Champaign, Illinois: Human Kinetics Publishers, Inc., 1985 Mackenzie, Alec.
The Time Trap. New York: Amacom, 1990 Winston, Stephanie.
Getting Organized. New York: Warner Books, 1978.