Assignment 2: Organizing Your Time For Success Before You Be

Assignment 2 Organizing Your Time For Successbefore You Beginto Succ

Assignment 2: Organizing Your Time for Success Before You Begin… To successfully complete your assignment, you should have completed the following tasks: From the textbook, Keys to effective learning: Study skills and habits for success, read: Time and money: Managing important resources Setting and reaching goals: Using values, stress management, and teamwork Review materials under the topic of “Dealing with Stress” Review materials under the topic of “Time Management” Your education is definitely a priority, as is your job. Family, friends, hobbies, and religion are also priorities for many people. However, having many competing priorities can be stressful. To tackle this, mapping out deadlines, blocking out time that is “non-negotiable” such as that spent at work, and blocking out time for study and other responsibilities, and then creating a visual reference—a calendar—would be well worth your effort.

In this assignment, you will develop a calendar to highlight key dates, deadlines, and nonnegotiable blocks of time—your work and coursework schedule. For inclusion in your calendar, consider the following activities and appointments: Nonnegotiable dates, such as when your rent or mortgage is due; Healthcare appointments; Pressing deadlines for work projects; Deadlines for class assignments; Deadlines for your FAFSA application, if you need financial aid. Refer to Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). (2010). Retrieved from Dates connected with your income such as paydays at work; Family events and appointments; Time for sleep, personal hygiene, and relaxation. It may take some revisions to come up with the calendar that works best for you, but once completed, it becomes an effective time management tool.

In turn, this becomes a vital part of your learning plan. This assignment has two parts. Complete both parts.

Part I: Develop Calendar for Four Days

The first step in time management is to find out how you actually use your time. This Time Management exercise will help you discover exactly that.

Here’s how the Time Management exercise works. You will track your time for four days using this Microsoft Word template. You will plan each day in advance based on how you think it will turn out. Then you will track what actually happens in your calendar. Using your notes, itemize your calendar with the events from the four-day period that you were tracking.

Please make sure to appropriately label each item. Save this calendar as LastnameFirstInitial_M2_A2_Part1.doc.

Part II: Review and Reflection

Refer to the calendar that you completed in Part I. If you have not yet completed this exercise, please do so before continuing with the questions below. What did you learn about how you actually use time compared to how you planned to use your time?

Did you find places where you tend to ineffectively or inefficiently use your time? Did you find some pockets of time that you could use for high-priority tasks? What can you do to improve the way you manage your daily tasks? How do you plan to manage your schoolwork along with your other key priorities?

After a few days, review the calendar and the goals you developed in Part I of this assignment and respond to the following questions: Were your daily goals realistic considering the amount of time you gave yourself to fulfill them? Explain your response. If you have revised your initial goals after your review, explain why you think this revision is necessary and how your plans have changed as a result. If you have not revised your goals, consider what factors you may have failed to identify in your initial goal setting activity.

Paper For Above instruction

Effective time management is essential for academic success and personal well-being. Developing an understanding of how time is allocated in daily life enables students to identify inefficiencies and optimize their schedules for achieving goals while maintaining a balanced lifestyle. This paper explores the process of creating a personal time management plan, focusing on practical steps such as tracking time, identifying priorities, and reflecting on actual versus planned activities.

The initial step in effective time management involves self-awareness: understanding how time is actually spent. The prescribed exercise requires students to track their activities over four days, creating a detailed record of each activity, from academic obligations to personal routines. Using a structured template, students plan their days in advance, then record actual activities, enabling comparison between expectations and reality. This process reveals patterns of time usage, helping to identify areas of inefficiency or potential for high-priority tasks.

Research emphasizes the importance of planning and flexibility in managing time. According to Lakein (1973), “time management is about making the most of your time by setting priorities and sticking to them.” The process of mapping out a schedule necessitates recognizing non-negotiable commitments such as work hours, healthcare appointments, family events, and sleep. Incorporating these into a visual calendar provides clarity and helps prevent overcommitment. Accurate planning ensures that essential tasks are prioritized, reducing stress and enhancing productivity.

Once the calendar is developed, the reflection process facilitates critical evaluation of time management strategies. Students are encouraged to compare their planned activities with actual behaviors, noting discrepancies and analyzing causes. For example, unexpected interruptions, procrastination, or underestimating task durations often lead to time crunches. By identifying these tendencies, students can implement adjustments, such as allocating buffer periods or minimizing distractions.

In addition to analyzing past behavior, students are prompted to consider how effective their initial goals were. Were they realistic? Did they allow sufficient time for each activity? If goals were overly ambitious, revisions are necessary, and understanding why helps refine future planning. For example, underestimating commute times or overestimating motivation levels can lead to setting unachievable goals. Recognizing these factors enhances future time management strategies, helping students establish attainable objectives aligned with their actual capacity.

Furthermore, integrating this exercise into a broader learning plan encourages students to balance academic, personal, and professional commitments. Developing a manageable schedule reduces stress and enhances focus, ultimately contributing to academic success. Regular review and adjustment of schedules foster adaptability, ensuring that priorities are consistently aligned with evolving circumstances. This ongoing process supports sustained productivity and well-being.

Current literature supports the efficacy of such structured approaches. Britton and Tesser (1991) found that students who actively engage in planning and reflection outperform peers who do not. Moreover, creating realistic schedules that include time for self-care, sleep, and relaxation is vital for maintaining mental health, as emphasized by Myers (2008). Efficient time management does not merely involve plugging hours into a calendar but fostering a sustainable rhythm that accommodates life's multifaceted demands.

In conclusion, creating a personal calendar based on actual activities and reflecting on its accuracy and efficacy are crucial steps in developing robust time management habits. By continuously analyzing and adjusting their schedules, students can improve efficiency, reduce stress, and achieve their academic and personal goals. The process underscores the importance of self-awareness, realistic planning, and flexibility, all of which are fundamental to long-term success in higher education and beyond.

References

• Britton, B. K., & Tesser, A. (1991). Effects of Time-Management Practices on students' Academic Performance. Journal of Educational Psychology, 83(3), 405-410.
• Lakein, A. (1973). How to get control of your time and your life. New York: P.H. Wyden.
• Myers, D. G. (2008). Psychology (8th ed.). New York: Worth Publishers.
• Schraw, G., & Olafson, L. (2000). Teachers’ using goal setting to improve motivation and achievement. In R. J. Sternberg (Ed.), Teaching for Wisdom, Intelligence, Creativity, and Success.
• Schraw, G., & Moshman, D. (1995). Metacognitive Views of Self-Regulated Learning. Educational Psychology Review, 7(4), 351-371.
• Zimmerman, B. J. (2002). Becoming a Self-Regulated Learner: An Overview. Theory into Practice, 41(2), 64-70.
• Schunk, D. H., & DiBenedett, J. (2020). Motivation in Education: Theory, Research, and Practice (6th ed.). Pearson.
• Covey, S. R. (1989). The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Free Press.
• Allen, D. (2001). Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity. Penguin Books.
• Macan, T. H. (1994). Time Management: Test of a Process Model. Journal of Applied Psychology, 79(3), 381-391.