As we age, the more responsibilities and obligations we have and the more overwhelmed we can get. As many of you know, we can't always control what will happen to us next, but having good time management will help us feel less pressured and give us more control over the outcome of many situations. Of course, I am nowhere close to being an expert at time management but I do have a lot of experience in knowing the difference between having good managing skills and not having any at all.
In high school, we were told many times to “use our time wisely”. While having 8 classes a day, sports, clubs, work, and schoolwork; we often got overwhelmed and made it difficult for us to manage our time better. With having so many activities, high school does help with your management skills to some extent but it can also make it difficult leading up to adulthood. What I mean by that, is when we graduate, we took on new challenges leading towards adulthood. In high school, most of our day was structured for us, and yes, we did rely on our own actions throughout the day but most of the time, we had a plan throughout the day to go to classes and do our usual activities. We tended to not have a lot of free time and most of what we do repeats over and over again.
In college, however, it is a little different. We are still structured based on our schedules but we do have a lot more time on our hands and find ways to occupy our breaks in between classes. Unlike high school, we don’t always take the same classes five days a week and while I am in both Cross Country and Campus Ministry, the days don’t always feel like they repeat over and over again. While it can be nice to have some spare time during the day, we often end up being lazy and unmotivated to do anything productive. There are days where I would like to lay in my bed during my free time and watch videos on my phone. Even though I feel tempted to develop bad habits, that break during the day can be a good thing if you manage to get up and do things that would be beneficial to you. Usually, when I am free, I try to do other things to occupy my time but also have time to look at my phone as well. For example, I try to set alarms to times where I should get off my phone, which is very helpful for the most part. Sometimes I do override the alarm and stay on my phone for longer but most of the time I try to stay committed to the time span I planned beforehand. Currently, I am trying to get into the habit of reading. It does strengthen my mind even though it is difficult and staring at a screen isn’t good for you and certainly shouldn’t be the only thing you can do during your spare time.
For most of my days this semester, I’ve been waking up fairly early to go to the chapel on campus and pray. I start off with the 5 decades of the Rosary, I pray to St. Michael the Archangel, peace, others around me, and reflect on how to continue to remain holy throughout the day. Starting off the day with a peaceful mindset with God and Holy Mother Church encourages me to be motivated to stick to a productive schedule. I’ve noticed how prayer is so important to everyday life because when I don’t pray in the morning, I tend to be lazy and just go on social media the majority of the day. I know many of you who are reading this may not be Catholic or do not practice a religion but I do know it is important to find that peaceful moment so you can get through the day productively.
Another practice I usually do is to write everything I need to do each day. When I list the things I need to do, I tend to be more responsible and feel more satisfied in the long run. Of course, there have been days where I do not write everything down and that normally can lead to laziness or just doing the bare minimum of what you need to do that day. I also try to write the things I need to get done first and then write the things I want to do last so my day will run smoothly and can relax towards the evening. I have realized when the day goes on, you get more tired every passing hour. That is why it is important to do what you need to get done first so you won’t put it off to tomorrow. Time management can be difficult but it can be doable, as long as you put your mind to it. There is so much in this world that can distract you and can lead to bad habits but once you get into the good habits, you will feel more satisfied and know what your priorities are.
In high school, we were told many times to “use our time wisely”. While having 8 classes a day, sports, clubs, work, and schoolwork; we often got overwhelmed and made it difficult for us to manage our time better. With having so many activities, high school does help with your management skills to some extent but it can also make it difficult leading up to adulthood. What I mean by that, is when we graduate, we took on new challenges leading towards adulthood. In high school, most of our day was structured for us, and yes, we did rely on our own actions throughout the day but most of the time, we had a plan throughout the day to go to classes and do our usual activities. We tended to not have a lot of free time and most of what we do repeats over and over again.
In college, however, it is a little different. We are still structured based on our schedules but we do have a lot more time on our hands and find ways to occupy our breaks in between classes. Unlike high school, we don’t always take the same classes five days a week and while I am in both Cross Country and Campus Ministry, the days don’t always feel like they repeat over and over again. While it can be nice to have some spare time during the day, we often end up being lazy and unmotivated to do anything productive. There are days where I would like to lay in my bed during my free time and watch videos on my phone. Even though I feel tempted to develop bad habits, that break during the day can be a good thing if you manage to get up and do things that would be beneficial to you. Usually, when I am free, I try to do other things to occupy my time but also have time to look at my phone as well. For example, I try to set alarms to times where I should get off my phone, which is very helpful for the most part. Sometimes I do override the alarm and stay on my phone for longer but most of the time I try to stay committed to the time span I planned beforehand. Currently, I am trying to get into the habit of reading. It does strengthen my mind even though it is difficult and staring at a screen isn’t good for you and certainly shouldn’t be the only thing you can do during your spare time.
For most of my days this semester, I’ve been waking up fairly early to go to the chapel on campus and pray. I start off with the 5 decades of the Rosary, I pray to St. Michael the Archangel, peace, others around me, and reflect on how to continue to remain holy throughout the day. Starting off the day with a peaceful mindset with God and Holy Mother Church encourages me to be motivated to stick to a productive schedule. I’ve noticed how prayer is so important to everyday life because when I don’t pray in the morning, I tend to be lazy and just go on social media the majority of the day. I know many of you who are reading this may not be Catholic or do not practice a religion but I do know it is important to find that peaceful moment so you can get through the day productively.
Another practice I usually do is to write everything I need to do each day. When I list the things I need to do, I tend to be more responsible and feel more satisfied in the long run. Of course, there have been days where I do not write everything down and that normally can lead to laziness or just doing the bare minimum of what you need to do that day. I also try to write the things I need to get done first and then write the things I want to do last so my day will run smoothly and can relax towards the evening. I have realized when the day goes on, you get more tired every passing hour. That is why it is important to do what you need to get done first so you won’t put it off to tomorrow. Time management can be difficult but it can be doable, as long as you put your mind to it. There is so much in this world that can distract you and can lead to bad habits but once you get into the good habits, you will feel more satisfied and know what your priorities are.