Staying on Top… of Things

Time management is a skill that, frankly, I have yet to master. As many fellow students, I also struggle to balance school, work, housekeeping, and many other activities that demand my time. I am in the Honors Program (which sometimes requires that I do some extra work and attend extra sessions but it’s worth it), I am an International Students Ambassador, and I am involved with a couple of clubs on campus and hold an office position in one of them. I am not complaining, though. I really love being active on campus; however, to be able to do everything, I need to organize myself.

The app

First, to know where I have to be at all times, I use a wonderful app called Timetable (yes, it is a rather original name). This app allows me to see all my classes and meetings throughout the week as well as where they are at. Furthermore, I set it to go off ten minutes before each class, so in theory I’m always on time – I said “in theory” because like any good Brazilian, I am often late. I can also put all the information that I can possibly need for said class, such as instructor’s name, office hours, tutor’s hours, and so on.

Additionally, I am definitely a task oriented person, which means I’d rather follow a to do list than a strict schedule. That is why I have a planner where I keep a list of all the things I have to accomplish in any given day, including upcoming tests, homework, emails I need to reply, or if I am going to see a counselor that afternoon. It works for me because I can check items off as the day goes by and, by doing so, I get flooded with that great feeling of fulfillment when you accomplish something however small it may be.

Timetable

Honestly this is not a perfect system, does not prevent my incurable procrastination, and I am always looking for more insights. But at least it’s worked for me so far, and I hope this post may have helped you. 

My planner