Benefits of Time Management

A quote by M. Scott Peck states, "Until you value yourself, you won't value your time. Until you value your time, you won't do anything with it." Time management is a skill that every person must learn. It is among the most important things a college student needs to be happy and successful. Time management will help students learn to utilize time efficiently. Less procrastination, stress relief, and more personal time are all benefits of time management.

According to Jeffrey Steele, students often find a larger amount of homework upon arriving for their first year at college than they are accustomed to.

One example is the greater volume of material encompassed in tests; this places heightened responsibility on students for everyday studying (Steele). Furthermore, students must digest more information in one college class than they had collectively in an entire high school semester. All these factors necessitate time management.

College students quickly form habits when it comes to time management. In an article written by Brad Had, he explains that time is limited. With only 24 hours in a day, it's important to find ways to manage that time. Staying on top of your time doesn't require much effort, but it does necessitate discipline. To avoid procrastination, students should create schedules and prioritize tasks that need to be completed (Steele). For instance, plotting each class syllabus on a month-by-month calendar allows students to view, in one place, the tasks that must be done for all their classes. Being accountable for tasks promotes their timely completion, and good time management enables more to be achieved in a shorter amount of time.

Procrastination becomes almost non-existent when practicing good time management. The article “Life is Short” talks about accomplishing more with less effort and reducing stress by having control of time. “He that judges not well of the importance of his affairs,” wrote William Penn in 1682, “though he may be always busy, he must make but a small progress” (qtd. in Had). By planning and being clear about priorities, boundaries and time limits are set to match the importance of tasks. The article concludes with the idea that good management skills allow for personal time (Had).

Using time wisely and sticking to task goals helps alleviate stress. For example, completing homework, projects, or feeling confident about an upcoming test will help ease anxiety about the overwhelming amount of work to be done. Oftentimes, students sit around playing video games when, in fact, they have an assignment due the next day. Poor time management is a contributing factor to stress. Time management allows students to feel a sense of accomplishment, resulting in a happier student. If people are physically well, stress-related obstacles to time management are reduced ("Time Management"). Students who use time wisely will have fewer surprises, fewer tight deadlines, and a feeling of being less rushed. It can be argued that stress relief is the greatest benefit of time management (Marie).

Managing time wisely allows for more personal time. An example is from an article I read, which discusses the argument that when a leisure activity is planned rather than spontaneous, we enjoy it less. The article, which reviewed Selin Malkoc's study, talks about lumping all activities together, making pleasurable activities less enjoyable. Klein addressed what Malkoc called "rough scheduling". The idea is not to schedule outings with friends or dinner with your family. Instead, be more spontaneous to make the most of the free time students have, which will make them happier (Klein).

With proper time management, extra time is gained to spend on things and people. For example, students who utilize their time effectively are more inclined to be active in sororities, fraternities, and other clubs that colleges offer. Students' day-to-day lives will be happier with good time management schedules because there will be more time for fun activities. Students who can spend their time on things that matter to them the most tend to be happier. There is a set amount of time each day, and more cannot be created. However, students can make better use of it by having better time management skills. Organization and time management often allow for tasks to be completed ahead of schedule, meaning less time is wasted.

The main purpose of time management is to improve the overall quality of life by increasing the amount of happiness a person experiences. Time management is about knowing priorities and setting a schedule. Students who manage time wisely will procrastinate less, have less stress, and find more time for themselves. Here's the thing about time: you can’t buy it, you can’t stop it, you can’t save it. But you can live it. As Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift; that’s why they call it the present.” To live well, students should make the most of their time (Higson and Sturgess).

Time management is the key to college success. Students need to remember that they cannot do it all. Even though they might not be in class, that time is not necessarily free time. The key to being stress-free and happy is to remember that time management is a daily task. Students should plan out their time and then use it wisely. Most importantly, students should remember to fit in time for fun.

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