"Time is money", a phrase used by Benjamin Franklin, was very popular when back I was growing up. Whenever I would get assigned some tiny task, or I'd waste a lot of time doing my homework (ahem, procrastinating), I'd get reminded of that exact phrase. I didn't really take it at it's real value until I grew up and my responsibilities also grew ten-fold. Now, at 19, I finally realize time really is "money". And not always money in its direct sense, but in all of its other meanings.
This week in our class we went over the topic of Chronemics, an interesting study that tries to explain and make sense of how time affects communication. It's one of the aspects most of us don't notice until it's right in front of our face, for example when we're late to a meeting, pushing the due dates on our assingment, or having an awkward moment in a conversation where we don't really know what to say next. Time is essential to a person's success, yet many people neglect time as an occurence which they have absolutely zero control over. In reality, while we cannot change the course of time, we can take control of how we manage it.
I've recently started struggling with my own issue of time management, having to divide up time for work, study, and my personal life. I'm very prone to procrastination, as I'm sure are most students of my age. However, it didn't take me long to figure out a simple solution that helped me increase my productivity. It's called a whiteboard.
What I do from now on when I'm overwhelmed with tasks is write down a list of things that I need to do and take a good look at it. This whiteboard is stuck to my door so I see it every time I walk into my room. I don't know exactly what brain magic is at work here - but the whiteboard genuinely helps me get things done. Even when I procrastinate on my couch, I lift my eyes up and see the whiteboard with unfilled tasks - and it tickles me wrong the way. It's like a constant reminder to get things done, without the annoying beeping and buzzing.
By organizing my time and task completion I have found that my relationships both at work and with my friends also grew stronger. At work, I have less excuses about why some work is taking longer than expected, and with friends I find myself having more time off work to actually have fun and relax.
Verdict of this blog: If you suck at time - buy a whiteboard. It's like $10 on Amazon.
Or don't, I'm not your dad.