Vanessa Rodriguez

Professor Henry
English 10
16 December 2015

Time Management

Pursuing a higher education is a fundamental piece in one's education. However

to be able to acquire this achievement, it is necessary to have a balance between
academics and personal life. As a college student, there are many crucial factors that
contribute to having an unbalanced life such as: procrastination, distractions, and
prioritizing more things than others. To avoid this it is important to manage ones time
and as well be aware of solutions to prevent from being in this circumstance. In order to
become a purposeful and mindful citizen.
In the college community transitioning from an adolescent to an adult can impact
the lives of many especially those who are not completely mature. In the beginning
adjusting to this different lifestyle may be very challenging and is one of the major
reasons as to why many fail to achieve their goals. College students are distinguished
within a community because they now have to deal with living on their own, passing
their classes, and at times have the need to work. All these responsibilities that college
students have, may be a burden for the majority because they do not know nothing
about time management.

Thus, a very common factor that is a result of not having a managed time is
procrastination. This is one of the major reasons as to why assignments are not turned
in on time or not even turned in at all. Once college students have an assignment they
wait until the day before which will eventually accumulate to the work load thats need to
be completed. In proportion to Measuring and Reducing College Students
Procrastination, " college students perform more poorly when they procrastinate in
preparing for a test rather than study at an even pace. Instead of taking their time and
giving their best effort in the assignment they turn in poor quality work. For example,
when a professor assigns an assignment, students who do not have a schedule believe
they have time and rather than starting, wait to complete it. Personally, I was once guilty
of this as well, but I decided to manage my time more wisely. I make sure to have
enough time to complete my assignments and assure myself to give my full potential
and feel proud of my work.
Since procrastination is something that is done by the majority of college
students it is important to know that by continuing to do this it only leads to ones own
failure. A way to prevent this, is to have a definite schedule. Adjusting to an appropriate
schedule that develops a balance between classes, work, and personal time is highly
important. According to a Fresno State student that I interviewed she confessed that
she has dealt with procrastination by "rewarding [herself] after finishing an assignment
and thus it serves as a motivation to keep going." This is an exemplary way to get the
work done because afterwards she feels satisfied of what she accomplished. Referring
back to Measuring and Reducing College Students Procrastination, Previous attempts
to address the issue have typically involved imposing intermediate deadlines for the

completion of schoolwork to encourage a more evenly distributed pattern of studying.

College students have realized that by leaving everything to complete in the last minute
only creates stress and tension in their lives so many have tried to manage their time
and put an end to this.
Therefore, distractions are what serve as an impediment to complete a task. The
fact of not having a managed time is the result of distractions and this is apparent in
college students. Due to the new technology advancements it is very common to see
our generation with an electronic device. Students who have a cell phone are not afraid
to take it out during class and by texting may lose pertinent information for their next
lecture, quiz, or exam. In fact the majority have a social media account such as
Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, etc. After interviewing another Fresno State
student of how she prioritized her time and gets her work done is by constantly telling
herself that social media it's always going to be there and her exams are not. This then
pushes her to spend her time wisely and study first and then do what she wants to do
afterwards.
Moreover, all these sites are accountable for distracting college students, and
waste their time being in social media. Research conducted by the Phenomenology
and the Cognitive Sciences, demonstrated that ..numerous empirical studies firmly
establish a significant drop in academic performance caused by this media
multitasking. Instead of taking this time they have to study for an exam they spend their
time posting, liking, and leaving comments in things that are not of much importance
such as ones education.

At last, one of the most fatal mistakes of not having a managed time is prioritizing
things over others. Attending college is the time where one grows as a person and gains
more knowledge when we learn from ones mistakes. There may be a lot going on and
students tend to give more priority to what they like or want to do. In relation to the
"Communication Research", "college students spent 51% of their time on socializing
and recreation while spending only 7% of their time studying." For example, when a
friend invites the other to go to a party in the middle of the week they say yes because
that is what they want to do. However, what they should do is finish all their homework
or maybe spend more time studying for an exam. It is healthy to do other things rather
than just studying but attempt to have a balance between academics and personal life.
According to the Journal of Educational Psychology, Students who perceived control of
their time reported significantly greater evaluations of their performance, greater work
and life satisfaction, less role ambiguity, less role overload, and fewer job-induced and
somatic tensions. College students who were capable of managing their time and
having a balance life , demonstrated to be more successful compared to those who
were not aware of this.
Nevertheless time management is essential in one's life. It helps display
confidence and responsibility from others who don't know how to manage their time.
This does not only help during college education but as well later on when applying for a
job position. Being capable of getting all what one sets their mind to done, defines the
type of person one is which is punctual and trustworthy. Studying and completing
homework assignments before going to a party or being on social media its a great way

to avoid falling behind and turning in late work. That is why maintaining a positive
mentality and attitude shapes oneself into a determined and hardworking individual.
Overall these components such as procrastination, social media, and prioritizing
things over others contribute to ones own downfall without time management. To be
able to avoid these distractions it is best to set up a designated schedule and specific
deadlines to start and eventually finish an assignment. By having a balance and
managing ones life, leads to the full development of a mindful college student. As a
college student it is vital to be aware of these solutions to live a successful academic
and personal life. Time management is a great advantage to have as a college student,
graduate and the accountability of a purposeful and mindful citizenship; it is beneficial in
the present and future in the career one aspires.

Works Cited

Macan, Therese Hoff, Comila Shahani, Robert L Dipboye, and Amanda Peek Phillips.
"College Students' Time Management: Correlations with Academic Performance and
Stress." Journal of Educational Psychology, 82.4 (1990): 760-768.

Perrin, CJ, N Miller, AT Haberlin, JW Ivy, JN Meindl, and NA Neef. "Measuring and
Reducing College Students' Procrastination." Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 44.3
(2011): 463-474.

Aagaard, Jesper. "Media Multitasking, Attention, and Distraction: A Critical Discussion."

Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences, 14.4 (2015): 885-896

Panek, Elliot. "Left to Their Own Devices: College Students Guilty Pleasure Media
Use and Time Management." Communication Research, 41.4 (2014): 561-577.