Managing Time Management

July 16, 2014

I’ve probably written about this before, but have found myself taking time management to an entirely new level. This summer, I went back to school while maintaining a full-time job in one of our busiest seasons of the year, but I’m proud to say I haven’t compromised.

In April, I applied for and was accepted to Masters program at the University of Florida (Go Gators) in the College of Journalism and Communications. The fairly new program in Web Design & Online Communication is an exciting endeavor for me, and classes started four weeks later.

Because I’m working full time, I opted for the part-time track taking two classes each semester. The cool thing is all the courses are presented online live and for the most part, all materials are digital. My first to evening classes kicked off and I hit the ground running.

Additionally, we entered the summer planning season and some major projects at work. This has resulted in my thoughts on how I’ve navigated through the multi-priorities of life, although I don’t have nearly as many items to accomplish as my cohorts, these have worked for me.

  • Stay organized – seems simple enough, but an organized foundation will help when schedules change and priorities shift.
  • Maintain a combined calendar – if you have multiple calendars for personal and work, like I do, try integrating into a combined shared calendar. In this case, you’ll be able to see where projects, meetings and even business trips could overlap and collide.
  • Invest in the cloud – might seem only necessary because I’m in an online program, but having all my files at the ready from my personal and work computers, tablet, and even phone when needed, has been VERY helpful.

  • Stress kills – I’ve realize the difference between stress and anxiety for me. I’ve learned to manage both and if stress creeps in, then anxiety builds and you’re missing deadlines and projects. From time to time, its necessary to reset, maybe miss a small deadline and focus on getting back ahead of the game.

  • Keep perspective – I know I want and need a personal life with friends and family. Schedule time, if needed, to keep fun and relaxation to unwind. For me, this included at least once a week to the gym and an afternoon or evening catch-up session with friends both in and out of work. I’ve been able to keep a very nice work/school/life balance.

Overall, the key to good time management is knowing what you need and when you need it. From there, determine what it takes to get that done, the time necessary and make sure that fits together. It’s not easy to get off the ground at times, but once you’re rolling, it’s very freeing.

Additional thoughts on Time Management

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MAMC, Masters, Organization, Time Management, Work Life Balance,