Time management...help.

Lily04 · 11-09-2006, 10:30 PM

Hi,

I feel really bad about this so I had to post it here. One of the main issues that I'm seeing my psychologist about is help with managing my time... I even showed up 45 mins. late to my first appointment with him!! Not a great first impression... in any case, I just seem to always run late with things -- meetings, essay deadlines, any deadlines in fact.

And today I feel especially upset about it. First, I got a week extension on my midterm 'til yesterday and I still haven't started it yet, a day after it's due. I anticipate handing it in tomorrow in a frantic rush at some point.

Secondly, I was elected to a board on student council this year... I campaigned really hard for it just recently. This particular board, however, only has one meeting in the whole year to pass matters related to academic policy for next year. I received an e-mail about upcoming meetings, but as it's midterm week I didn't expect going to the meeting today. My best friend who was also elected to the board, now comes around. She's like "Lily, why weren't you at the meeting? Didn't you know this was the ONLY meeting for the entire YEAR? it was only 2 hrs. of your time..." Meanwhile 2 thoughts came across my mind: 1) the meeting was today?? <removed by Moderator>. well i didn't plan on going anyway. 2) what?? this is the ONLY meeting for the year??! But the e-mail I got said "upcoming meetings" and I could have swore there were at least 2.

She said yes, there were 2 listed but the 2nd was just in case there wasn't enough time to get all the motions passed. It supposedly said that on the front page of our Agenda package which I never bothered to read (it's like a 200 page document, and if I knew I couldn't make the meeting I wasn't going to flip through it. I did skim through the part related to my studies though, but it wasn't mentioned in there, as that was around half-way through.)

So she made me feel extremely guilty about this, like 1) you were elected to serve the student body and you didn't show up to the only meeting in the entire year. (WELL my response was: they could have told me more explicitly that it was the ONLY meeting, as it was nowhere mentioned in the e-mails sent out!! And what if I got my agenda package online? it wasn't mentioned there either. But she knew I got it in person as I went with her to pick it up, unfortunately.) 2) she said I need to get better time management skills, as a 2 hr. meeting I could have done even with midterms, and 3) she made me feel guilty because she talked about how she made some important comments and the dean, chairs of all the dept's were there and after the meeting the chair of our dept. suggested that she apply for grad school here and he would look out for her app. She sorta suggested it was a lost opportunity for me, as I usually make an impression when I do show up for things.

Anyway... I do feel horrible but I am working on it. There's a lot of reasons why my life is so screwed up right now, and I am seeking help for it, and I know I have a host of responsibilities... but it takes time to correct as well. Plus I just started a new job last week that did suck out a lot of my time for studying... although I shouldn't have spent so much time with work as well -- again, bad time management.

ugh. I just feel awful, if anyone has any comments/advice or anything, please do... I just wanted to spill as well. I love politics and student politics, and networking with the people in our school's dept. is really important to me so I would have showed... but I suppose I am letting responsibilities slide and I know it. I regret this missed opportunity but how do I make sure this stops happening??? I know she's going to tell the other councillors "well, this is Lily -- she's always late for things. She always makes promises and then breaks them."

But the truth is that I don't want to be like that. It's not because I purposely break commitments, but I feel like I don't have control over it... that time seems to escape me and I am always running behind, late for something... and then things just pile up. I honestly don't mean to break them.......

**annie24** · 11-09-2006, 11:10 PM

I have a notepad which I write my tasks in each day. it is seperated into categories like this:

Today:
Tomorrow:
Weekend:
Near Future:
Someday:
Maybe never:

I think you should put together a list like this too. i'll put on things that need to be done ASAP, and then other things that i'll need to do in the near future, but not immediately. priorizting things helps.

I definately think you should read ALL of your e-mails in depth from now on. if everyone else was at the meeting, you should have been there too. I'm sure that the info was in the e-mail.

**annie24** · 11-09-2006, 11:25 PM

prioritize... that's the key. what NEEDS to be done TODAY? If your homework is due tomorrow, then that goes on the today list. But mailing out christmas cards? That can be put on "someday." not today. If your rent check is not due until next week, then you don't need to put it on your today list.

prioritize.

Lily04 · 11-10-2006, 01:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by annie24

I have a notepad which I write my tasks in each day. it is seperated into categories like this:

Today:
Tomorrow:
Weekend:
Near Future:
Someday:
Maybe never:

I think you should put together a list like this too. i'll put on things that need to be done ASAP, and then other things that i'll need to do in the near future, but not immediately. priorizting things helps.

I definately think you should read ALL of your e-mails in depth from now on. if everyone else was at the meeting, you should have been there too. I'm sure that the info was in the e-mail.

Hey,

Thanks Annie... but I have a dayplanner and already do prioritize tasks. Sometimes right down to the hour... but I think the problem is that they're not really realistic because I find I don't get all the things done, or maybe that I don't plan procrastination time in there (i.e. time to check e-mail, chat, etc.) so things aren't so efficient. I need to learn to constrict the things that aren't so important either to get things down (i.e. chatting online or going on this site! lol. but it does serve a cathartic purpose..)

And I do read my e-mails in depth. My point was that I didn't have notice in the e-mail that this was the *only* meeting for the year, so I didn't know! However, I asked another one of my colleagues on the board if she knew and she said she didn't either, so I'm not the only one it seems...

Back to my essay now.

**annie24** · 11-10-2006, 10:52 AM

ah, that is what I'm saying. try to be more realistic about your planner. put in some play time and just focus on doing the most important things for today.

11-09-2006, 10:30 PM	#1
Lily04 Offline Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 3,875	Time management...help. Hi, I feel really bad about this so I had to post it here. One of the main issues that I'm seeing my psychologist about is help with managing my time... I even showed up 45 mins. late to my first appointment with him!! Not a great first impression... in any case, I just seem to always run late with things -- meetings, essay deadlines, any deadlines in fact. And today I feel especially upset about it. First, I got a week extension on my midterm 'til yesterday and I still haven't started it yet, a day after it's due. I anticipate handing it in tomorrow in a frantic rush at some point. Secondly, I was elected to a board on student council this year... I campaigned really hard for it just recently. This particular board, however, only has one meeting in the whole year to pass matters related to academic policy for next year. I received an e-mail about upcoming meetings, but as it's midterm week I didn't expect going to the meeting today. My best friend who was also elected to the board, now comes around. She's like "Lily, why weren't you at the meeting? Didn't you know this was the ONLY meeting for the entire YEAR? it was only 2 hrs. of your time..." Meanwhile 2 thoughts came across my mind: 1) the meeting was today?? <removed by Moderator>. well i didn't plan on going anyway. 2) what?? this is the ONLY meeting for the year??! But the e-mail I got said "upcoming meetings" and I could have swore there were at least 2. She said yes, there were 2 listed but the 2nd was just in case there wasn't enough time to get all the motions passed. It supposedly said that on the front page of our Agenda package which I never bothered to read (it's like a 200 page document, and if I knew I couldn't make the meeting I wasn't going to flip through it. I did skim through the part related to my studies though, but it wasn't mentioned in there, as that was around half-way through.) So she made me feel extremely guilty about this, like 1) you were elected to serve the student body and you didn't show up to the only meeting in the entire year. (WELL my response was: they could have told me more explicitly that it was the ONLY meeting, as it was nowhere mentioned in the e-mails sent out!! And what if I got my agenda package online? it wasn't mentioned there either. But she knew I got it in person as I went with her to pick it up, unfortunately.) 2) she said I need to get better time management skills, as a 2 hr. meeting I could have done even with midterms, and 3) she made me feel guilty because she talked about how she made some important comments and the dean, chairs of all the dept's were there and after the meeting the chair of our dept. suggested that she apply for grad school here and he would look out for her app. She sorta suggested it was a lost opportunity for me, as I usually make an impression when I do show up for things. Anyway... I do feel horrible but I am working on it. There's a lot of reasons why my life is so screwed up right now, and I am seeking help for it, and I know I have a host of responsibilities... but it takes time to correct as well. Plus I just started a new job last week that did suck out a lot of my time for studying... although I shouldn't have spent so much time with work as well -- again, bad time management. ugh. I just feel awful, if anyone has any comments/advice or anything, please do... I just wanted to spill as well. I love politics and student politics, and networking with the people in our school's dept. is really important to me so I would have showed... but I suppose I am letting responsibilities slide and I know it. I regret this missed opportunity but how do I make sure this stops happening??? I know she's going to tell the other councillors "well, this is Lily -- she's always late for things. She always makes promises and then breaks them." But the truth is that I don't want to be like that. It's not because I purposely break commitments, but I feel like I don't have control over it... that time seems to escape me and I am always running behind, late for something... and then things just pile up. I honestly don't mean to break them....... Last edited by avman; 11-10-2006 at 12:26 PM. Reason: Language

11-09-2006, 11:10 PM	#2
annie24 Online Super Moderator Join Date: Oct 2004 Age: 29 Posts: 26,833	I have a notepad which I write my tasks in each day. it is seperated into categories like this: Today: Tomorrow: Weekend: Near Future: Someday: Maybe never: I think you should put together a list like this too. i'll put on things that need to be done ASAP, and then other things that i'll need to do in the near future, but not immediately. priorizting things helps. I definately think you should read ALL of your e-mails in depth from now on. if everyone else was at the meeting, you should have been there too. I'm sure that the info was in the e-mail.

11-09-2006, 11:25 PM	#3
annie24 Online Super Moderator Join Date: Oct 2004 Age: 29 Posts: 26,833	prioritize... that's the key. what NEEDS to be done TODAY? If your homework is due tomorrow, then that goes on the today list. But mailing out christmas cards? That can be put on "someday." not today. If your rent check is not due until next week, then you don't need to put it on your today list. prioritize.

11-10-2006, 10:52 AM	#5
annie24 Online Super Moderator Join Date: Oct 2004 Age: 29 Posts: 26,833	ah, that is what I'm saying. try to be more realistic about your planner. put in some play time and just focus on doing the most important things for today.