{"id":869,"date":"2019-11-05T20:34:19","date_gmt":"2019-11-05T20:34:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.umflint.edu\/writingcenter\/?p=869"},"modified":"2020-01-14T19:22:41","modified_gmt":"2020-01-14T19:22:41","slug":"where-has-the-time-gone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.umflint.edu\/writingcenter\/2019\/11\/05\/where-has-the-time-gone\/","title":{"rendered":"Where has the time gone?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By: Laura Griglak<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Image by annca<\/a> from Pixabay<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Being an adult is hard. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As an adult in college, you are expected to manage a growing\narmy of responsibilities. These include, but are certainly not limited to:\nliving on your own (often for the first time), paying bills (what\u2019s that\nabout?), and, let\u2019s not forget, mountains of homework (fun fun). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And what about our social lives? We are expected to be\nresponsible adults, while somehow finding the time to visit our families,\nsupport our friends, and refresh ourselves with \u201cme-time.\u201d Where are we supposed\nto find the hours in the day? Some of us deprive ourselves of sleep, others\nneglect undesirable duties, but both options leave us exhausted and\/or woefully\nbehind on our responsibilities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The answer is found in understanding what responsibilities\nyou have, and learning how to prioritize them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

STEP ONE: <\/strong>Don\u2019t take on more than you can handle.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In today\u2019s society, we are constantly bombarded with options.\nWhich clubs would we like to join? Which workshops would we like to attend?\nWhich friends would we like to hang out with? Unfortunately, we can\u2019t do it all.\nThere comes a time in every college student\u2019s life where they will have to say\nthe all-important word \u201cno.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry, but as\nmuch as I love our club, I simply don\u2019t have the time to plan an event for this\nweek.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhile I would love to\nhave the money, I simply cannot take on any extra hours at work.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat party sounds\namazing, but I have a paper due tomorrow and I really need to finish it.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The key is looking at your current responsibilities and\nrealistically evaluating whether you have the extra time to dedicate to\nsomething new. If you find this difficult to determine, steps two and three will\nhelp you assess your schedule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

STEP TWO: <\/strong>Make a list and\/or timetable.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Write down all of the time-consuming responsibilities on\nyour plate, and, if desired, try to fit them into a timetable. This will allow\nyou to see where and when your time is currently distributed. It will also\nallow you to see where you might have that elusive spare time. It is a good\nidea to keep some time free so that you can take on new\/unexpected tasks\nwithout straining your time budget.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here is an example of what your list might look like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  • Homework<\/em><\/li>
  • Work out<\/em><\/li>
  • Hang out\nwith friends<\/em><\/li>
  • Work<\/em><\/li>
  • Chores<\/em><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Your list can be as long, short, detailed, or sparse as you\nlike. It is most effective if done on a day-to-day basis, but can also be\neffective if spread out over a week or more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    STEP THREE: <\/strong>Prioritize!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Congratulations! You have a list of things to do! How\ncompletely overwhelming! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In order to make the best use of your list, it is vital to\nprioritize each item. This will look different for everyone, but here is an\nexample of how you might prioritize the list above:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    1. Homework\n(need good grades!)<\/em><\/li>
    2. Work\n(need money!)<\/em><\/li>
    3. Work\nout (need to feel good)<\/em><\/li>
    4. Hang\nout with friends (need to stay connected)<\/em><\/li>
    5. Chores\n(need to keep my living space tidy)<\/em><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      The things on your list do not necessarily need to be done\nin order. Perhaps you do a few dishes after breakfast, hit up the gym for an\nhour, go to work for five hours, work on homework for two hours, and watch a\nmovie with a friend when it\u2019s all said and done. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      But let\u2019s say you don\u2019t have time to get to everything on\nthe list. That\u2019s where the prioritization\ncomes in.<\/em> If you only have time to do homework or chores, the chores can\nwait a day or two. That being said, the chores can\u2019t wait forever. The key is making sure that you set time\naside for each item<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      If you find you consistently don\u2019t have time for your chores,\nit is possible you have taken on too much. Reevaluate your responsibilities and\nsee where sacrifices can be made.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      If something is important to you, make time for it! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      FINAL STEP: <\/strong>If at first you don\u2019t succeed, try and try again.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Ironically, it takes time to master the art of creating an\nitemized, prioritized to-do list. Keep at it. It will do wonders to help you\nsee exactly what you have to do and what you might be able to add to your plate.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Good luck, and, as always, feel free to come see us the\nWriting Center if you want help organizing your thoughts! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      By: Laura Griglak Being an adult is hard. As an adult in college, you are expected to manage a growing army of responsibilities. These include, but are certainly not limited to: living on your own (often for the first time), paying bills (what\u2019s that about?), and, let\u2019s not forget, mountains of homework (fun fun). And […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":436,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-869","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.umflint.edu\/writingcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/869","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.umflint.edu\/writingcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.umflint.edu\/writingcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.umflint.edu\/writingcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/436"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.umflint.edu\/writingcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=869"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.umflint.edu\/writingcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/869\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":895,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.umflint.edu\/writingcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/869\/revisions\/895"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.umflint.edu\/writingcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=869"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.umflint.edu\/writingcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=869"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.umflint.edu\/writingcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=869"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}