4 Monday, March 23, 1998
Simple steps to save seconds
by Jackie Moyer
You see them every day. People on their
way to school, on their way to work or even
on their way to the same destination as you.
Those crazy people on the highways and by
ways cutting you off, passing in a "no pass
ing" zone, cussing and cursing trying to get
ahead of you. All the while putting on
makeup, shaving, reading, making their im
perative phone calls, brewing a pot of cof
fee, never realizing that there are other people
on road besides them. Who are these people?
Commuters. Commuters trying to squeeze
in a few extra minutes during the day to get
things done while on there way to school or
work. If there were only one more hour dur
ing the day! Ah, sweet bliss! Here are a few
tips on time management published by Rob
ert W. Bly, president of the Center for Tech
nical Communication, and Amanda Sprecher
Bly. A much healthier alternative than try
ing to apply mascara or making a meal on
your commute.
First and foremost, set priorities. Begin by
deciding what tasks must be done today, this
week or this month. If the project seems too
complex, break it down into manageable
steps that can be handled one a time. Com
pile a "To Do" list, then follow it.
Do not procrastinate. Putting off unpleas
ant, routine or difficult projects is human
nature. Do not obey this beast! Attempt to
discipline yourself to tackle these tasks.
When you do, you will gain self-confidence
and make better use of your time. Here are
some techniques that may help those of us
who fall into this pit of procrastination:
-Think about how great you'll feel when
your project, paper, task, etc. is completed.
Think positively about its outcome.
-If the project/task is overwhelming, break
it down into a series of steps to be entered on
your "To Do" list. Set up a specific time and
date to begin working on the first step and
follow through as if it were an appointment.
Promise to spend at least 15 minutes a day
on the task until it is done.
-Create an incentive by promising yourself
a special reward for getting the job/task done
(complete body massage, chocolate covered
cherries—pick your poison).
-Strive for excellence, not perfection. We
sometimes set unrealistic goals for ourselves
and then are ultimately defeated when we
don't meet these expectations. Remember,
stay positive.
When you can, avoid distractions. Outside
distractions can be time wasters if you let
them. Take control! The key is to physi
cally block out disturbances as much as pos
sible. This can be accomplished by simply
closing a door, if you are at home or asking
people to be quiet. Sometimes this is impos
sible when you are in the library at school or
FEATURES
in the lounge, but for the most part, your mind
can successfully tune out a great many sig
nals if you tell it to. Find an empty class
room, close the door and get to work.
If you have to work on a group project with
other students (yes, I understand how diffi
cult this can be to schedule a time to get to
gether!) try and delegate the responsibilities.
Get your group together, piece out the parts
of the project to accomplish and then set a
time when your group can get together and
compile all the data each of you have accu
mulated.
This not only takes the stress off from the
group, but also takes the stress off the im
pending doom you may feel due to an over
The Capital Thies' I
whelming project you feel is insurmount
able. Groups have their pros and cons. We
all know the cons, no time to get together,
but the pros are that you have different per
spectives and viewpoints on the , same sub
ject that you may not have realized. We all
must learn delegation skills and teamwork
sometime. Start cultivating this ability soon.
Finally, take care of yourself. Learn to re
lax. Take time out and maybe that one hour
you're trying to add to the day will suddenly
present itself. Meanwhile, when you are
waiting •for that one hour to magically ap
pear, be careful while applying makeup or
shaving on your commute to school. No need
to be blinded or suffer a flesh wound.