WEEK 10 REFLECTION

Time Management

In the past two weeks, I think that time management is a valuable skill that I have acquired as a result of completing work for this ICP course. I learned about this thanks to the process of finalizing our project and touching up on the work to present our assignment for the client and the class.

Film credit, English subtitles and Notes for film edits that I have done

As a change of plan, I was involved in finalizing the final cut for the film last week, and this week I am also building up the group website outlook, which originally did not belong in my work allocation. On top of this, I am also responsible for creating the project showcase presentation, not to mention other assignments for other courses. The sudden change of workload was affecting my performance and workflow, which has led me to look for an effective way of handling my tasks: an improvement of my time management skill.

Showcase Presentation and group website I am building

The new knowledge of organizing time based on priority is central to my ability to deal with my allocated workload. Mackenzie and Nickerson (2009) has listed a number of “time traps” that people usually fall into, and for me, I frequently made the top 2 mistakes: Management by Crisis and Lack of Planning. Before, I solved my tasks based on how close their deadlines are, no matter how easy or hard; and did things rather impulsively, moving back and forth between different tasks. This has made me very stressed when developments arise from my work because I could not focus on which task to complete.

Image from Wix (2020)

Using Mackenzie and Nickerson (2009)’s strategy, I have learned to make a daily checklist, wherein I write down all the work I have to do based on their importance, start working from the top down and only switch to the next number when there is no more I can do about the prior. The most important thing is to identify the number one priority, and allocate my best, rather than earliest time in the day for it. I also followed Dillon et al (2018)’s recommendation of planning out how many hours I intend to spend for each task and courses, as I am taking 3 and the work for each can be overwhelming and hard to keep track of.

Image from Wix (2020)

This upgrade in organizing my time has been extremely helpful in helping me finish my workload on time, and make me more confident in my ability to self-discipline. It has also lowered my stress levels about my academic performance - similar to Misra and McKean (2000)’s research - because I now know how to stay on top of my work.

I will apply this time management skill in the future by utilizing these 5 techniques outlined by Timely (2020). First, creating a daily to-do list, and ranking them based on its importance or impact on me and my team. Prioritization is a key skill in making sure I don't waste time on urgent yet inconsequential tasks. Nextly, I will manage possible distractions and avoid procrastination by blocking them out. Finally, setting certain space and pressure on each task will prevent me from overtaking all of my available time, and then track my progress to find a productive pattern that I can further improve.

Image from Wix (2020)

This newly acquired time management strategy will be beneficial to me in my future education as well as in professional working environments, as I will be able to make the most of my time to complete my required tasks. I will continue to practice this skill to apply it whenever possible to achieve the best possible performance.