Here’s My Take On Time Management

Studies show that a mere 27% of people make their bed each morning. Did you make yours today? To the 27% of people who did, I have a feeling you’re only reading this to support me. For the remainder of you, I guarantee you need some time management help. Simply because you did not make your bed.

Time management is defined as the ability to plan and control how you spend the hours in your day to effectively accomplish your goals. When I entered high school, my parents sat down my sister and I at the dinner table and explained to us that time management was something we would need to figure out if we wanted to be successful in school, college, life in general. Without a doubt, those were the most valuable words they could have shared with me.

Let’s fast forward a few years. I’m a senior in high school and if you read this blog post you’ve probably gotten a glimpse into all of the activities, classes, and extracurriculars I’m involved in. Oh, and let’s not forget aside from all of that I have to find time for the blog, a social life, and my mental sanity. I have a hard time saying no, but it’s because of my time management skills that I am allowed to say yes as often as I do. It’s also because I make my bed each morning… more on that later.

I have gotten tons, and I mean tons, of requests over the years to write a post about how I manage my time. I get questions from adults, students, peers, and viewers. Today, I decided, it was time to finally sit down and discuss everything I know about managing my time.

You Have A Choice

In Economics last week, my teacher explained to us that by paying $8 for a meal, we as humans have decided that our $8 is worth a meal. That the meal is of equal value as the $8. That we’d rather have the meal than the $8. That by paying the $8 for a meal we decided not to keep the $8 for say, a shirt. I think this same concept is relevant as I analyze how I divide my time up. Last week, I spent a half hour catching up with Connor. I made a choice that my half hour of catching up was more valuable than going to sleep early. I would’ve rather been tired the next morning than missed out on chatting.

Keep this concept in mind as you go about your days. You have a choice. Each day, every day, with every single thing you do. If you want to do something then choose to do it but understand that you are choosing not to do something else.

You Need To Struggle

I mentioned my parents sitting me down to discuss time management as a freshman. What I didn’t mention were the countless nights I spent at the kitchen table scrambling to do homework, the overwhelming tears, the poorly made decisions. In order to understand the value of my time, I needed my time to be limited. I needed to struggle. I needed to feel like I was drowning in responsibilities.

How are you supposed to know what having your $h!+ together feels like if you’ve never had it fall apart? Allow yourself to struggle and understand that it is a part of the learning process. Do not fall apart so badly that you cannot recover.

For example, some weeks are crazy and emotional, and things come up unexpectedly. You choose your family over the extra hour studying, you bomb the test and your overall grade in the class drops from a B to a D. It’s not the end of the world but understand that you are going to have to work twice as hard next week to make up for it.

You Must Decide What’s Important

As a human, you have a choice to decide what’s important to you. It’s important to me to get into a good college and peruse what I am passionate about. Because that is important to me, I have chosen extracurriculars and classes that will not only prepare me but benefit me in the long run.

I take on a lot of roles because they are important to me. Building and sustaining relationships with not only students but adults is important to me. Building my brand is important to me. Challenging myself in school is important to me. Identify what is important to you.

You Need To Ask Yourself What Is Worth It

After you’ve identified what’s important to you, you’ve probably found a few things that you do throughout your day, that are either not necessary or not important. If they are neither of the two, ask yourself are they worth your time?

Think back to what I said in the ‘You Have A Choice’ section. Is scrolling through Twitter really worth going to bed at 11:00 rather than 10:30? Probably not. Do yourself a favor and cut out things that are not worth your time. You will find yourself ten times more productive and perhaps even with thirty extra minutes to accomplish something else with.

You HAVE To Find What Works For You 

If you plan on managing your time well, you are going to need to find a system that works for you. I plan things out on a monthly calendar then transfer it to a weekly spread for school. Here I write down all of my homework, extracurriculars, and any other obligations I have for the week. I keep a running list each week with anything and everything I think of that must be done by the end of the week. If there is no school, it’s a summer day, or the weekend, I’ll simply write down every single thing that needs to be done that day, right down to making my bed and showering.

When I get home from practice, I set tons of timers to keep me on track. For instance, I’ll set an alarm for 30 minutes and know I need to iron tomorrow’s outfit, put away my dirty clothes from that day, pack my bag, and shower by the time that timer goes off. I may set a 15-minute timer for reviewing notes, and so forth. It sounds silly, but it keeps me on track and is a way to hold myself accountable. Holding yourself accountable for your own actions is the key to success.

You have to find a system that works for you or you will be unsuccessful. It may take some trial and error but it is so worth it.

You Will Need Help

There will be times when you find yourself drowning in responsibilities. This inevitably results in you needing help. Do not be afraid to ask for it. There is no shame in seeking help.

This is something I am trying to be better about. It’s hard for me to accept the fact that I can’t do everything on my own and that’s okay. Recognizing this and trying to be better about it is the only way to make a change.

You Can Read All You Want But Only Habit Will Make It Happen

You can read dozens and dozens of articles about ways to better manage your time but the only way to become better is to start being better. If you want to make a change in your habits then start changing your habits. Start bettering your habits. Start making a difference and then you will see a difference.

The world does not stop for lazy people. If you want to achieve something, think about it, plan for it, and then just do it! You can talk about it as long as you want but success comes when you start working for it.

You Need To Make Your Bed

You start and end your day in bed. For most people, this is a fact. Start your day by making your bed. It will give you a sense of accomplishment. If you accomplish nothing else with your day, you will have at least made your bed.

The to-do list I mentioned earlier? The first thing on it is always ‘make bed’. It is the task that will domino effect everything else you need to get done that day. I promise if you start making this one change, you will notice a difference in your days.

I hope this post gave you some sort of insight if any at all as to how I have learned to manage my time. At the end of the day, I think it’s important to remember that what you chose to do with your day is entirely up to you. How do you manage your time?! I want to hear below along with any other questions, comments, or requests you may have for me. I hope you enjoyed this post; back to the beauty on Friday, lol!

With love, McKenz

Latest Post: Dressing Room Diaries: TJ Maxx
Related Post: How I Survived Junior Year
Instagram: styledbymckenz // YouTube: McKenzie Morgan // Pinterest: mckenzmorgan