Reflection 2

Madison Schaefer Professor Michelle Kusel ELPS 223 001 September 17, 2018 168 Hours Reflection When reading the excerpt from the book that the idea of the 168 Hours Log came from, I found myself chuckling because the struggle of not having enough time is something I am constantly fraught with. I was interested to see how my week would map out and, in the end, the chart presented and reconfirmed what I already knew – that I have no time. This semester, I am taking eighteen credit hours, working as both a Peer Advisor and Writing Tutor for the University, and staying as involved as I can in my sorority all while trying to eat well, get a good night’s sleep, exercise, and make time for the important relationships in my life. In looking at my completed time chart, I do not have very much flexibility in my Monday through Friday where I can move things around to allow for a full eight hours of sleep, for example. I have been feeling a higher rate of stress than usual so far this semester and in recording my time, I have wondered if I am spreading myself too thin. I have already begun to think about next semester in what I can add or take away with still being able to manage a high GPA. I have come to the realization that something has to give and that cannot be my homework or my obligations. So as a result, my body takes the beating. However, as much as I do not think I have time, I really want to work towards finding ways to have that important me time that I am missing during my stressful weekdays.

One of the things that I have been sacrificing, for instance, has been going to the gym to exercise. I typically try to work out almost every day because it is a great way to get some personal time, work towards becoming healthier, and relieve stress. However, this semester, I had not gone to the gym since nearly the first week of school. At the end of last week and the beginning of this week, I felt levels of anxiety and stress that were not typical for me and I was wondering why. In looking at my time chart, I realized that I had not gone to the gym once and that maybe even though I have three papers and a test the next day, I should go to the gym anyways because I need that time for myself to clear my head and reduce stress. I have vowed to myself that I will try to go to the gym every day, regardless of the homework circumstances. I am happy to say that I did in fact reunite with the treadmill after quite a few weeks apart this evening so, I am hopefully on the right track. One of the main reasons I was so stressed at the beginning of this week was that I put everything I had to do over the course of my weekend off until Sunday, which overwhelmed me. So, I plan on trying to space out my homework throughout the entire weekend to hopefully lighten my load on Sunday and start my week confident and strong, not stressed and anxiety-ridden. Additionally, as it is still towards the beginning of the semester, I am putting a lot of time into my classes because I am not completely sure what is needed for success just yet. Thus, I plan to reflect on whether the work I am doing outside of class is actually beneficial or if I could get rid of some of it in order to free up more time and reduce my stress. In reflecting on what I did well in my time management however, I noticed that throughout the week, I was almost always doing something productive without distractions. Being that my time is so precious, I am always determined to get stuff done as soon as possible

and am hardly ever distracted by my phone, mainly because I do not even have time to think about it. Additionally, I am a very routinized person which I feel is a great asset to my time management. In logging my time, I could mostly predict what I would be doing at every hour of my Monday through Friday. This quirk of mine helps me to stay organized and properly assess how much time I have to study, workout or fulfill my Peer Advisor duties, for example. The thing I am most proud of in my time management is that I always make time to foster the important relationships in my life. For instance, I always get lunch on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with one of my best friends, regardless of how much I have to do and, in referring to my time chart, I did basically nothing on Saturday however, I was spending time with my boyfriend that day so, in my opinion that is just as important as getting homework done. In all, my biggest take away from the 168 Hours exercise was that although I am busy and need to prioritize my homework and jobs, it is also just as important to prioritize myself and the people I care for.