Anna Goodman,
Columnist

Dear Annie,

Help!  I have so much do and seem to be behind in everything!  Do you have any tips that might help me prioritize and make better choices?

Sincerely,
Going Crazy!

 

A: Dear Going Crazy,
    
                It sounds like you have a problem that is fairly common among students today.  There are so many fabulous opportunities out there that it can be extremely hard to choose between them.  If you are really serious about reducing your load and getting a handle on your crazy schedule, there is a formula called the Three R’s that will help you do this, and no, I’m not talking about reading, writing, and arithmetic. The first ‘R’ stands for review.  In the midst of your busy schedule, try to find a half hour to an hour block to sit down and write out a schedule of all your activities.  Having a master list of all your obligations can really help you evaluate your commitments more effectively. This will come in really handy during the next ‘R’ step, which is rank. Look over all the activities that you have on your schedule and start two lists.  First, make one list with your top 5 priorities (i.e. what is more important to you? Dance or sports? Choir or theater?).  As you do this, keep in mind that you need to be realistic.  For example, although you may dislike doing schoolwork, it is an important part of your life, and it needs to be on your top five list because you do spend a significant amount of time doing schoolwork each day.  When you have completed that list, look again at your schedule.  Make another top five list of the five activities on your timetable that consume the most of your time.  Do the two lists line up? What is on your time consumer list that is not on your priority list? It is time to compare and starting cutting out. This brings us to our third and final ‘R’: reduce.  Anything on your

list of most time-consuming activities that is not on your list of high priorities should be the first to go. Depending on how crazed your schedule really is, this might be more than enough to cut your work back to a manageable load.  If not, start cutting any activities that did not make your high priorities list.  Everyone can handle a different amount of activity, and you will have to decide for yourself when you have accomplished your goal of getting your schedule back under control.  I hope this helps you in your pursuit of better time management!

Now, go get organized!

     Sincerely,
     Annie

 

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