By Jason B. Hogan
As an extra New Year’s resolution, setting guidelines to complete course work in a timely manner should not be too lofty of a goal for new or returning students.
It all begins with time management.
Laura Stack, a personal productivity expert, suggests a lack of a plan is the greatest enemy of action.
There are several items to keep in mind while defining your plan:
• Make a habit of becoming well-organized by keeping a compilation of course materials filed for later use.
• Form a list of goals that are essential to complete.
• Know the difference between a goal and an objective. A goal will remain a substandard wish until it is implemented by being specific with your desire.
• Short-notice projects may be assigned where you have the option of working those long hours or managing your time by prioritizing, entertainment should become secondary, i.e., cell phones, iPods, and watching movies.
• When prioritizing, separate the items that are daily from those that require urgency. The tasks that are performed daily require less time for completion, therefore, should be done last.
• Determine what things are most distracting to you and how to contend with them.