I used to be a horrible procrastinator. Throughout high school, I would postpone absolutely everything, waiting until what felt like the last possible minute to start a task or make a decision. As a result of this habit of avoidance I always ended up navigating through the same vicious cycle over and over again: I put things off, felt guilty for not being productive, became engulfed with stress and eventually underperformed. No matter what, I could escape the dreadful, sinking feeling that I had no time left. No time to do what I needed to do. No time to do what I wanted to do. I just fell into a slump before beginning my cycle of procrastination over again.
When I started my first year of university at home, completely online and at the height of Covid-19, my motivation was at an all-time low, yet I was forced to face the fact that my cycle of procrastination was not going to slide. The betterment of my time management began when I purchased an agenda and a whiteboard calendar to hang over my desk. Having all my due dates, work days, appointments and events written out in front of me allowed me to visualize what my month was going to consist of and then plan accordingly. Seeing all of the blank boxes leading up to a due date made me realize that having no time was not an excuse — my days, weeks and months were filled with time that I was not capitalizing on. This wasted potential being written out, crystal clear in front of me kick-started my journey to prioritize, value and appreciate my time.
Making a plan, starting my tasks early, along with breaking down tasks into smaller chunks has allowed me to not only feel more accomplished, but frequent in the many activities that I enjoy. Pleasures such as hanging out with friends and family, watching my favourite television shows or movies or reading a book have become regular parts of my days, instead of treasures that came few and far between in my cycle of procrastination.
I’ll admit, bettering my time management was a process filled with ups and downs — it’s something I still struggle with at times to this day. Sometimes I have days where I can’t shake feeling drained and unmotivated. I have come to realize that taking the day to just loaf (if possible) is completely okay. Good time management does not mean that you are always working. Carving out time, whether it be a few hours or days, to rest and indulge in self-care is an incredibly valuable part of time management that gets sidelined far too often. Although it has not been a linear process, I can confidently say that my time management has vastly improved and with that, I am not exaggerating when I say that knowing how to manage your time truly does change everything for the better.