Time Efficiency by Hali

Time Efficiency by Hali - January 2016 Scholarship Essay

New Year’s resolutions are a great way for people to help improve themselves with a fresh start. It boosts self confidence for people because they do not feel the weight of a whole year's worth of failure in attempting to achieve a previous goal. Instead, they feel as though they are working with a clean slate. My New Year’s resolution is to use my time more efficiently. I believe many people have goals similar to mine as people generally have a hard time finding motivation to manage it. What I want to achieve, however, is much more than just procrastinating less and working more. What I want to achieve is also balance and moderation in what I choose to do and when. If efficiency can be defined as accomplishing a desired goal or living a certain lifestyle in the most effective way possible, then how efficient someone is depends entirely on the desired outcome. I wish to be able to not only get my work done in a timely manner, but also to enjoy it and set aside periods for relaxation.
One of the best ways of achieving effective time use is to exercise balance and moderation. Instead of getting all of my work done at once (whether it is early on or the night before it is due), I would designate time slots for work and play. This ensures that I can get my work done as well as not turn into a workaholic. Being a hard worker is important, but setting time aside for family, friends, God, or even myself is even more critical. American society today can sometimes portray taking a break as laziness, but it is in these moments of enjoyment that we can recharge from our weariness, prepare for the next task, and find motivation for working in the first place.
I am naturally a detail-oriented person. This can be good at times because many tasks demand precision and accuracy. However, I can sometimes overdo it and be too specific when I don’t need to be. Meticulousness is not necessary for every task. By picking and choosing which assignments require perfection and which do not, I can then devote my extra time towards something more constructive and more demanding.
By gaining more personal control with my time and balancing wants and needs, I hope I can become a more responsible person. Making even the small decisions to better my day in a more balanced and efficient way can help me to gain the necessary skills in achieving future goals I may have.