The Importance of Time Management by Jonathan

The Importance of Time Management by Jonathan - September 2014 Scholarship Essay

Time management is the most important skill for success in college. This skill is often mentioned because of its importance, but is rarely ever explained in detail. Put simply, good time management skills will lead to completion of tasks faster, which leads to more sleep or time for leisure activities. It also leads to better results in the classroom as well as on the field for athletes. Developing this skill will also prevent the stress from procrastination which can often lead to emotional and physical problems as well as other health issues.

One of the key faults many students have is a tendency toward procrastination. William Penn said, “Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.” Procrastination stems from lack of wanting to do the task itself and not planning out enough time to do it in the first place. Many students find themselves with the time to start the assignment, but not finish it, and so try and wait until they have all the time needed to do it. Time management skills would help students be able to break down assignments into sections. This would allow students to work on assignments in parts and make better use of their time.

Good time management would also help with planning out assignments around jobs and clubs. Keeping in mind how much time is available for tasks allows students to make intelligent choices on what to do. Time management cannot solve laziness, but it can open up time for activities such as sports, clubs, personal reading, spending time with friends, going to movies, playing video games, and a host of other such things. While lazy people may also do these things, someone with good time management will be able to not only have just as much fun, but will receive far better grades.

Why is time management a skill? It sounds the same as being organized. This is true, but someone can be naturally organized and still not manage time well. Time management requires quick planning and execution to be successful. The great Bruce Lee said, “If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you’ll never get it done.” This is the biggest problem people face trying to manage time: They actually spend too much time thinking about doing it. Time management is important, but wasting time trying to map out every minute of the day will waste time better spent elsewhere. This is why time management is different then simple planning and organization. It takes practice and improvement. Like any other skill one has to use it to become better at it.

Each student has twenty-four hours each day to take care of basic needs, assignments, work, and extracurricular activities. J. R. R. Tolkien wrote, “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.” This time can be used wisely, or it can be spent poorly. But in the end, those who use their time best will succeed. For this reason time management is the most important skill for a student to succeed in college and in life.