Making time a problem? Here are some tips

I guess I could avoid putting all the blame on myself by pointing out that it's humanity's natural tendency to put off hard work or tasks. Students just happen to have a knack for this tendency.

If you often find yourself stopping in the newspaper section of the library to read the comics when you're there to do research for a paper, you probably fall into the category of "procrastinator." Or perhaps you enjoy turning on one of the made-to-order diversion devices (a.k.a. the television or radio) when it's time to study. Many of us would rather clean our rooms from top to bottom rather than sit down and read a textbook. At least, I hope I'm not the only one...

Have you ever noticed that we all use different tactics for extending time? We might get up earlier to get some work done, or stay up later to complete the task. It's funny to think we even institute daylight-saving time to lengthen the days of spring and summer. More hours of sunshine is just another good reason to slack off!

Think about it. How many times have you said the word "time" today? Time is constantly on our minds. If our allocations of time are disrupted through our own acts or the acts of others, we "fall short on hard times." As a result we take counteractions to recover "in the nick of time."

As college students, we are not very different from workers in a factory who are sometimes paid by the units they complete. These people are called "piece workers," and are required to "fight the clock" every second to make a living wage. Likewise, studen ts must also "fight the clock" every day to survive.

The use of time has been a problem for humanity since "time immemorial" - early man had limited daylight time to hunt or fish for survival. Leonardo DaVinci had limited time to sculpt and paint.

But early man hunted enough food to make it all the way to 1997 and DaVinci finished the Mona Lisa. How? Perhaps they learned to prioritize time factors. We all know the ever-ticking clock can either be an ally if we learn to control it or an enemy if we don't.

College can be a tough place to make time an ally. Professors tend to disrupt any well-structured time allocation plans students may have by overloading tasks in short periods of time. This can cause a great deal of stress for students. The only way to be at that stress is to come up with a plan to organize your life. A very put-together friend of mine had this advice:

• Make lists! Write down everything you want to accomplish the night before, putting the most important things at the beginning. As you finish each task, check it off. You'll have a feeling of satisfaction knowing you've completed something.

• Start large projects ahead of time. I know, you've heard this a million times. But if you're looking for advice, it's obvious that you're doing something wrong. Wouldn't it feel great to sit back and relax the night before a big project is due, knowi ng you've already completed it?

• Designate a time period to work on something. If you say you'll spend one hour between 8 and 9 p.m. struggling on math problems, then spend that hour doing so. Get away from any interruptions and do what has to get done.

• Start studying for tests before the night before. Don't whine, "Oh, I'll forget it if I start studying a week in advance." Chances are you'll know it perfectly if you go over it every night.

• Don't try to accomplish too many things at once. Set to work doing one project at a time. This prevents your brain from becoming very jumbled.

• Smile and don't stress. If you're stressed, you're not only hurting yourself, but your work probably won't turn out that great either.

Well, right now I am smiling and staring at my stack of books. I guess I should get started. And I guess you should put down this paper and get started too.

Jill Dellamalva is a sophomore majoring in journalism and creative writing. Her column, 'Focused Light,' appears every other Wednesday.

By Jill Dellamalva (columnist)
Arizona Daily Wildcat
March 26, 1997