A Look Back

This semester I have been blogging about time management in college and time management in general. Throughout my time of blogging, I have found certain approaches work better than others when trying to communicate amongst the outside world through a blog. Blogging about myself, and my tendencies has been a truly eye opening opportunity in regards to becoming more organic in how I approach an assignment like this one. As I posted blog after blog, I learned that using great visuals is a key way to draw your audience in. It helps give a true perspective of what it is I am trying to get through to them. Visuals are key to an exciting blog post, without them blogs can lack a diversity of perception for the reader.

One of the things I noticed that didn’t work so well was using screen shots as an image for my blogs. Even though a very well thought out screen shot can be helpful, I found that a person picture of an experience can truly paint a more vivid picture for the audience to take in (pun intended). This brings me to my next topic which is what I would have added more of to my blog. The next blog I write I would like to involve videos and pictures more often to capture the audience’s attention. This experience will benefit me greatly moving forward because of the ability to reach out to people through writing. It is a fantastic way to express your inner thoughts on particular topics, subjects, etc. By utilizing these things in my blogs in my professional career, I will be able to build off of the ideas I have had so far in regards to creativity. It will help balance me and provide me with a chance to become better at digital media. Practice makes perfect, and this blog does a good job of showing that.

My post had the most views on November 23rd of 2015, I believe that post was viewed most because of the visuals I used in my blogs. I feel like they correlated with my blog topic, which helped the reader become more interested in what my particular blog was for that day. After looking over my stats nothing seemed to be a surprise to me. I knew I would have to build my blog for sometime to get more viewers, so I was happy with the results I had so far. Thanks for reading,  hope to continue this in the future.

 

Cheers.

Make Each Minute Count

LIFE!

As my semester comes to an end I have noticed the most valuable asset of time management, cherishing the time you have and making it all count. Time management is a key tool in success, and using every second you get is the key way to complete your tasks. Try taking some time, and sorting your day so that you are always busy studying, especially during finals. Take advantage of the time you have to become better and to be a better student. Many people will be going out, drinking, and celebrating finals being over before they even start. Be the opposite of that, use the time you have before the exams to overlook all of your notes, read and re-read chapters to prepare for the end of the semester.

Try getting the best amount of sleep possible, and plan on waking up early each day to get it started before everybody else. If you take advantage of the time you have and make it count, you will see positive results from your work ethic. Plan on spending each minute you have on being better, and succeeding. Be ahead of the curve, and be overly prepared for your duties that are upcoming. Making each minute count can help you be less stressed in a situation such as final exams in college. That is the key to staying a float when you feel like you are drowning.

Look at your schedule, instead of laying around for an hour or two take each extra minute and overly pursue your goals and dreams. The goal is to be overly prepared, remember that.. Especially during Thanksgiving, a time when it is easy to be lazy! Check out this link for a story on making time count! Cheers!

Taking Time Away from Working

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Believe It and Conquer!

A week ago I had a huge week of tests I had to complete at the best of my ability while I was sick. With that being said, I am making this post about the week I had through November 1st which required a huge amount of trust in myself to make certain I studied and earned a good grade. What I want to project to you all is the power of belief in yourself and your mission to be successful no matter what happens.

Truthfully the power of belief can alter the outcome of your future. If you don’t believe in yourself, you won’t make it very far in your cause, or life in general. There are many times when things come up that can hinder you from achieving certain tasks, but ‘ okay. During November 1st weekend, I had my birthday, but also had a 101 fever along with hand, foot, and mouth disease. I had belief in myself to achieve my goals and move forward. This is what I recommend to all of you who read this blog. Belief is the primary reason for achievement in every aspect of life. I promise you, if you take time, and believe in your purpose along with your direction, you will end up exactly where you want to be. Sometimes it might take a little longer than you hope, but with the proper belief you will be happy in the end.

Speaking of belief, I have found a great website full of quotes to help you believe in yourself, your lifestyle, and the direction you are heading. Take time to understand the values in believing in yourself. Take some time everyday to understand the importance and the value in this very simple concept and you will see your life change dramatically. These last few weeks have been rough, and without true belief in myself I wouldn’t have the positive attitude I have been able to keep. You will notice the difference in accomplishing tasks once you have a strong belief in the self. Cheers everyone, enjoy your life and believe!

Dedication Means The Most

How do you dedicate your time wisely? Have you ever had a busy week, too many things to do, and the idea that you won’t get it done? I understand that completely, dedication is the key to success when you have to manage your time and responsibilities. This week, I would like for you to dedicate yourself at the highest degree. Coming off a week full of tests, midterms, lab practicals, and many other time consuming duties, I have found that being dedicated towards success is the answer to your prayers.

Consider your degree of dedication when you think about your responsibilities. How bad do you want it? How much are you willing to sacrifice so you can dedicate all of your energy towards your schedule and what you have going on? I found looking at other peoples lifestyles toward dedication is a great way to enhance my energy. Take time to pump yourself up and get your mind right. Lay out your entire game plan for school or work, listen to your favorite music, find ways to keep your dedication a main focus for your journey.

This week I encourage every one who reads my blog to take time to look at what dedicates you and motivates you to be better. This week should be about the enhancement of your ability to encourage yourself to handle your business. Find out what takes you to the next level and what makes you determined to finish what you’ve started at the highest degree possible. Your results will astonish you if you truly follow through. I myself have had the chance to find out what made me more determined during my midterm week. I found listening to classical music helped me focus and retain information a little bit better. Find the little things that work, rinse and repeat.

Prioritize Your Duties!

This week, I came to a conclusion in regards to completing my tasks on time, as well as effectively. I learned prioritizing was a major part of time management. This week I referred to a few different blogs in search of some help in my time management battle. The blog I used in direct reference to this post was freakishly productive. This blog had such a deep idea towards how to handle times when you want to give up and recently I have felt this way.

This week has been an eye opening week in regards to prioritizing my responsibilities. I have enjoyed managing my time, and learning how to be more effective in that aspect of my life. The advice I can give others with their time management is to consider the importance of different tasks. Think about it this way, you want to handle responsibilities in this order:

1. Most important
2. Next important
3. Least important

I know this is very basic, but the idea of time management is as well. You should apply this simple idea towards your entire itinerary of responsibilities for the week. List your responsibilities in this format before you start completing them one after another. Be realistic about your duties, be realistic about your time and make the right decisions when it comes to choosing one thing over another. Take time, taking taking time is the most valuable asset towards being a successful manager of your own time. The best way to accomplish your goals is to sit for just a few minutes, and prioritize your life in a way that provides success for you in the end.

I am working on my tasks one after another in order of most important!

Time Ninja Review!

This week I have taken into account another blog for some guidance towards time management. I used the Time Management Ninja blog as a tool to understand time management  a little better. After looking at this blog I have found a few new ideas to live by. The thing I like most about this blog, is the set up it has and how easily it flows from one idea to the next. The layout is something I think should have a lot of recognition. I enjoy the creativity within the writer to move from one idea to the next, and to make certain each idea presented is understood before moving on to the next.

For example, the blog I read begins with “prioritizing tasks”, it provides a basis for prioritizing, which is a great opener for time management. I feel you get the basics of the idea of time management by starting with this in the blog. With prioritizing comes low, medium, or high priority and those are all stated within this blog. It also has a rule of when this project needs to be done. That sets a due date, a time frame for you to finish whatever it is you are expected to finish. I enjoy the urgency the author stresses and the way in which he stresses it. In the blog I read it states ” Taking a few minutes to think critically about your daily tasks will prevent you from wasting your time.” I love this statement, the reason why is because it is a very simple idea that literally gives you a pathway towards success. Most people do not take a small amount of time just to overview their responsibilities and how to best accomplish those responsibilities.

The author makes a top 10 to-do list which is a handbook towards success in regards to responsibility and finishing tasks. I believe this is a great tool for readers who are unfamiliar with time management. This small to-do list consists of setting urgency, prioritizing, determining the effort and making time for yourself outside of your project. I believe these ideas are key towards time management success and positive results in regards to a project completed. This blog has even been talked about by blog mindjet as one of the top five blogs for time management on the internet. After reading this blog, I feel the need to go back to it and read more about time management as my semester moves forward. I highly recommend this blog to anybody who needs assistance or a start to time management.

This image is given by sharepresidentialblog.com

Sacrifice For The Better

Today is Sunday September 20th, 2015. I have been recently adjusting my schedule to manage my time with school a little bit better than I have in the past. Today, the Cowboys play, and being from Dallas I ABSOLUTELY CANNOT MISS A GAME. But what this means is I had to complete multiple assignments throughout this first week in my other classes. With that being said, I have decided to manage my class work by the amount of time each assignment needs in comparison to the others.

This week, I have been evaluating my to-do list and my want to-do list. I had a huge test on Thursday of this week for Anthropology. My son has also been feeling a little under the weather, so he has needed a little more time so I can help him feel better. The thing about a sick child is, you do not want to put them down. Saying that, I have had to balance his schedule and my own in regards to studying for this test. I came into this week knowing I might not have as much time as I needed to study, so I knew I would have to sacrifice something in order to do both. This week is all about sacrifice. Sacrifice as said by most, is giving something up, or making something less of a priority than something else because of it’s value. This week I learned my sacrifice was going to be sleep.

Sacrificing sleep was a big part of my time management regimen this week. Some weeks I have more time to get rest than others. But this week wasn’t one of those weeks. I think this has taught me that there is a way to get everything done that you need to, even if that means sacrificing something you might enjoy to do that. I attend class in the mornings and I work during the afternoon every single day of the week except for the weekends. That being said, I usually get home around 6:15 pm every night. I begin my day around 8 AM usually, so the time period between 6 PM and 8 AM the next day is crucial for my responsibilities in school. When I get home,  play with my son, and feed him, give him a bath and put him to sleep around 8:45 or 9. Now I have 9 PM until 8 AM the next day to study and prepare myself for my tests or school work.

Homework and football after putting him to bed!

So knowing my schedule was going to be packed I decided to sacrifice a typical bedtime of 11 pm to 2 AM instead. I needed to lose sleep in order to study for my Anthropology test. I would come home from work and school, put my son to sleep, and begin studying around 10 PM until around 2 AM. During my study time I would try and look at material from FDOM and my other classes if I had the time. The sacrifice of my sleep schedule this week allowed me to study and prepare myself accordingly for my test this week. It taught me how to balance a very tight packed schedule even when things come up like a sick child who might need a little extra time! (I do not mind though). My schedule has now been modified to attend to my son as much as I can, while completing my studies at night. This semester, I am going to continuously get better at managing time, sacrificing whatever I need to in order to do that, and completing my tasks in school. As this next week comes up, and my sons cold goes away, I will be able to use my modified schedule, and evening study time to get ahead of this weeks work.

Please feel free to check out my twitter page so you can see any updates for my blog!

A little about my topic!

How in the heck do you manage time? Time never stops! it is certainly not on our side at times. My name is Matthew Bernal and I am 24 years old. I am a college student at Texas State University, as well as a father, a son, a friend, competitor and many other things. I have a life outside of school that I enjoy very much. I have friends I like to see, sports I enjoy playing, and a lifestyle that I like to keep even though I am a full time student. So, keeping that in mind, I have decided to blog about time management in college, and balancing what you enjoy doing with what you have to do!

The reason I chose time management in college is because I have a lot of time I have to dedicate to the best thing in the world, which is my son! He is almost a year old, he requires a lot of time and energy to raise as well as support while I am in school. Being a young parent along with my fiance, we have had to find ways to manage our time in college because of our responsibilities and enjoyments outside of school. Being that college is a job, which is very full time, one must learn how to dedicate hours towards projects and studying, while working and seeing family at the same time.  (Grand children are highly enjoyed by the way..) So there is no escaping grandmother’s kisses for our little guy. That is for sure a commitment one must make after having children.

While learning how to balance that work load, I hope to capture images, videos, and write about my experience with learning how to manage my time as a college student who also has other things to attend to. I also hope to keep you entertained and interested in my journey as I blog more in the future. I want my blog to reach out to other college students, who are parents or just college students trying to make it through school. I feel my story can be understood and looked at through the same pair of eyes as my own by others in college. We all have had to experience a time in our lives when managing time dictates your success. I would like to write and inform you all about how I manage my time, and how that time management can help me handle my responsibilities as well as enjoy life! Please feel free to visit my twitter here for any new updates each week!

Helping little man eat on my way to work!