By Loren Mattern

Time management is “taking and utilizing the time you are given to complete a task in the most efficient way possible to increase effectiveness and efficiency,” said Mrs. Barbara Craft.

Since beginning their high school career, two freshman believe that their time management skills have improved. “I do think my time management skills have improved. Since starting school here, I have had to use my time wisely in, and out of school,” Sabel Bloss replied. She can now juggle homework and chores, with any other tasks without fault because of her improvement in time management. Gentry’s opinion is consistent with Bloss’ response, “I think that my time management skills have improved because I have a lot more homework that I have to do,” Bloss stated.

Mrs. Huff uses time management on a daily basis. A method she recommends is, “to create a list of tasks or duties” to “prioritize what has to be done.” Picture by Loren Mattern

Individuals have their own opinion on the importance of time management skills. Mrs. Traci Hilliard, PHS’ Information Literacy Assistant said that, “without time management my position would be a lot more stressful.” Mrs. Hilliard does not only use her time management skills for work though, but also as a mom. “As a working mom I use time management skills every day. I keep my family’s schedules and mine with me at all times. I share duties with my husband to make sure everything gets done,” she said. Then, she touched on the importance of teamwork and how it relates to time management. “Remember, you do not have to do everything on your own. Teamwork is sometimes your best resource. When you do have to fly solo, try to focus on completing your tasks accurately rather than being done in a hurry,” Mrs. Hilliard explained. “It’s better to be right than to be fast, Unless you are in a race, no one cares whether you were first or last to finish,” she later stated.

Since Mrs. Lisa Huff departed from her high school life, she thinks her time management skills have improved. “As you get busy and you have more and more things to juggle. It’s sink or swim.” Her daily schedule is massively impacted by time management skills. “Upfront here, we have many interruptions. We have to prioritize what has to be done first,” she stated. If Mrs. Huff had not obtained the correct skill set for being PHS’ Administrative Secretary, time management tasks would not get “done in a timely fashion.” A method Mrs. Huff uses for staying on task and getting the job done is to “create a list of tasks or duties that I have to get done.” She puts them in order from most important to least, then finishes them in that order.

A main component of time management is amount of time spent on one detail. The amount of effort put into each aspect also greatly impacts the outcome. Freshman Sabel Bloss said, “I probably spend, maybe, half an hour on homework.” While Senior Nadia Baca had said that on average, she spends around “1-2 hours” on homework. Depending on the work load, different amounts of time will be spent on the assignment. Mrs. Amy Schmeltz said, “Students with quality time management skills tend to be very successful academically.”

This also applies to adults and the amount of time they spend on work they bring home. Mrs. Huff said, “Well, I try not to bring work home, but if I do it’s only an hour or so.” While Mrs. Barbara Craft replied that she “would spend anywhere from 2-5 hours” working and could continue into the “evening.” The workload can vary depending on how well time management skills are applied in the work place. Mrs. Hilliard later explained that to be someone with good time management skills “means being organized, making a plan and being flexible.”

Mrs. Hilliard said, “Being organized helps me stay focused.” Also, explaining her earlier response of “being flexible,” she stated that “Being flexible helps me not freak out when the order of my task need to change due to other factors.” There are many ways to define time management skills because there are many ways to apply them to daily life.