Mastering Organization/Time Management

A friend suggested that I give advice on the way I manage my day-to-day activities in order to show an example of how you get a lot accomplished in so little time. It's been almost a month since I started this post. There I was, battling myself with what to write and how to write it. Now I finally think I can finish this. It has become the norm for me to do what I do everyday, but to explain what it is I do everyday is a whole different story. The procedures on top of that is a novel. It's a lot, but I will try my best to explain how to approach/execute your goals, as well as using time management effectively.

Before I get into any of this, I want to share a theory and model I learned in my Theories of Crime class. It is used by criminologists to explain elements of society that prevents criminal behavior. Now this post has nothing to do with criminal behavior, but I realized that the model is also a prototype, a matrix, and basis of how one should form their life to produce the utmost happiness available for you. The theory is called The Social Bond Theory and it was developed by Travis Hirschi in 1969. A person maintains four main elements with society that most likely prevents them from criminal behavior (or in regards to the point I'm trying to prove, success and happiness in accordance with knowing how to organize your life with time management integrated).

This model is self-explanatory. Attachment to your friends, family, and community are necessary. When you love and receive love from family + friends, you're never alone. Studies show that those who grow up without friends and are anti-social are more likely to become a serial killer. When you are involved in your community and perform acts such as community service, you are more likely to be more caring and percipient of other social classes while personally witnessing the struggle they go through.

When you are committed to your goals, success, career, and future, you are simply focused. You know exactly what you want and your goals are much easier to attain that way.

Whether it being school and its activities, community organizations, religious functions, or social clubs, it is very important to be involved. Studies show that when a child starts to be more involved in the aforementioned, they are less likely to commit a crime. If you haven't realized already, there are a lot of basketball programs, football programs, after school programs, and an infinite amount of other activities for kids in urban neighborhoods in efforts to deter them away from crime. It works. Though there is still crime, there would be a lot more if the government and private people didn't create and fund programs like these. You are actively involved in productive activities that either make you a better person, or your community -- a better community. As a person aspiring to succeed, these types of involvement are crucial to you being a more productive, well-rounded person. It's nice to be smart, actually that's awesome, but jobs and colleges are more likely to accept the person that has a high GPA and an eclectic set of things on their resume rather than another one with just a high GPA. Of course with additions like these to your life on top of school are a challenge. We will get into the breakdown shortly.

Lastly, being a better you makes the past 3 points possible, and they also can eventually produce these qualities in you also. Your beliefs in always being an honest, moral, fair, and responsible person will have you gliding through life with ease. Being patriotic is not a necessity, but seeing that Hirschi created this model in the 60s gives reason as to why he included patriotism. America was at its apogee with its patriotism in those times. When you're honest with yourself and the loved ones around you, they have more respect for you, even if what you may say is brutally honest. No one can ever be mad at you with being honest but do keep in mind that you aren't always right. Always be open to opinions and reason. Reasoning makes you wiser for those who haven't studied Socrates, Plato, or Aristotle yet. Being morally correct is always a plus. You are more likely to make wiser decisions in life. These are the people that stay out of arguments or fights when it manages to lure them in, the people whose friends love being around them for advice, the people whose friends can count on him/her for having a stress-free time. When you're fair to yourself and to others, people are able to count on you more for better judgement. They typically won't expect any fowl play from you and take you as a serious person. When you're responsible, you always get things done. You take care of what you need to take care of and put priorities first. These people tend to be more independent. Read my post Inside Life: The Independent Woman for further details.

As previously stated, this model is based off of criminal studies. They are activities that will most likely deter you from becoming a criminal. However, as you can see, this model is also a prime example of what it means to be a successful and happy person. Always keep this model in mind while reading the rest of this post. It is very much well the rules I live by. I'm glad I came across this in my textbook in order to share it with you. You should assure yourself that you at least can relate to 2 sub-points in each of the 4 points of the model. Altogether, all of the aforementioned qualities are found in the people that are most happiest. You can refer back to my post Inside Life: Appreciating and Utilizing The Quality Of Life for more expansion on being a more satisfied, happy person.

Organization Management
 
I have always been a neat freak since I was able to apprehend how important a clean house is. Ever since then, that obsessiveness led into me organizing any and everything, from my clothes in my closets to the papers in a school folder. My father always got annoyed because every time he came home from work, he would take his suit and tie off and throw it over the door. I would take them and fixate them properly in the closet lol. He was always able to recount those days and laugh about them later on. My obsessiveness got so bad that it affected my performance in school in 6th grade of middle school. I quickly learned how to balance both keeping a clean and organized environment around me, as well as performing well in school. I guess all of these factors led up to my multitasking abilities today, come to think about it, and why it's so easy for me to be effortlessly organized (even to the point where I forgot how to explain how I do this). :/
 
Organization directly affects the way I set my goals and what makes my goals more attaianble for me. Goal setting should have two functions, being realistic with yourself and knowing what you want.
 

Goal setting: Goal setting sounds simple, but it is only simple if you are realistic with yourself. When having dreams and career aspirations, reach for the stars and go for what you REALLY want to do. However, keep in mind that everything is a process and nothing happens overnight. Wanting to be n actress, a fashion designer, a lawyer, and etc. are wonderful goals but they are goals that many people have. Because goals like these are so common, the process is much harder to become one of these and therefore takes the proper qualifications. In order to achieve each of these qualifications to be the career man/woman you want to be, you have to make a set of goals leading up to what you want to be. You have to be realistic with yourself as to what is doable in a set amount of time rather than thinking you would be able to accomplish certain things within one year. To the right is an example of what I do. About 2 years ago, I made a 5-year plan for the goals I want to achieve, dividing my goals into 3 different sectors of one year. Those sectors are: Spring, Summer, Fall-- correlating to my college semesters. Since making the 5-year plan, I have only made minute changes which is an awesome thing. This means I was realistic with myself when making these goals the first time, since I have been executing them ever since and only making minor changes. Since I'm currently in the Fall 2011 semester, the paper on the top right corner of the picture represents my goals only for this semester. The picture to the left next to it is a representation of the Summer 2011 goals, which I have posted up still because I have things left to do that was carried onto the Fall 2011 list. The two papers below are merely material things that I planned to get within a 2-year span. I also have a 5-year plan for travel plans. All of this is an example of my goal setting. I hope it can work for you and that you find it useful.

Execution of objectives: Now in order to ensure that these goals are executed, you need to possess ambition, motivation, and determination. Without any of these, it is impossible to execute your goals. You need to be serious about your goals and have the will to accomplish them. If not, then there is no point of you goal-setting.

                                        
                                                    Examples of how I manage organization:

Below are binders that I bifurcate for awards I received, plays for my football team, resumes and other job-related documents, and important government documents I always need to have. The note cards are monthly reminders I need to do (facials, wash rugs,  etc.), daily reminders (reading Bible verses, a book chapter, studying vocab), gym schedule, instructions for my ab work-out, instructions for how to apply make-up, and other things that I just need to have in front of me in order for me to remember. It's all apart of organization management.

Below are just pictures of the 2 bags I carry all the time. One of them is for one of my internships that has all of my teaching material within it, which I only use 2 times a week. The other is my main bag that usually has the daily subjects (Bible, book, vocab), my Mac, iPad, notepad for my 2nd internship, womanly/sanitary items (perfume, lotion, hand sanitizer, lip balm/gloss, etc.), and of course my school items (notebook, folder, pens/highlighter).

It may seem like I go hard with organizing everything, but do realize how much easier life is when your life is together and organized. Some people work best off of disorganization, and some people don't. I don't, and organizing everything works best for me.

Time Management

I think the most definitive reason why the term "time-management" is taking in account by a person is because they need to learn how to multitask while remaining focused. Being deft in such a skill will take a person far in life. I always believe the best way for me to do my job correctly as a blogger, and for you to relate and comprehend as acute as possible, is for me to share my experiences and certain aspects from my life that could further offer you helpful advice.


Experience

Commitments

Daily
-School
-Internships
     -Jumpstart
     -NYPD
-Gym
-Personal literacy enhancement (Bible, personal reading book, vocab)

Weekly
-2 TPMs
-1 TLM
-GLCC
-Yoga

Bi-weekly 
-CSA: Activities Chair
-CJA

Monthly
-New York Cares
-Football practice

Others
-Miles For Hope


Explanation
Daily
By personal literacy enhancement, I mean just taking a half hour-45 minutes out of my dad to read a Bible verse, read at least 1 chapter from a personal book (usually by Rochelle Alers), and study SAT words that I've had since my junior year in high school. This is my choice and these are all things that I just believe will keep me ahead and literate. They are also long term projects. I have a long term goal of reading the whole Bible (taking my time - moderation), reading Rochelle Alers' whole collection, and becoming acquainted with the SAT words (in preparation for LSATs). All of the aforementioned has a purpose. I fear if I ever stop reading, that a point will come in my life where I don't enjoy it. God forbid that happen. I read the Bible because I want to go on my own religious journey through the Book and comprehend it in my own way. I believe it's important for me to read it even if I don't go to church. I eventually got tired of people saying "the bible says so-and-so" and etc., so I just decided to make things easy and read it for myself. As for the vocab words, I have almost 1000 flash cards, and about 30 packs divides that. I decided to make use of them by studying a pack every month. I guess it can only add to my vocabulary. Everything else in the 'weekly' list speaks for itself.

Weekly
The TPMs and TLMs are meetings I have and attend through my Jumpstart internship, respectively. I have 2 TPMs (Team Planning Meeting) per week where I conduct the meeting to my Corps Members, as a Team Leader. And one TLM (Team Leader Meeting) per week where all the Team Leaders at my internship have a 2-hour meeting that the Site Managers conduct. GLCC is a language program center at school where you get one-on-one conversational tutoring with native speakers. I do this with with Spanish. I try to get as much one-on-one conversation tutoring with my amazing Spanish tutor, Alma, to boost up my confidence in speaking, since I read and write so well. Yoga speaks for itself. Too busy to do it everyday, so I try to do it once on the weekend.

Bi-weekly
CSA and CJA are the Caribbean Students Association and Criminal Justice Association.

Monthly
Lastly, New York Cares is a NYC huge volunteer program, I believe the most official, where people from all different professions (doctors, lawyers, veterinarians, students, teachers, nurses, unemployed, etc.) volunteer a few hours (however many times they want to) to dedicate their time to either people or a cause in need. It's a wonderful thing. This is my 2nd year doing it, and though I only limited it to 1 time a month, 1 is in fact better than nothing. If every person dedicated their self at least once a month, the results would be phenomenal. Check out a post I did on it before (Inside Volunteering: Volunteer With 'New York Cares' Today!) and the site itself (www.newyorkcares.org/).


Miscellaneous Tasks
Now these are my fixed obligations that I have for myself (or set for myself) every day, week, month, or whatever the case may be. Of course, on top of these things, there are ALWAYS other things I have to do. For instance, for my Jumpstart internship there are plenty of other things that I have to do besides Session (teaching 2 days per week for 2 hours), TLMs and TPMs. There is also a curriculum that each Team Leader has to follow by. A lot of preparation is needed for this and each session there are new materials we need to make or obtain. We also have to prepare a section of the curriculum ourselves. All of this is A LOT of work and I don't have a set time to do these things. Instead, I do these things when I can. Anytime I have any capacious time where I'm not doing anything, I do miscellaneous important things like other Jumpstart duties. I'm a person that wastes no time. If I'm on the bus, train, or plane, I put down the book I'm usually reading and get to work. If I'm on a beach or poolside in a different state or country, I always aim to get my work done. Usually, I always get work done before flying out, or before I land at my destination. But often there are times where I fly out at an important time in the school year and come back the day before or day of an important test, where I have to bring study materials with me. Above is an example of what I did this past weekend in Boston. I came back home for football practice (that I have once a month) and for the time I had at home: I ate mommy's food (of course), watched Lifetime on my flat, and worked on Jumpstart things. I already started all of this at school, but finished everything here at home. Believe it or not, this task may look simple but it probably took me about 8 hours to cut papers, write names, laminate, cut, punch holes, put in rings/yarn, cut velcro, make a bottle shaker, etc. Of course, the Corps members have their own things to prep too and help out a lot.




The same thing applies to going to the gym. When I didn't have football practice and finished with all of my Jumpstart material. I checked my gym schedule, down the street, that I have pasted and organized on one of my wardrobes to see what I could do before heading back to New York. Thus, I used ample time to catch up in the sauna, steam room, and gym.

As you can see, whether I'm at home in Boston, or at school in New York, always, always, always, I am organized.

To find out more about what Jumpstart is, visit http://www.jstart.org/


The Cherry-On-Top Solution For Success In Time Management
The solution for time-management is quite simple, and trust me when I say this because these next 3 solutions I will give you are how I get through my life everyday: rationale, organization, and a Blackberry. Always go hard 100 percent in everything you do, so if you miss a day or two due to other engagements, your assumed presence will already be where you are missed because of the work ethic you already put in on a consistent basis. Organize what your daily/weekly/monthly activities are and be rational with how much your mind and body can manage without killing yourself. If you have sporadic events going on, input it into your Blackberry or your phone's calendar so it can send you a reminder in advance.


Money Budgeting Tips
If you are a college student that enjoys nice things and traveling like me, you are balling on a budget! Our work study money or side jobs don't garner us enough money for us to walk up into Louis Vuitton and spend a few Gs. Neither does it garner enough money for us to book a random trip and disappear the next day (conflicts with school, work, and other priorities can be a reason for that too). What I did is planned out the trips I want to take in the next few years. I make deadlines for my friends + I to pay for flights and hotel or for myself if I'm traveling alone. If I'm going somewhere with a group of friends, I draft up a full itinerary of the trip and send it to my friends. If I'm going to Jamaica alone or for a weekend, I never do any organizing since I have a house out there and know the procedures already. I just hop on a plane. After planning the trips and deciding where I want to go, as well as making the deadlines, I plan what I'm going to do with my check before I even get it, so when I get it, I just take care of a task asap. I don't pay bills so my money is usually for food, transportation, shopping, and traveling. For those of you who do pay bills, it's best for you to get that out of the way first and then proceed to correlate your plans with how much money you make per check. Planning what I'm going to do with my checks is my simple way of money budgeting.

This is a lot of information, and though it works for me, I'm not sure if it will work for everyone. Usually people always find posts of mines like these helpful, so I hope such is the case for you!


-B