Module 3: Efficiency in The Digital Age

Throughout the presentation that was lesson three “Efficiency in The Digital Age” I discovered a plethora of helpful resources and links to services that I have since put into use. In the almost 20 years that I’ve been alive only one thing has remained constant; I cannot manage time to save my life. Now this might seem like something that I should have learned back in say middle school or highschool maybe, but rest assured, I did not. Ever since the early days back in elementary school I’ve stumbled through my classes only to receive passing grades due to my impeccable and counterproductive ability to do a whole week’s worth of work in one day. So here I am completing my fifth assignment of the day, all of which have been due tonight at midnight. With this little bit of backstory in mind, I’m sure you can imagine my excitement when I saw that this module would be focused on solutions to the exact same problem that I have faced my entire life.

  Something which I have found to be extremely valuable throughout the course of this module is the possibility to use technology as a way to promote a healthier study environment rather than as a distraction. I’ve regularly found myself falling victim to the almighty ruler and head honcho of all distractions: the Iphone. However In module Three I found a link to an application called forest. The premise of this app is that technology doesn’t need to be a distraction. This app functions almost as a game, where the goal is to grow a forest by planting seeds which can only be grown into trees by remaining focused. You plant a seed every time you set a timer at the beginning of a study session, remain within the forest app and your tree will grow. But if you leave the app to scroll through twitter or waste time messing with any other apps your tree will die. I found this to be extremely helpful because for some odd reason I really, really want to see this forest grow. I can’t explain why, but something about this application gives me a walloping desire to make this forest as thick, vast and impressive as I can. 

Something which was mentioned in the presentation that I have yet to put into practice (but will be sure to start soon) is the use of a calendar. I’d like to start this by saying that I have always had access to a calendar. I have always either had a paper calendar on my wall or a calendar on my phone or computer. However, I physically cannot remember the last time that I added an event to my calendar. I never use them (and I mean never). On top of this I also routinely find myself forgetting about important events or deadlines (crazy coincidence right?). Now anyone with basic skills of deduction could realize that if I actually used the calendars I have I might end this cycle of forgetting deadlines and then cramming assignments due the day of . However I have yet to begin actually using a calendar. So this is me, William Coyne McMurry, verbally (or as verbal as a blog post can get) dedicating myself to using a calendar for once in my life. 

To whomever might be reading this (hopefully at least a couple students and not just my instructor who is grading this blog post, Hi Ms Phillips!) if I could give you any advice on time management at all it would be:

      1. Find a way, by whatever means necessary to create a positive and distraction free study environment. Whether is be through an app like I chose to do, or if that means just going to a local coffee shop to get work done. Find your productive space and only do work there.

And

     2. Don’t just have a calendar, keep your calendar up to date. It will keep you from being late to that important presentation or forgetting that two-thousand word             essay that’s due tomorrow.

 

P.S. Below is a link to the website given in the module about productivity apps and tools:

–   https://www.lifehack.org/articles/technology/top-15-time-management-apps-and-tools.html

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