COM FPX 1150 Assessment 3 Making Time to Achieve Your Goals

COM-FPX1150: Introduction to Digital Information and Literacy

Professor Name

July 2024

Making Time to Achieve Your Goals

In today’s fast-paced world, effectively managing time is crucial for balancing multiple responsibilities and achieving personal and professional success. Utilizing digital tools and organization strategies can significantly enhance productivity, allowing individuals to efficiently allocate time to various tasks (Wang et al., 2020). This assessment explores the importance of time management, prioritization, and the use of digital calendars to organize a busy week. By estimating realistic task completion times, prioritizing tasks across academic, career, and personal domains, and reflecting on the impact of external commitments, the assessment demonstrates how strategic planning and critical thinking can lead to better time management and improved outcomes.

Part 1: Plan Your Time

Estimate Realistic Task Completion Times

Estimating realistic task completion times is crucial for effective time management and productivity. Using a time management calculator provides a structured approach to assess how long each task might take (Brady et al., 2022). The tasks for the week were divided into academic, career, and personal/family categories. For academic tasks, studying for exams was estimated to require 10 hours, given the complexity of the subjects and the proximity of the exam dates. Completing assignments was allocated 8 hours, considering the typical workload and the need for research and revision. These estimates were derived from past experiences of similar tasks and the academic demands of the current courses.

Career tasks included an in-town weekend retreat and preparing for a presentation. The retreat was a fixed commitment, taking up 6 hours on Saturday and 4 hours on Sunday, as specified by the employer. Preparing for the presentation was estimated at 5 hours, factoring in the time needed for research, creating slides, and rehearsal. Personal/family tasks included grocery shopping and meal preparation, estimated at 3 hours based on a weekly routine, and exercise, allocated 4 hours to maintain physical health and well-being. These estimates were based on previous patterns and the necessity to balance work, study, and personal life effectively. Using a time management calculator allows for a clear visualization of time allocation, helping to ensure that all tasks are realistically planned and achievable within the week (Brady et al., 2022).

Six Tasks Split between the Areas

The prioritization of tasks was based on the urgency and importance of each task. Academic tasks related to exams took the highest priority due to their fixed dates and significant impact on academic performance (Pavlenchyk et al., 2023). Tasks are divided into three categories i.e. Academic, Career tasks, and Personal Tasks.

• Studying for Exams
• Completing Assignments
• In-Town Weekend Retreat
• Preparing for a Presentation
• Grocery Shopping and Meal Preparation
• Exercise

The Rationale to Determine Priority 

The order of tasks was determined by their significance and urgency, guaranteeing that important deadlines are fulfilled while juggling personal obligations. Academic tasks took the highest priority due to their fixed dates and significant impact on academic performance. Career-related tasks, including the mandatory in-town weekend retreat and preparing for a presentation, were prioritized next because of their specific time commitments and relevance to professional success. Personal and family tasks, such as grocery shopping and exercise, were given lower priority due to their flexible scheduling options, allowing them to be adjusted around more urgent academic and career tasks. This strategic approach ensures that essential responsibilities are managed effectively while accommodating less time-sensitive activities.

Calendar to Organize Tasks

The Rationale for Choosing a Time Organization Strategy 

The chosen time organization strategy was influenced by the principles outlined in MacKay’s blog post, “The ‘Everything Is Important’ Paradox: 9 Practical Methods for How to Prioritize Work.” This strategy emphasizes distinguishing between urgent and important tasks, allowing for effective prioritization (MacKay, 2020). By categorizing tasks into academic, career, and personal/family areas, it became clear which tasks had fixed deadlines and significant impacts on long-term goals. This method ensured that tasks with immediate deadlines and those critical to academic and career success were addressed first, while personal tasks were scheduled flexibly around these priorities.

The time management calculator provided a practical tool for estimating realistic completion times for each task (Ersan & Parlak, 2023). It helped in allocating appropriate time blocks in the digital calendar, ensuring that each task was given sufficient attention without overcommitting. The calculator’s insights guided the scheduling of tasks, confirming that high-priority activities were assigned the necessary time (Ersan & Parlak, 2023). This approach, supported by credible resources and tools, facilitated a balanced and manageable weekly schedule, enhancing productivity and reducing stress.

Work Event Impacted Approach

The required work event, a weekend in-town retreat, significantly impacted the approach to time organization by necessitating a careful reevaluation and adjustment of the weekly schedule. The event’s fixed timing (6 hours on Saturday and 4 hours on Sunday) meant that other tasks had to be rescheduled or reprioritized to accommodate this commitment. This necessitated a strategic rearrangement of academic and personal tasks to ensure that all responsibilities were still met within the limited available time.

Resources such as the time management calculator and digital calendar were instrumental in overcoming planning challenges related to the work event. The time management calculator provides a clear picture of the time required for each task, allowing for more accurate adjustments (García et al., 2023). Due to critical thinking, assignments are prioritized according to their urgency and significance. This guarantees that academic duties that are of utmost relevance, such as exam preparation, have enough time in the previous week (García et al., 2023). Personal tasks, such as grocery shopping and exercise, were scheduled flexibly around the work event. This thoughtful approach ensured that all tasks were managed effectively, maintaining productivity and reducing stress despite the additional commitment of the work retreat.

Credibility and Relevance of a Chosen Resource 

The primary resource selected from the Capella Library was a scholarly article on time management strategies. The credibility of this resource was determined by its publication in a peer-reviewed journal, which indicated that it had undergone rigorous evaluation by experts in the field. Additionally, the author’s credentials and affiliation with a reputable academic institution further established the resource’s reliability.

The relevance of the resource was ascertained by its direct alignment with the assessment’s focus on organizing, planning, and effectively using digital tools. Specific aspects of the article, such as its detailed discussion of prioritization techniques and time management frameworks, were particularly pertinent to the task at hand. The assessment required practical strategies to prioritize six tasks across academic, career, and personal domains, and the resource provided actionable insights that informed the prioritization process.

NURS COM 1150 Assessment 3 Making Time to Achieve Your Goals Conclusion

Mastering time management and organizational skills through the use of digital tools is essential for navigating today’s demanding schedules. This assessment has underscored the importance of planning and prioritization in effectively balancing academic, career, and personal commitments. By leveraging resources like the time management calculator and digital calendars, individuals can optimize their productivity and ensure that tasks are completed efficiently and on schedule. Reflecting on the impact of external obligations, such as work events, further emphasizes the need for flexibility and strategic planning in managing competing priorities. Ultimately, integrating these practices fosters a more balanced and successful approach to managing daily responsibilities in both professional and personal realms.

NURS COM 1150 Assessment 3 Making Time to Achieve Your Goals References

Brady, A. C., Wolters, C. A., & Yu, S. L. (2022). Self-regulation of time: The importance of time estimation accuracy. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.925812

Ersan, O., & Parlak, B. (2023). The use of on-screen calculator as a digital tool in technology-enhanced items. International Journal of Assessment Tools in Education, 10(Special Issue), 224–242. https://doi.org/10.21449/ijate.1368600

García, R., Martinez, O., & Einsle, C. S. (2023). Advances in event management using new technologies and mobile applications. International Journal of Event and Festival Management, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.1108/ijefm-05-2022-0039