The simple proverb, “Know thyself,” is one attributed to the Egyptians, Greeks, Chinese, and even European Enlightenment philosophers. At the risk of co-opting a phrase perhaps overused enough to be called a cliché, I will state my opinion that knowing thyself is the key to being a successful and expert scheduler.
When the end of the semester rolls around and my fellow John Jay students work themselves into a frenzy trying to meet deadlines and study for finals, I always get asked at least ten times how I manage to take on so many responsibilities and yet get everything done on time. My answer is quite simple: I know how long it takes for me to do most tasks.
Think about it. You would not estimate how long it takes you to visit a friend three states away without a basis for such calculation. You would perhaps Google Map it or ask someone else who has been there before. In the same way, you should not guess at how long it will take you to write a paper or study for a test without a basis for this estimation. Guessing wrong will only put you behind schedule, cause you to run late, and ultimately default on responsibilities or miss deadlines. Knowing how much time is required to finish a task makes scheduling infinitely easier. When you do not have this estimation, scheduling becomes a guessing game. When you know yourself and your abilities, however, scheduling is an easy and clearcut puzzle. All the tasks have time requirements. Each day has a given amount of free time. All you have to do is fit the tasks into that free time and follow through.
Let me reiterate that last sentence: Fit the tasks into your free time and follow through. Knowing yourself in a scheduling sense is a two-step process. First, you must be able to estimate the time it will take you to finish a given project. This comes from experience, trial and error, and being conscious of your time. Secondly and equally as important, is the follow-through. If you are the type of person who writes a paper while watching television and chatting on Facebook, you need to be honest with yourself when you estimate the time it will take you to write that paper. Sure, you probably could write it in an hour or so, but if your attention is drawn elsewhere it may very well take you a lot longer. In this instance you should either dedicate yourself to focusing solely on the paper or designate more time in your schedule if you know you will end up with a few distractions. After all it is useless to know that you could conceivably finish a project in a given amount of time, if you then leisurely take twice the time to accomplish the task.
For the next couple of weeks try timing yourself to prepare for the coming semester. Time how long it takes you to read twenty pages, so that when classes start back up you know how much time to set aside for class readings. Note how long it takes you to comprehensively research a given topic, so that when research papers are back on your radar you will be able to estimate how much time you will need to prepare before sitting down to write. Be honest and critical about your skills. If you have to, write down your times. I promise you, like the pharaohs of ancient Egypt, Plato, Confucius, and many others have said before, “Know[ing] thyself,” is the key. Click here for your two minutes of procrastination.
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