the air

This multi-part series will discuss what techniques I use to manage my time better and accomplish tasks more comfortably. Each part will showcase certain techniques and how they can be applied to your situation. I encourage you to discuss your thoughts and comments about these tips.

Each year, thousands of college students across the country wonder why they are unable to accomplish their goals, why they never have enough time for homework, and hundreds of more questions. Many of them also fail to realize that better time management will help them succeed as well as keep them organized and focused. Time management is not a simple concept that is easily mastered. Instead, it requires work and a sincere effort. Millions of Americans are unable to allocate their time productively and often realize that they are simply over-worked. As a college student, I have spent some years trying different techniques that would help me better manage my time and keep me productive. I realized early on that no technique is perfect and not every technique works for everyone. This guide is designed to introduce you to how I manage my time as a college student. Since I was a teaching assistant last semester, I also encouraged my students to try my technique and tell me how it worked for them. Many of them reported a positive improvement, while some mentioned it did not work for them or it showed no improvement. The best way to determine what works for you is to simply try it for yourself.

Time management requires you to be pro-active. That means, you need to be constantly aware of what is working and what isn’t working. If something does not work for you, you should find out why and try to correct it. Often, from my experience, it appears that many problems lie in the fact that we are not willing to put in a sincere effort. In addition, time management is a very complex issue that requires you to be honest with yourself and a keen sense of perception. With that said, you should always remember that time management is an art. Not everyone is perfect at managing their time, but they can be successful. The golden rule, which I live by, is to keep your schedule as flexible as possible. Why? If your schedule is highly flexible, you will be able to accommodate for surprises and for numerous factors that are sometimes unavoidable. So always remember, flexibility is the key to better managing your time.

Lesson 1

Our first lesson simply asks you to record your daily routine for the next week. The reason why I suggest you record your routine is so that it helps you understand where and how you are spending your time. Write down when you have class, when you go to a friend’s place, when you have work, when you watch tv, etc. In other words, simply record all activities in which you spend more than 15 minutes.

I have designed an Excel worksheet for you in which you can keep track of all your activities that take 15 minutes or longer. What if an activity runs betweens 15 and 30 minutes (e.g. 23 minutes long)? If that is the case, simply round it up the next 15 minute increment. That means, if your activity runs for 24 minutes, then you should shade in two cells corresponding to the event.

For each activity, make sure you record the following:

1. Activity Name
2. Duration

Here is a quick example of what I mean:

You will notice that I used colors to color-code my activities. That is something I recommend so that you can determine if a block of time is flexible or not flexible. For example, the boxes in the image above that are shaded red are not flexible since they pertain to my courses. The box that is shaded green is flexible since I may eat lunch during that time or work on homework. However, the purpose of that block is to let me know that instead of wasting time doing nothing, I should be studying or doing homework.

When you are constructing your schedule, try to be as descriptive as possible. If you know you are going to be busy between 3pm and 4pm, don’t simply state that you will be busy. Rather, write down what activity you will be doing specifically since it will help you later on to determine whether or not it is an efficient use of your time. Do not write down any activity that is not part of your usual routine. This would include events such as interviews, going to job fairs, or going to see your doctor since these activities are not recurring ones. Only document those activities that you normally do or engage in every week. If you visit a friend’s place every week but at different times, just document the times you go and visit for the upcoming week.

Below are two spreadsheets you may use to help you during the week as you document your activities. One of them is an example of my lifestyle (it is partially filled out) and the other is an empty template.

Blank Spreadsheet

Example Spreadsheet

If you have any questions or comments, please contact me and I will do my best to help you out with the schedule. Remember, document everything that you normally would do every week. Color coding is optional, but it will help you later on. Next week we’ll discuss what the next step is.

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I happened to come across a post from John Chow that talked about two new plugins that he has introduced to his blog. I took a gander over at the website he linked, Gamerz, and discovered a whole list of plugins that someone can use on their blogs. I happened to use three different plugins, although, one of them is not exactly a plugin.

WP-PostRatings

Let’s face it, I know some of you out there really hate the way I write and find some of my articles poorly written. Why not tell me then? Since some people are scared of me (no idea why, I am a gentle giant), I have implemented a rating system so now you can “anonymously” rate my posts. If you do give it a poor or good rating, leave a comment and tell me why. I’m out here to improve my writing as well as get my points across.

Installing this plugin is ridiculously easy. The documentation provided by the programmer is superb and you should be up and running in no time. All you have to do is simply add a line of code (literally copy and paste it) anywhere within your template and you are set. Oh, don’t forget to activate the plugin.

WP-PostViews

Some of you may deride me for having this plugin since my blog is not very popular and not very many people come by and read it. However, this is just a way for you and I to see how many people actually take a gander at some of my posts. Like the last plugin it is relatively easy to implement and the documentation is superb.

WP-Wap2.10

This is by far my most favorite “plugin.” It’s not really a plugin since you only have to drop two files into your blog’s root folder and you are set. This nifty “plugin” allows you guys to read The Air on your mobile phone using the WAP browser. That basically means, you can now browse and read my posts while you are on the go. You know this literally takes my blog to a whole new level. To access my blog using your mobile phone, simply point the browser to http://www.theagcompany.com/blog/wp-wap.php. I will try to find a shorter way to get to that link, but in the meantime, try it out and let me know how it looks on your phone.

Deactivated Plugin

In case you have not noticed, I have permanently disabled and removed the Challenge plugin. I simply did not like the fact that it brought users to a different page when they typed in the wrong answer. This led to some people losing their comments and forced to retype it. Although there was a solution posted on John Chow’s blog, it did not work for me and I simply gave up on it. As of now, I am relying on Akismet and some other “codes” to help keep my blog safe from spam.

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When you hear the word off-shore bank account, do you think of money laundering? If you don’t, you’re probably lying since the media has painted off-shore bank accounts has a way “hiding” your money and avoid paying taxes in your local country. However, did you know that it is possible for off-shore bank accounts to be an effective player in the global market? Off-shore banking has become the norm for rogue nations and malicious citizens to garner and channel funds in a globalized economy. Although conventional war-fare is still an on-going tradition, the new battlefield is opening up on the financial frontier. As more and more nations and people start opening off-shore accounts, it is becoming exponentially harder for governments to control the flow of money and limit transactions amongst foul parties.

The financial system is modern warfare’s newest front. In a globalised economy money moves instantly and anonymously across borders. This can benefit terrorists, drug traffickers and rogue nations in need of cash. Keeping such customers out of the world’s sprawling financial system is becoming ever harder.

As the baby boomer generation begins retiring in large numbers over the next decade, these people may pursue off-shore accounts to avoid paying high taxes and save their money for their own lifestyles. In addition, it seems the rich in the US keep getting richer and there are many opportunities to dodge taxes and “rip” the government off. Nowadays, it is becoming much easier, due to the internet, to move your money and check up on your accounts.

But the most vexing problem that highly mobile financial flows pose for governments is that when they cross borders they may take tax revenues with them. This is particularly serious for rich Western countries with aging populations that they will have to support in retirement. Such countries have launched a raft of initiatives to strengthen the international financial system against the undesirable side-effects of financial globalization: financial crime, financial contagion and tax evasion. The idea is to prod financial centers worldwide to adopt international best practice on bank supervision, the collection of financial information and the enforcement of money-laundering rules.

There is a lengthy but extremely interesting article about off-shore accounts/banking and how it is changing the field of finance. It also talks about how off-shore banking can literally help the globalized economy and not serve as a way for people to launder their money.

Source: Economist | Download PDF

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I am pleased to say that I am finally making some progress on my homepage. This is my first foray with Joomla, which is a content management system. Although Joomla has the capability of powering a blog, I think WordPress is still superior and much easier to use. Working with Joomla does have its ups and downs. It takes time to painfully edit the files and create your own content. As my website will most likely be static (not changing very often) I am no hurry to finish it and bother with SEO techniques…yet.

Here’s a quick snapshot of the homepage.

I encourage all of you to take a look at it and see how the site performs on your browser. I would very much appreciate any feedback as it will give me a chance to improve it. You can use the contact form for The Air to send me your comments or simply add some comments below.

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Time for some classic humor. I found this great joke regarding if operating systems ran airlines. My personal favorite is the one about UNIX running an airline.

UNIX Airways

Everyone brings one piece of the plane along when they come to the airport. They all go out on the runway and put the plane together piece by piece, arguing non-stop about what kind of plane they are supposed to be building.

The site seems like a propaganda supporting Linux loosely, but it is very amusing. I could hardly stop laughing and I still find it funny.

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