We all have commitments. We also all have a limited amount of time to honor them. Sometimes, when we least expect it, things don’t go the way we’d like them to. Take, for example, weekends. Fridays usually start out looking pretty promising. Like most students, you have homework. Sure you do, but you also have two full days to get it done. So you decide to relax. Chill out. Watch a movie. Maybe you’ll even head over to a party. You have time, after all.  Of course, we all know what happens next. Friday becomes Saturday. Saturday becomes Sunday. Monday will be here in less than 24 hours, and you still have some homework to do. Yikes.

To paraphrase David Tennant as the Doctor, time is, indeed, wibbly-wobbly. When we’re bored, it stretches out. During those moments, time seems to pass with all the speed of a dead snail covered in molasses. On the other hand, when we have important deadlines coming up, time decides to switch gears and go to warp speed. If you’re not careful, you could end up panicking and scrambling to get things done at the last possible minute. I know. I’ve been there many times. In the best-case scenarios I somehow managed to get everything done and turned in on time. The only negative side-effects were frustration and mild crabbiness. Still, life went on as usual.

However, procrastinating does NOT always work out perfectly in the end. I learned this particular lesson the hard way two years ago. My course load seemed pretty average, consisting of a blend of easy and tricky classes. As that fall semester wound down, though, I found myself face to face with a final project so tricky, so intense, that I thought of it as a monster. I had no idea how to approach it. None whatsoever. Worse, I knew it would impact my grade, as final projects tend to do. In short, this project scared the bleep out of me.

My initial response was to give it time. Surely some sort of solution would present itself. Usually that strategy works, but for whatever reason it didn’t in this case. So I panicked. I spent days brainstorming. At that point I didn’t care how farfetched the idea was, as long as it was in fact a workable idea. Things kept backfiring but I pushed forward. The day before the project was due to be presented in class, my panic escalated. I locked myself in my room and WORKED. This class met at eight thirty. At three, I was still awake, and the project wasn’t quite done. Nausea and panic mixed together most unpleasantly. This experience marks the only time I have ever called a friend, in tears, at three in the morning. I was at my lowest point and only had myself to blame. Sure talking to my friend helped, but the whole disaster could have been avoided.

The entire situation I just described made me realize how important proper time management is. It doesn’t take a lot. Heck, managing your time can be as easy as getting a planner, writing down due dates, and maintaining a schedule to make sure everything is done promptly. Does that sound like a hassle? Well, it’s much easier compared to running around in a panicky mess trying to meet deadlines. Managing your time properly can lead to less stress. Less stress usually means you’re happier. Happiness is, of course, pretty awesomesauce. Logically, then, so is proper time management.

Until next time, make sure to balance work and fun. As always, never forget that you, yes you, are awesomesauce.