Parsons 1 Ashley Parsons Professor Andrus English 2089 April 11, 2018 Major Assignment #3 Rationale: Some people are born with better organization skills than others. Some are taught additional skills to help them stay organized and/or better organize things in their lives. Organization skills can be used for lots of different things; whether it is keeping your room clean, your closet organized, your house clean, staying on top of your school work, keeping the family organized with school, work and extracurricular activities. Some people are just better at keeping organized than others. There are some people that procrastinate until the very last minute. What one person may consider unorganized another may consider as organized. As people get older, it seems as though organization skills are more often referred to as time management skills in college and in the work place. Reviewing resources for time management skills has shown there are a lot of resources and discussion on this topic.
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Parsons 1
Ashley Parsons
Professor Andrus
English 2089
April 11, 2018
Major Assignment #3
Rationale:
Some people are born with better organization skills than others. Some are taught
additional skills to help them stay organized and/or better organize things in their lives.
Organization skills can be used for lots of different things; whether it is keeping your room clean,
your closet organized, your house clean, staying on top of your school work, keeping the family
organized with school, work and extracurricular activities. Some people are just better at keeping
organized than others. There are some people that procrastinate until the very last minute. What
one person may consider unorganized another may consider as organized. As people get older, it
seems as though organization skills are more often referred to as time management skills in college
and in the work place.
Reviewing resources for time management skills has shown there are a lot of resources and
discussion on this topic. Discussion of time management skills and ideas on the best way to be
effective with time management skills has been around for decades. With many single parent
families, or both parents working, it’s essential to start learning time management skills at an early
age. The resources showed how beneficial these skills are in college students, athletes, non-
athletes, male or females. There were not a lot of resources specifically on how college athletes
versus non-athletes feel about time management skills. Trying to determine if being an athlete or
not has any bearing on whether or not you are better at time management skills.
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The visualized infographic will show the audience steps to help them be effective and
efficient with time management skills, no matter whether you are a college student athlete or not.
What matters is the steps to help you organize your time management skills. It will be easy to
read, concise and the reader will be able to refer back to this information as needed.
The brochure will allow me to provide information on how to develop time management
skills. In the brochure I will be able to specifically target the audience I have chosen that would be
interested in time management skills. The brochure will be great to use as handouts in classes to
share the information. Taking the tips from the infographic and also providing an example of a
time management template to help the audience track their time and see where they are possibly
wasting time.
For the blog, the paragraphs will draw the audience’s attention with a tagline and context
so they want to continue to read the blog. The blog will be a few paragraphs long to keep the
attention of the reader, so the audience will want to find out ways they can learn to help them with
their time management skills.
For all three genres, I will be addressing the same audience. I know the audience will be
college students. The average age will be 18-28; however, there could be outliers. There could
possibly be small percentage of students that started college later in life; for example, after kids
were raised or are looking for a second career. The audience will be made up of athletes and non-
athletes, male and females. The composition will take current data and show how statistically time
management skills have been shown in previous studies.
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In Pritchard and Wilson’s article, “Comparing Sources of Stress in College Student
Athletes and Non-Athletes”, the study focuses on how transitioning from high school to college
can be stressful. This information will be useful to help state the facts of time management skills
and the need to develop those skills in college. It also focuses on how athletes may have even
more stress since they are trying to not only do well in college as non-athletes are doing, but also
perform well in their sport. Prichard & Wilson’s Study also determined, “There is a need to
identify specific sources of stress that significantly affect student-athletes that may differ from
those experienced by the traditional non-sport college student.” (Prichard, Wilson, 2)
In the article by Humphrey, Yow and Bowden, “Stress in college athletics: Causes,
consequences, copying”, the study showed, “95% of male athletes and 86% of female athletes
were stressed by factors such as: tests and examinations, preparing papers for class, missing
classes because of travel, and making up missed assignments. This also documents the need for
time management skills and developing those prior to starting college.
In Meg Keeley’s article “Managing your time and study environment”, it discussed
challenges adjusting to college for students. “Most students find that their greatest challenge in
adjusting to college life and to succeeding in the classroom is in managing their time effectively”.
(Keeley) This is especially true for community college students who often work long hours. Adult
students deal with the additional issues of child care and family and home responsibilities.”
(Keeley) Even though the article is not specifically discussing student athletes versus non-athletes,
it does hit upon topics that directly relate to how individuals handle time management. For
example, “When evaluating your schedule, or how to spend your time, you also need to consider
your goals and priorities. What is most important in your life, right now—your family, friends,
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school, hobbies or other activities?” (Keeley) On average many students do not allow enough time
to study, with all the other conflicting activities pulling on their time.
I have found at least three additional resources that will discuss the need for time
management skills and the struggle for college students, whether you are an athlete or not. These
resources are a study conducted at the University of Kentucky, Time Management/Student
Athletes; a blog by Didik Timer, Time Management for Student Athletes; and, a study by Danielle
Tower, Relations Between Athletic and Academic Success.
In the article by Didik Timer, she discusses time management is necessary for every
student, no matter what else you are busy with outside of school. Her basic principles in time
management skills, will work well to show the need for these skills as well as how to acquire these
skills. The pilot study by Danielle Tower, tries to show that student athletes are more motivated in
academic endeavors’ than others. This will allow me to make comparisons with other authors to
show similarities and/or differences. In the University of Kentucky time management study it
explains the need to create balance study time, play time and down time.
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TIME MANAGEMENT for COLLEGE STUDENTS: Do you always find yourself behind
95% of male athletes feel stressed in college
86% of female athletes feel stressed in college
20% of male athletes are able to say “NO” they can’t go out
62% of female athletes are able to say “NO” they can’t go out
50% of male non-athletes are stressed in college
75% of female non-athletes are stressed in college
Make a daily to-do list, use calendar or planner
Time-bock your tasks, plan ahead
Avoid distractions, turn off phone during study time
Learn to say “NO”
Prevent Procrastination
Build in time for yourself
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Time ManagementObstacles
Feeling OverwhelmedNo PlanningDistractions
ProcrastinatingToo Much Freedom
Balancing school, work or sports
TipsMost students find their
greatest challenge in adjusting to college life
and to succeeding in the classroom is in
managing their time effectively. No matter what distractions you have, being an athlete or not, work or family.
→
*Evaluate your schedule *Organize your time, using a template to log your time *Consider goals and priorities * Allow enough time to study *Allow down time *Avoid distractions
→
*A Planner or Organizer will help you keep on task *Talk with teacher early if you know you will miss class *Exercise, have fun, sleep *Turn off phone while studying
Learning to Manage Your Time in CollegeBy Ashley Parsons
April 10, 2018
“A common perception both among and of college students is that they are always short on money. While this may be true, many college students are also always running short on something else: time.” (Lucier)
“With so much going on at a college campus, it’s no wonder that students can feel – and actually be – overcommitted when it comes to classes, work, and cocurricular involvement.” (Lucier)
Initially, thoughts were if you were a college athlete your time was busier than a non-athlete. However, research is showing that other commitments; such as, work, family, or extracurricular activities can consume as much time as being an athlete. Both college athletes and non-athletes are equally stressed. Students that care about time management skills, tend to be good students and are less stressed. Females tend to care about time management skills more than the males and tend to use time management skills to help them stay organized.
Don’t be overwhelmed & become a couch potato!!
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For the college athletes there are a lot of time and schedule commitments: practice, weight lifting, traveling, and/or special appearances. It is imperative not only for athletes, but also non-athletes that you plan ahead, so you aren’t preparing for a test or writing a paper hours before it is due. That just adds stress that could be avoided if you plan ahead.
Whether an athlete or not, it is important to keep track of when homework is due, when you have a test, when you have practices (if you’re an athlete), when you work, or any other commitments.
College students may not embrace all that time management skills have to offer, since when they begin college they feel like they have so much spare time…..only in classes a couple hours a day versus how much they were in class in high school. There needs to be more studies of college students and time management skills to verify the continued need to educate develop time management skills at a younger in students. Time management skills are essential to everyone in every aspect of life at any age.
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Works Cited
Lucier, Keici Lnn. “Learn to Manage your Time in College.” Oct 5, 2011.
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Reflection:
Reflecting back from what has been done in Major Assignment 3 from where I started in
Major Assignment 2, I realize how important the research is. I reviewed many sources and even
changed my research question several times to get what I thought was a better research question.
As you bring all your research together from your sources and from your own work, you realize
how important the right question and supporting research is for that question. It is imperative from
the beginning you know your purpose and what audience you are trying to reach to provide the
information to. I realized the importance of this from the beginning; however, it wasn’t until I
started the composition I realized how this could not have worked out so well.
Who I thought my audience was in Major Assignment 2, seemed to change slightly to the
audience I was writing to in Major Assignment 3. In Major Assignment 2, my audience was
narrower. My focus was more on college athletes and their struggle with time management skills
versus non-athletes. My initial thought was I would be able to see a larger difference between
college athletes and non-athletes. However, as I worked through the research and reviewed
answers to my survey questions, I realized the audience should be all college students.
Being a college student is challenging, with family, job, and possibly sport commitments.
My intent of the composition is to reach the larger audience, all college students, with all aspects
of life challenges, not just student athletes. In all three of the genres communicating this
information I am addressing the same audience, all college students. I assumed the average age
will be 18-28; however, realizing there could be outliers. There could possibly be small
percentage of students that started college later in life; for example, after kids were raised or are
looking for a second career. The audience will be made up of athletes and non-athletes, male and
females.
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All college students can benefit from learning how to manage their time better, and a better
awareness of how time management skills can help them will make life in college and out of
college more organized. No one can argue the time commitment involved to be a college Division
1 athlete; however, what the research showed and responses to my survey was non-athletes have
similar stress. They may not be juggling the commitments of being a college athlete, but they are
juggling other commitments; such as, work and/or family, as well.
The approach I wanted to take for my audience is to educate all college students on the
importance of time management skills. I wanted to appeal to the audience’s need to be more
organized and efficient with their time. Using the facts from studies sited in my sources and from
my survey questions, educate the audience on how different skills can help them. It is proven that
college students have a lack of time management skills, whether you are an athlete or not. My
intent was to persuade the audience that time management skills can help them become more
organized and less stressed. These skills would also allow them to manage their time more
effectively, no matter what their commitments are.
The genres I have chosen are distinct enough from one another in the way they allow me to
take similar information from my research and display it to my audience. The three genres
allowed me to communicate this information forward, in forms of communication that will be
appealing to the audience. The genres used for communicating this information allowed me to
bring out key information from my research into each genre using concise, easy to read
information and appealing pictures to catch their audience’s attention. Each of the genres allowed
me to be able to bring out parts of the data from the surveys and data from previous research, as
well as show additional research could be helpful to show the need for better education to students.
Possibly even start educating students while they are still in high school.
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College students are generally busy, no matter if they play a college sport or not.
Expanding the target audience to all college student athletes and non-athletes, allowed me to
educate college students with how important time management skills are. Giving them the time
management skills would allow them to be more successful with school, and more effective with
their time in college in general. Focusing on getting this information to the audience, I was able to
determine the need for additional research in college students. The need for time management
skills can help anyone at any age. All college students can benefit from learning how to manage
their time better, and a better awareness of how time management skills can help them will make
life in college and out of college more organized.
