Category: Time Management

Posted on

Perfecting Pressure

During the 2025 Spring semester, my final project for my Learning and Motivation class was to create a study plan and apply it to my studying for one of my final exams. I knew about this project in advance and wanted to make the most of it because I knew that mapping out a timeline for my studying would help with the 3 final exams I had.

I started by looking ahead and taking note of when my exams were scheduled. I then reviewed the class content and made notes of what study and learning techniques I wanted to apply. A few things I wanted to add were intermittent studying, reinforcement schedules, and consolidation techniques.  From there began to create a study timeline. 

I had attempted to do a more simplified version of this in prior years, but never forced myself to see it all the way through. Taking the time to plan ahead, study with breaks in between to workout or meditate so I could start my next chunk of studying refreshed, and give myself adequate time to study was very helpful, and it only took a couple of days.

I was able to apply the general studying timeline to all of my final exams, even though the assignment was only for one. Knowing that the hardest thing for me in previous years was feeling overwhelmed as my exams approached, I made sure that I was following the steps I had planned out every day. 

Reflecting on this method after all of my exams were over, I realized that it was more beneficial than I had expected to take some time beforehand to develop a study plan. I also started to apply different forms of this strategy while working this summer. When I had multiple tasks due with similar deadlines, I would plan my week out and designate chunks of time for the various tasks. This allowed me to stay on top of all of my work and have enough time afterward to make adjustments and fix anything that my manager or other team members suggested.

Posted on

Organized Success

During the fall of 2025, I continued my summer internship through the end of November with the Corporate Development team at Constellation Brands. My primary assignment was to build a financial model for a company we were evaluating as a potential investment opportunity. The project required attention to detail and thoughtful analysis.

On top of my academic workload and responsibilities as a member of the hockey team, I had to find 10–12 hours each week to dedicate to the internship. Every Sunday, I sat down with my schedule to map out my responsibilities and ensure I blocked enough time to complete all tasks. I used the Tasks app in Google Workspace to track deadlines and plan what I needed to accomplish each day.

The week my deliverables were due, hockey practice had officially started, and I had two interviews to prepare for. I knew every minute mattered. Drawing on past experience working under tight deadlines, I broke my responsibilities into smaller, manageable milestones. Each day, I set aside two-hour work blocks for each priority. I made sure to keep my coworkers informed about my availability and overall schedule so our expectations were aligned.

The biggest takeaway from this experience was the importance of proactive communication. My team appreciated the transparency, and it allowed us to plan meetings and review sessions efficiently, so everything was completed on time. This experience strengthened my ability to balance multiple commitments while staying organized, accountable, and collaborative, and helped give me confidence in my ability to handle high-pressure and stressful periods in both academic and professional settings.

css.php