Alice Wei, Period 1, 11/17/21

At this current point in time, what specific goal(s) do you have for yourself? Why?

Currently, I’m struggling to find the right balance between school, friends, programs, and college applications. As I sit hunched over my keyboard at 2:53 AM in the morning writing this, I realize that I could’ve managed my time better; if I hadn’t played iMessage games for an hour while laying on my bed, and instead relocated that time towards completing homework for calculus and macroeconomics, I probably would’ve been able to sleep by now. Ever since middle school, where the commute would take from an hour on good days to up to two hours sometimes with bad weather, I’ve had a battle with time management. Should I listen to music while staring out the window and relax before I get to school, or should I cram for the science test that’s in 3 hours? It’s always a struggle, since the carefree happy-go-lucky part of me wants to relax, and the academically-validated part of me wants to study. Sometimes, I find myself wishing we had more hours in the day so that I have time to finish all my work while maintaining an 8-hour sleep schedule.

How do you demonstrate resilience towards achieving this goal? (or these goals?)

Multiple attempts at getting better with time management have all failed. Through multiple calendar schedules, self-punishments, and parental guidance sessions, I’ve found out that they don’t work. If I start a daily schedule and plan out my day, the schedule ultimately never gets followed. If I “punish myself” and abandon my phone, I would find myself texting my friends within an hour. However, recently, I discovered that if I have a friend to accompany me throughout my tasks, it’s easier to stay on top of assignments. I think this is because we’re able to motivate each other as we power through, as well as feed ideas off of each other; as soon as we’re in a flow, work becomes much easier, and we fly through our assignments. Then, the rest of the time can be dedicated towards after school programs or free time.

How does the world around you affect your perception of this goal? (or these goals?)

I’ve always admired my parents for their ability to meet deadlines while completing all their responsibilities. In one day, they send me to school, go to work, pick me up, shop for groceries, make dinner, and clean up, while completing other tasks like filling out tax forms and taking care of our backyard garden. I think part of their success comes from their strong teamwork; they’re able to fill in the empty holes for each other in their duties. My parents inspire me to build a relationship as strong as theirs one day with my partner, because I’ve seen how far they’ve been able to come just by communicating with each other. For now, though, I hope to finish off college application season strong while pushing through the day with my friend. I’ve seen how poor time management skills have affected my friends’ schedules, so I hope to learn from their mistakes before making a drastic mistake of my own. It might take me a long time to fix my time management, but it’ll be one of my proudest achievements once I get on the right path.