Why Time Management Matters
I feel like this section is somewhat superfluous--we live in a busy society and almost all of us understand just how precious time is, even if we're not amazing at managing it. Things don't get any less busy in college--I used to spend 20 hours a week on marching band when I was a field commander in high school, and now I'm not in band anymore...but I'm still really busy! And now I longer have a mother or teachers to remind me about every homework assignment or time commitment; I really have to be on top of my game. So I thought it would be helpful for readers if I wrote an entry with some tips for busy seniors and incoming freshmen about how to steward our minutes and moments to get the most out of the ~4 years spent in college. I think I'll start with....

A Story
Once upon a time, a teacher stood before a class of honors students with a large pickling jar. He had written on the board "A Lesson in Time Management" He asked his students if the jar was full. Besides the stereotypical smart-aleck inevitably present in every honors class who noted that the jar was full of air, the students in general reached a consensus that the jar was not full.

The teacher then proceeded to pile several large rocks into the jar until the tip of the highest one reached the rim of the jar. "Is the jar full now?" he asked.

The students murmured for a while but agreed that it was.

The teacher then pulled out a bag of smaller pebbles and poured them into the jar; they filled the cracks left by the large, irregularly shaped rocks already in the jar until the level of the smaller pebbles reached the rim of the jar. "Is the jar full now?"

The students now realized that the jar had in fact not been full the last time the teacher had asked, and it seemed that there were still some crevices left between the pebbles--they decide that the jar wasn't full.

"Good," said the teacher, pulling out a bag of sand and pouring it into the jar; the sand, predictably, filled the crevices left by the pebbles until it reached the rim of the jar.

"Is the jar full?" Some of the students nodded, thinking the jar was surely full now...others shook their heads uncertainly.

The teacher pulled out a jug of water and poured the water into the jar; he didn't have to add much, but the water filled what crevices remained between the grains of sand and threatened to spill from the jar.

"So what lesson can we learn from this demonstration about time management?" asked the teacher.

Several hands raised; the teacher called on one student, who replied, "No matter how busy you are, you can always do more!"

"Wrong," said the teacher. "What we can learn from this demonstration is that you must always put the big rocks in first."

(From the student government binder of a high school friend)

Principle #1 - Putting the Big Rocks in First
There are a lot of both general and practical tips that can help improve one's time management skills--I'll start with the general and move toward the more specific and practical. Get your priorities straight. Most of us live with too many priorities--really sit down and write down what the most important things in your life is. Stick this list somewhere you'll see it, write it in your planner, and plan accordingly. A corollary of this principle is learning to say no to some time commitments when they get in the way of your Big Rocks and the long-term goals you set for yourself. Basic but very important; Ohio State boasts over 800 student organizations, and that's just what there is to do outside of classwork. It can't all be done. So figure out what you really want and go after that--you'll be much happier in the long run.

To be continued...

Also, first day of classes today! Good stuff. Will write about my experiences once I've had all my classes!