Week 3 - Ch 3 & 4

In Chapter 3, Allen discusses about the power of natural planning, rather than unnatural, forced planning. While reading this chapter, I was able to relate to all of the inefficient ways of planning. Whenever I schedule in stuff into my calendar, I add a reminder alarm to each assignment. However, just like how Allen mentions re-emphasizing on an assignment doesn’t necessarily work out. I have multiple alarms to alert me when I should do something, but I always push it back until late at night, or the next day. Heck, I’d be lying if I didn’t say I’m writing this paragraph in the morning. More than motivating me, the most of my alarm only annoys me, which I then natural ignore. Another great point made is understanding why I am doing what I do. For everything I do, I know what my end goals are, but it never seems to motivate me to do my assignments earlier. I believe my procrastination has gotten the better of me, but I will try and fix that by the end of this course. As a result, I end up skipping the brain storming process and “wing” it, which leads to disorganization. Admitting that I am not a very efficient planner has made me realize I need to get myself together, or I’ll be procrastinating for the rest of my life.

In Chapter 4, we learn to plan more naturally. While reading this chapter, I realized I have my own space to work, but it is not my own space in the sense where my roommate shares the space with me. And this has definitely led to distractions, where we would start talking for three hours. Even back home (in San Francisco), I do not have my own space to work because my desk is a complete mess. It was also recommended to get supplies for your space, which I do not have. However I feel I do not need most of the supplies listed and this would be on the bottom of my list as I try to reorganize my time ad life. Another challenge I believe I will have is setting aside a block of time to plan out what I need do. Although I always finish all of my work on time, many times it is not to the best of my abilities due to procrastination. Lastly, I know in the beginning that I will have a terrible time trying to keep complete focus on each activity I do, especially when it comes to do course work. However, I am now determined and motivated to put these tips into action to become more productive and organized with my life because I do not want to live the rest of my life in a disorganized and dysfunctional world.