Balancing of Time - Essay Example

The advantage of this work is that I have time to study during the shift, in between my duties at the desk. My employer knows that I am a full-time student and permitted me to study when no duties were called.

Managing two full-time activities is tricky; my sleep schedule is in the daytime, so I have to coordinate all activities within a narrow time frame. I also have my commute to take into consideration.

On a typical weekday, I get up at 9:30 p.m., conduct my normal morning rituals (coffee, breakfast, shower, etc.) and leave for work at 10:20. It takes me about 25 minutes to get to work.

During my work time, I study and do homework, prepare for exams, and pay bills. I know this sounds like I’m getting paid for doing personal things, but really, most of my work time is engaged on checking registries, assisting in scheduling for the day, routing calls, and attending to guests who arrive or leave during my shift. My time to study is in fits and starts.

When I leave work at 7:00, I have to be in school at 9:30. Since the school is an hour from my house, I stop at home at 7:30 to check for any phone messages, put on a load of laundry, or simply unwind and put my thoughts toward school. During my hour at home, I eat my dinner or grab a bit on the way to school.

School hours are 9:30 – 12:20. When school is finished, I like to hang out with my friends a bit before heading home. This is my only time for a social life except on my days off, which are Mondays and Tuesdays.

After school, I like to go to a coffee house to look over the day’s notes, organize my papers, scan through the texts for what needs to be studied, and end my day. No coffee at this time of the day, though!

I usually go to bed at about 2:30 p.m., which doesn’t leave me with a full eight hours’ sleep. It doesn’t seem to affect me too much, because I only have this schedule for three days (Wed. – Fri.) during the school week. By the time the weekend rolls around I can catch up on my sleep and also have Monday and Tuesday after school to take care of other things, namely having fun!

This isn’t an easy life, but if managed well I can be at my best for my studies, and I see my job at the hotel as a means to an end. It still gives me time for the things that are important to me as well as the parameters to exercise some discipline. It was hard to get used to at first, but now that I have attained some time management skills it is easier to prioritize the things that are important for my future.