Unit Three Time 3 Discussion Reply1
1.
Pareto’s 80/20 principle states that 20 percent of the work done (or time invested) generates 80 percent of the outcome, and 20 percent of priorities produce 80 percent of accomplishments (Baldwin et al. 2013, p.63) (Unit 3 PowerPoint Presentation, p.17). Applying this principle to the way that I manage my time will assist me in focusing on the work that will bring forth the most value as I complete my educational goals.
As an online student, fulltime employee, and parent, proper use of time is imperative in keeping up with class assignments, fulfilling work duties, and being available for quality family time can be overwhelming. The 80/20 rule provides balance to each of these aspects of my life by prompting me to categorize urgent and timely responsibilities from those that are not as important and take little time or effort (Baldwin et al. 2013, p. 63). Those matters which take the most time are usually the most critical to the overall achievement of goals (80%), so focusing 20 percent of action towards those matters will yield success while positively impacting the less urgent goals.
Since class assignments are deadline-driven, 20 percent (or more) of my time is dedicated to completing them before due dates. This commitment requires me to direct my attention to my studies before participating in leisure activities which, in the end, provides me with more family time and allows me the freedom to focus on my job during work hours. This 20 percent sacrifice will produce an 80 percent value when I complete my graduate program while advancing my career and enhancing my family life while keeping the balance of each intact.
References
Baldwin, T. T., Bommer, W. H., & Rubin, R. S. (2013). Managing organizational behavior: What great managers know and do (2nd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin
MSL 601: Introduction to graduate education. Belhaven University: Unit three – Time Management.
2.
In my experience so far in this course, the most time-consuming part of the work each week for me is the reading assignments. The quizzes and writing assignments don’t take me much time at all, just because those come a little more naturally to me. For others, it may be the other way around where they are able to fly through the reading but the writing and quizzes take more time. Given the grading rubric for the course and what Baldwin, Bommer, and Rubin state about Pareto’s Law, it could be said that 80 percent of my time is spent on the reading, which isn’t technically graded, while the remaining 20 percent is spent on the assignments that are submitted and evaluated (2013).
This statement is not meant to minimize the importance of the reading. Clearly, doing well on the writing assignments and quizzes relies heavily on being dutiful with the readings. Therefore, I know that if I want to do well on the assignments and achieve high scores, I have to make sure that I’m setting aside sufficient time to get the reading done. It could be tempting for me to jump ahead to the graded assignments since I know I could knock them out quickly, but if I don’t give the readings sufficient attention then it wouldn’t be possible for me to effectively respond to the prompts and discussions. There are also so many things to learn from the texts each week that aren’t necessarily covered in the graded assignments, and neglecting to read would take away the opportunities to learn beyond what the questions and writing prompts demand that we spend time discussing and thinking deeply about.
References
Baldwin, T., Rubin, R., & Bommer, B. (2013). Managing organizational behavior: What great managers know and do (2nd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill-Irwin.