Which one is right, time management or self-management?
I am yet to have definite answer for this question, so, let us discuss.
We start with a case study of Jeffery.
Jeffery who entered UTP recently for undergraduate studies in UTP. Everyone including him that taking Engineering course will have four (4) years to complete and graduate. His schedule is most likely the same as others by attending academic matters (classes, assignments, exams). He also involves in some clubs as well as take care of his physical health. He also spent times for his relationship building with his friends, going out sometimes for dinner and have fun outside campus.
He was all good as he acts each thing that has planned. However, an abrupt changed happened. Covid-19 not only disrupting the economy but to each individual state. He was shattered and confused. He lost of direction and unsure how to start all over again.
This changed has put him to a stop and he did not know how to move forward.
Sound familiar!
I think I went through it too. The abrupt change leads to inability to move forward. Then, I just stop. Yes. Stop for a while.
And let us throw the question again, is it time management or self-management?
One of scientific way of thinking and analysing is through understanding the cause and effect relationships. We find a reason of why things happened this way. Natural incidents, like tsunami, typhoon why is it happened? How does that happen? Cause and effect will give a sort of thinking process to find the answer.
So, I thought of running a mind-experiment of time management vs self-management.
Before that, I found an interesting study about Factors of Happiness which considering 50% of controlled situation and another 50% of uncontrolled situation. The controlled situation was further divided into two circumstances and personal choice with percentages of 10% and 40% respectively.
Then, this study will help us to run our mind experiment.
Pandemic, Covid-19 constitute to fixed variable because everyone went through it.
If we were saying, Pandemic is cause of we cannot move forward (the effect), we will not be going anywhere because it is out of our controlled. And we cannot do anything. Jeffery will feel helpless and hopeless. Nothing he can changed really. It falls under the circumstance, the 10%.
While, after put a stop in his step for a while, he took a choice to focus on what he have, and act accordingly. He proactively focus on 40%. Accepting the pandemic is happening, put him conscious on small things that he can controlled.
So I think let us focus on our 40% and take control on it. And here some ways can be taken through it:
Article written by:
Nurul Fatihah Binti Amir I UTP Counsellor I fatihah.amir@utp.edu.my
