By Marc Hutchison/reporter
Michael Eason, a SE Campus counselor, stressed to NW Campus students at his student success seminar Sept. 14 how developing good habits with time is important.
“People are creatures of habit. We tend to do things as long as they work,” he said.
Eason’s seminar The Days of Our Lives: Managing Your Time Daily taught students how to better schedule their time so they would not feel so overwhelmed.
One word Eason used frequently during the seminar was procrastination. Students tend to wait until the very end to do something they should have done weeks before, he said.
“You have to plan to be successful,” Eason said. “It sounds bad to say, but counselors have an old saying that pain is a counselor’s best friend. When pain is intense enough, it motivates people to change.”
Students often have to get burned by their procrastination to change their ways, Eason said.
He stressed the importance of identifying and diminishing “time bandits.” Students waste so much time on things such as cell phones, Facebook and the Internet, which leave them distracted and unmotivated.
“You’re doing this for yourself,” Eason said. “Be honest with how you’re spending your time.”
After a student identifies their “time bandits,” Eason has a number of different ways to help.
One way is known as solution-focused therapy in which students identify what they want and work backward from their goal to develop a plan.
Another point Eason made for students was to use a planner to prioritize their assignments.
With advanced technology, students can keep everything together and organized in their phones and computers without worrying about losing the information.
“Everyone has the same amount of time,” he said. “The variable is how you use that time.”
When students prioritize, Eason said, it helps put into perspective what is important and helps balance a hectic school schedule.
Student Sarah Tyree said she enjoyed the seminar.
“I really liked it,” she said. “It has me re-evaluating my time.”
Another student, Charlie Carr, agreed.
“I liked it a lot,” he said. “It was really informative and gave me some good tips.”
