Mirabueno, Eljhon O.

Sec 203 – MN

In the fast and ever-advancing world, one needs a tool they can use to guide them as they
go through the daily trials of life. This tool, which we inherently use, poorly or greatly, is what
we coin as time management. Time management is the careful preparation and utilization of the
limited hours within a day (Ludden, Nemko, Patrick, & Well, 2019). This device which I read on
an article by Frances Booth entitled “30 Time Management Tips For Work-Life Balance,” had
been deeply engraved in my mind since 2015. In that article it discussed how time management
affects a person in dealing with productivity, with which I struggled at that time (Booth, 2014).
According to Harold Brodkey’s “Reading, The Most Dangerous Game”, he said that “Reading a
good book is not much different from a love affair… one is inside the experience and is about to
be born; and one is carrying something, a sort of self inside oneself that one is about to give birth
to, perhaps a monster.” (Brodkey, 1985) In accordance with the passage, it became unequivocal
to me that a part of me changed after reading that particular sentence of the article. I crafted
sensible routines that increased my productivity. As time passed, I noticed that the idea of time
management did not work out for me anymore. I regretted reading Booth’s article as it actually
did not satisfy my need of a long term tool for productivity.

In the first place, I don’t even remember as to why I picked that article. According to
Broadkey, “The art of reading as it really occurs is obscure,” and what I understood from that
sentence is that there is no universal explanation to how one reads because reading is personal
and is unique to each of us (Broadkey, 1985). How we tread the act of reading is actually a
mystery. For some reason, I read that article and went on to see its end. During the act of
reading, I noticed that I considered it like having a conversation with the article. I realized this
instance after reading the line, “Reading is an intimate act, perhaps more intimate than any other
human act.” from Broadkey’s article (Broadkey, 1985). And at that time, Booth’s article became
attached to my mind. Every time I stray from productivity, I always come back to that article on
time management. I take it in and reabsorb its contents. At this point, it’s like a celebrity that I
idolize. This was described by Broadkey, “no one likes a good book if they have actually read it.
One is fanatically attached, restlessly attached, criminally attached…,” (Broadkey, 1985).

After incorporating Booth’s article in my routine, I saw a diminishing effect in its

effectivity. I reread the article and there were, in fact, a lot flaws in the content. According to
Booth, “If you’re procrastinating, rather than getting frustrated or annoyed, simply ask yourself
why you are procrastinating” (Booth, 2014). As I read this, it was only a line. I recalled my
purpose which was to find a long term tool for productivity. It did not satisfy that purpose/need. I
noticed that I had struggled to follow Booth’s proposition. It did not factor in what is crucial in
doing the tasks which is energy. According to Cambridge University, “Energy is the power and
ability to be physically and mentally active.” (Cambridge University, 2019) Energy is what
keeps us active and the source we need to do tasks. Instead of managing our time, we should
manage our energy. Time management revolves around the circadian rhythm. According to
National Sleep Foundation, “circadian rhythm is a 24-hour internal clock that is running in the
background of your brain and cycles between sleepiness and alertness at regular intervals. It's
also known as your sleep/wake cycle.” Meaning time management can only be beneficial if
he/she wakes up in the morning and maximizing the number of hours in a day (National Sleep
Foundation, 2019). In energy management, we utilize what we call the Ultradian Rhythm.
According to Science Direct, “ultradian rhythms are biological cycles occurring within 24 hours,
like a heart rate that lasts less than a second (although it repeats in a loop).” This means that we
should revolve our work at the time of the day at which we have the greatest energy (Science
Direct, 2019).

Bibliography

Ludden, D., Nemko, M., Patrick, W., Well, T. (2019). Psychology Today. Time Management.
Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/time-management

Booth, F. (2014). Forbes. 30 Time Management Tips For Work-Life Balance. Retrieved from
https://www.forbes.com/sites/francesbooth/2014/08/28/30-time-management-
tips/#535d268275e5

Brodkey, H. (1985). Reading, The Most Dangerous Game.

Cambridge University (2019). Energy. Meaning of Energy. Retrieved from

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/energy

National Sleep Foundation (2019). Sleep. What is Circadian Rhythm?. Retrieved from
https://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/what-circadian-rhythm

Science Direct (2019). Ultradian Rhythm. Ultradian Rhythms. Retrieved from

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/ultradian-rhythm