Time Management and Family Issues
Upon returning to college, the mature student (any student over the age of 24) soon
realizes that their ability to manage time effectively directly impacts their learning
experience and their family life. Unlike traditional students, the mature student may have a
spouse, children and a full-time job that is necessary for them to survive financially. Adults
with families will readily agree that their family alone places serious demands on their
time. When adding the responsibility of school, it becomes even more difficult to make
time for family, work and personal time. Enough time needs to be spent on these three
major facets of life. Too much time spent in one area usually means to little time spent in
another, which usually leads to stress. Time management professionals say that stress is
usually the result of poor time management. Effective time management has to be the
foundation of any successful and productive life.
There are 1,440 minutes in a day. If one is employed full-time, then about nine hours (540
minutes) of the day is spent at the office and commuting. The time left in the evening for
family and self is very limited. Some companies allow their employees to telecommute, in
which the companys network is accessed from the employees home, usually via a
high-speed orbroadband connection. Telecommuting increases available time for family
and self by eliminating the employees commute. Along with telecommuting, some
companies offer Flex-Time. Flex-Time allows the work schedule to be configured
differently from the typical Monday through Friday, 9am-to-5pm workweek. One will still
