Time Management: Learning to Balance, Prioritize, and Adapt

Time management has been one of the most important and transformative skills I developed during my time at Old Dominion University. As a full-time student who also worked close to full-time hours, I had to learn very quickly how to balance academic responsibilities with professional obligations, and do so without sacrificing quality or burning out. This skill didn’t come from a single moment or class. Instead, it grew through hands-on experience, self-reflection, and the constant challenge of managing competing priorities. The development of my time management skills is reflected in two key artifacts: my internship at Chesapeake Bay Steel and my Learning & Actions Paper. Combined with the overall demands of my dual responsibilities, these experiences helped me build strong habits that I’ll carry into my future career in business administration.

The first major turning point in developing this skill came during my internship at Chesapeake Bay Steel, where I worked as an accounting clerk. In this role, I handled accounts payable and receivable, processed invoices, and reconciled various transactions, all while learning and navigating two accounting software systems: Sage and E2. With so many moving parts and deadlines that couldn’t be missed, I had no choice but to get organized and stay on top of my workload. I created tracking systems, used digital tools to manage tasks, and developed a habit of prioritizing responsibilities by urgency and impact. At the same time, I was completing coursework, so I had to make efficient use of every available hour in the day. That experience taught me that time management isn’t just about crossing things off a to-do list, it’s about building repeatable systems that help you meet expectations consistently and without unnecessary stress.

Beyond the logistical skills I gained from that internship, I also realized how important time management is for personal accountability. This became even more clear while writing my Learning & Actions Paper for one of my leadership courses. That assignment required me to take a close look at my own behavior, using concepts like Attribution Theory and self-serving bias. As part of the paper, I developed a personalized action plan that involved journaling, self-monitoring, and intentionally creating space to reflect on decisions. To complete this project well, I had to carve out time for consistent self-reflection, something that was easy to overlook when juggling so much. What I learned through that process is that time management is also about making room for growth. It’s not just about doing more, it’s about making time for the things that matter, like reflecting, improving, and showing up as my best self.

Finally, my last key artifact is my Reflected Best Self Portrait, completed in CPD 410. This project challenged me to think deeply about the qualities others see in me and how I embody them in my daily life. The feedback I received centered around my reliability, determination, and sense of purpose, all of which directly relate to how I manage my time. The portrait allowed me to reflect on how I’ve consistently met deadlines, balanced multiple responsibilities, and stayed focused on long-term goals despite the demands of school and work. It also revealed how being purposeful with my time has not only helped me academically but has shaped who I am in my relationships and future career plans.

This artifact gave me the opportunity to view time management not just as a functional skill, but as a core part of my identity. I’ve come to see that making intentional choices about how I spend my time reflects my values, whether it’s committing to coursework, showing up for my team, or carving out time for future planning.

Taken together, these experiences have shaped time management into one of my most reliable and transferable skills. I now feel confident walking into any workplace where deadlines, multitasking, and organization are essential. I’ve already proven to myself that I can handle pressure, adapt to changing demands, and stay on track without sacrificing quality. These are the skills I’ll continue to build on as I transition into a career in business administration, where efficient planning and follow-through are key to long-term success.

Learning & Actions Paper

Internship Reflection

Reflected Best Self Essay

Technical Communication: Translating Ideas into Impact

Technical communication became one of the most valuable skills I developed during my time in the IDS program, something I hadn’t initially expected. While I’ve always considered myself a decent writer, I didn’t fully understand the difference between academic writing and technical communication until I found myself having to translate complex ideas for specific audiences, create visual content, and work collaboratively on professional documents. As I progressed through different courses and projects, I learned how to adapt my language, format, and tone based on who I was writing for and what message I needed to deliver. This skill was strengthened through three key artifacts: my infographic project, my book review of Daniel H. Pink’s Drive, and the business plan I helped develop for The Design Table.

The first moment I began to understand what technical communication really meant was during my infographic project in English 307T: Writing for the Professions. I was tasked with taking research and presenting it in a way that was visually engaging and easy for a general audience to understand. That meant thinking not just about what to say, but how to say it using design, layout, color, and clarity. I had to trim down complicated content to its essential points, organize it in a logical visual format, and make sure the final result was both informative and aesthetically pleasing. It was the first time I’d created something that felt like a real product, something that could be shared in a workplace or public setting. That project taught me how much impact clear, visual communication can have and showed me how to think about my work from the audience’s perspective.

That lesson was reinforced during my book review of Daniel H. Pink’s Drive. This project wasn’t just a summary, I had to analyze the book’s key points, connect them to my own experiences, and communicate those reflections in a structured, thoughtful way. One of the biggest takeaways from the book was Pink’s emphasis on autonomy, mastery, and purpose as key motivators in both life and work. Writing this review pushed me to explain these concepts in a way that was accessible while still meaningful. I also had to integrate direct quotes, follow formatting guidelines, and maintain a professional tone throughout. This helped me become more confident in my ability to blend technical accuracy with personal insight, something that I know will be essential in any administrative or leadership role.

The third major artifact that helped shape this skill was my work on The Design Table business plan. This was a collaborative assignment where I was responsible for writing and editing several sections of the plan, including service descriptions and marketing strategy. It was the most formal, business-oriented writing I had done at that point. I had to ensure that my sections matched the tone and format of the overall document, used clear and persuasive language, and presented our ideas in a way that would appeal to potential stakeholders. Working with a group also challenged me to revise my writing based on feedback and to make sure that every sentence served a clear purpose. Through this process, I gained a deeper appreciation for how writing is used in the professional world, not just to share information, but to influence decisions and convey value.

Together, these three artifacts reflect my progress in understanding what it means to communicate effectively and professionally. Technical communication is about more than just good grammar or strong vocabulary, it’s about getting the message across in the most efficient and appropriate way possible. Whether that means simplifying data for a visual graphic, analyzing ideas in a formal review, or pitching a business concept through a proposal, I now have the tools and awareness to adjust my communication to fit the situation.

This skill has already shown up in my work experience and will continue to be essential as I move into the field of business administration. Clear, strategic communication is at the core of leadership, collaboration, and decision-making. Thanks to these projects and courses, I feel ready to write with purpose and adapt my message to any audience I’m serving.

Power Law of Participation

Drive Book Review

The Design Table

Research and Analytical Thinking: Digging Deeper to See the Full Picture

If there’s one skill I didn’t fully appreciate before starting this program, it’s research and analytical thinking. Like many students, I used to think “research” just meant quoting a few sources and backing up my argument with facts. But over time, especially through the interdisciplinary work in the IDS program, I’ve come to understand that true research is about uncovering connections, evaluating evidence critically, and looking at a topic from multiple perspectives. This deeper kind of thinking helped shape not only my academic growth but also the way I approach problems in everyday life and in professional settings.

One of the most defining moments in developing this skill was during IDS 300W: Interdisciplinary Research Process and Theory, where I wrote a research paper titled “The Impact of Social Media on Teen Mental Health.” What made this paper so important wasn’t just the topic, it was the way I had to analyze it through the lenses of psychology, sociology, and communications. Psychology helped me understand the emotional and cognitive effects of social media, while sociology revealed the influence of peer pressure and cultural norms. Communications studies showed how platform design shapes behavior. On their own, each discipline gave me useful insights. But it was in the process of combining those insights, what Repko and Szostak (2021) describe as “creating common ground”, that I really started to grasp the value of interdisciplinary analysis.

This paper didn’t just strengthen my academic writing, it reshaped the way I problem-solve. I now approach challenges by asking what different fields or perspectives might reveal about the issue. That mindset has made me more open-minded, more curious, and more intentional about forming well-rounded opinions.

The second artifact that supported this skill was my Learning & Actions Paper, where I reflected on psychological theories like Attribution Theory and self-serving bias. I didn’t just summarize the content, I had to analyze how these ideas applied to my own experiences, both personally and professionally. This paper was also structured around an action plan I developed, which required me to evaluate my behavior and decision-making in real time. What made this assignment so impactful was how it pushed me to move beyond surface-level reflection. I had to think critically about my strengths and weaknesses and create strategies to grow. It helped me see analytical thinking as something that can shape personal accountability, not just academic success.

The third artifact that helped solidify my growth in research and analysis was my PDI 2 reflection. This experience came from attending a professional development seminar titled More Than a Paycheck: Adulting 101, which focused on real-world topics like how to read a paycheck, understand tax deductions, and evaluate different types of 401(k) plans. After the event, I wrote a reflection that explained what I had learned, summarized complex financial concepts, and broke down why those details mattered. This process required me to take in a lot of detailed, technical information and communicate it clearly in my own words. The reflection forced me to slow down, analyze unfamiliar terms, and make sense of how things like tax withholding, retirement planning, and employee benefits actually work in the real world. It was a powerful reminder that research and analytical thinking aren’t limited to academic papers, they’re skills we use all the time when navigating adulthood and making informed life decisions.

Together, these three artifacts represent the way my approach to research has evolved. I’ve learned how to examine topics through different lenses, how to challenge assumptions, and how to build arguments that are grounded in evidence and context. I now carry that mindset with me everywhere, from schoolwork to job decisions to everyday conversations. And as I continue building a career in business administration, I know that this skill will be one of the most useful tools I have.

Preliminary Research Paper

PDI 2

Learning & Actions Paper