I've noticed a strong correlation between how busy I am and the types of food I eat on busy days. I need to run a regression to verify this data, but today, a day filled with my Real Estate Investment and Finance class and back-to-back-to-back-to-back meetings, continued the pattern from my first year - an Espresso Roma Cafe turkey sandwich for lunch during time-crunched days.
So how do you manage your time in a MBA program? A friend suggested that approximately 1/3 of my time should be devoted to academics, 1/3 should be dedicated to the career search, 1/3 should be given to MBA-extracurricular activities and clubs, and 1/3 should be given to my non-MBA related things. While my friend may not be the most proficient at math, he was definitely right: time management will always be a challenge for MBA students.
I think I strike a good balance between the four categories listed above, but there will definitely will be times when I focus more heavily on one of the categories. To make sure I'm using my time effectively, I started making to-do lists at the start of each week and then checking off things each night before going to sleep*. This tip came from one of my study group members last year and it has really helped. Feel free to post your tips for time management here or ask questions about my 'Day-in-the-Life' at UCLA Anderson.
*As an aside, my weekly to-do list now includes keeping a tally on how many turkey sandwiches I eat this year - it will be a great way to unofficially measure the time crunch of being a MBA student. I'll keep you and the time-efficiency researchers posted on my findings.
