HW 6
1 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Solution to Overwork Using Time Management and
Discipline
Student Name
Embry -Riddle Aeronautical University
Prescott, AZ 86301
I Problem Definition
The paper will address, discuss, and provide a solution to why students are overworked and lead
unbalanced lives in American universities . The solution provided to the problem revolves around time management
and taking ownership of one’s time.
In colleges and universities across the United States, students are overworked and lead unbalanced lives.
There are many compounding causes to the given problem; however, time management involves both cognition and
context 1, which means that intention can influence ti me management, as well as the surrounding environment . These
factors give time management a larger role in the given problem. However , another reason student s lead unbalanced
lives and feel overworked is due to poor time management or time constraints 2. Some of the other contributing
factors may include financial strain, academic workload, and interpersonal difficulties 2.
Negative consequences of students being overworked centers on the perceived workload that the students
have. Having the feeling of bein g overloaded results in stress, anxiety, and the desire to give up 3. Thus, the academic
consequences of the problem roll over into the students’ lives causing imbalance and unhealthy choices. The
problem of overwork and unbalance causes stress in college students, and research relates stress with anxiety,
depression, hopelessness 2. Other negative consequences of students having large workloads includes students
resorting to shortcuts 4, such as cheating.
Furthermore, negative consequences of poor time manag ement include poor academic performance 1. The
consequences are the result of failing to allocate time for assignments, cramming for tests, and missing deadlines 1.
The listed practices are only a few of the possible contributors, and they result in unbalanc e within one’s life and
increase the perception in workload.
This problem of overwo rk and unbalanced lives is prevalent among university students as there are
numerous stressors and causes to the problem . The combinat ion of the financial strain 2 and the perception of
workload 4 are both prevalent with college students, and these two factors exacerbate the problem. Since students of
all majors pay for the education and different majors have diverse workload perceptions, the problem of being
overwor ked and having an unbalanced life can be extended broadly to college students of different majors. The next
section, Section II: Proposed Solution , provides a solution to the given problem.
II Proposed Solution
Students new to college should create a schedule and read the book Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy
SEALs LEAD and WIN , with a focus on Chapter 1 and Chapter 12 . By creating a schedule of the classes and other
appointments , the student s will have a guide a nd will be able to see how their day and week will be. By physically
being able to see the schedule, the students will feel more in control of their time . The perception of increased
control over time will benefit the students’ academic stress and stress -influenced outcomes 2 (i.e., health and
problem -solving ability).
Two Navy SEALs a nd now business consultants wrote Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs LEAD
and WIN . The book will provide the students with a meth od that U.S. Navy SEALs used when in leadership
positions and even as a subordinate . The overarching concept is extr eme ownership , which includes how a leader
should take responsibility for everything that happens to the team, even if they are not the one to blame 5. Another
part of the concept involves discipline and how discipline equal freedom. That concept shows how having and
practicing dis cipline gives oneself freedom, and makes one more flexible, adaptable, and efficient 5.
By creating the schedule and reading the book, the new students will be better prepared for when their
workload increases later in their academic career. The book will encourage the students to take control of their time
and practice discipline through the management of their time . Thus, by practicing discipline and owning one’s
schedule there will be an increase in the perceived control of time . This increase will benefit the students through
reducing procrastination and allowing them to complete more tasks 1. Moreover , the students will have lower stress
Student, COM221 : Technical Report Writing 2 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
levels and a better well -being 2. Therefore , the students will be able to lead a more balanced life and manage their
workload.
For the solution to be feasible, there would need to be a class that new freshman students a re required to
take (e.g., UNIV 101 at Embry -Riddle Aeronautical University ). In addition, the students will need the book,
Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs LEAD and WIN . Finally, the class should have to cover creating
schedule s and incorporate how using discipline and extreme ownership will benefit them through school.
By incorporating this solutio n into an already required class, the solution will be more cost effective than
creating a completely new class just for a single top ic. Moreover , since time management is part of the course
description 6, adding the book to the syllabus and extending the discussion of the topic would be workable and
logistically feasible.
The book is approximately $16 and is also available through the Yavapai Library Network; however, only
two chapters of the book are required to receive the information about extreme ownership and discipline. The
chapters could therefore, with permission of the publisher, be copied and used independently from the book . Using
just the two chapters will give the students less burden and will provide easier access to the material. In either case,
the solution would be cost effective, because if they do buy the book, the students will also be able to learn about
leadership. The next section, Section III: Conclusion sum marizes and integrates the problem and solution .
III Conclusion
This document analyzed and proposed a solution to why students are overworked and lead unbalanced lives
at American universities.
A review of l iterature concluded that perceived control of time influences both academic stress, stress
related outcomes (e.g. , physiological health and psychological health) and some parts of problem solving ability 2. In
addition, student perception of workload is more important than time spent in class and studying independently 4.
Therefore, workload perception and time management are interconnected as a cause to why students lead
unbalanced lives.
To find support for a solution, research discovered that the benef its of time management include reduced
procrastination, the ability to complete more tasks, and the ability to enjoy more free time 1. Moreover , experience
gained by U.S. Navy SEALs in Iraq shows that a leader must take ownership of mistakes and failures, a nd that
practicing discipline provides freedom 5. In this case, practicing the discipline of time management would lead to
more free time and a more balanced life.
Therefore, universities should incorporate Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs LEAD and W IN into
a required course that discusses time management (e.g., UNIV 101 at Embry -Riddle Aeronautical University -
Prescott). In the course, the students should create a schedule to increase the perceived control of time.
Although initial implementation might not cover students wh o have already taken the course, the newer
freshm en will be more likely than upperclassmen to adopt and change how they manage and perceive time. The
freshme n are new to college and have not had the time to cement inefficient stu dy and time management habits.
Upperclassmen, having been in college for at least a year, have used their time management strategy for long
enough that the strategy has become custom .
Thus, this document strongly recommends that Embry -Riddle Aeronautical University -Prescott and other
American universities integrate the above stated book into a required freshman course that include s time
management in the syllabus.
IV References 1Nadinloyi, K. B., Hajloo, N., Garamaleki, N. S., and Sadeghi , H., “The Study Efficacy of Time Management Training
on Increase Academic Time Management of Students,” Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences , vol. 84, 2013, pp. 134 –138. 2Nonis, S. A., Hudson, G. I., Logan, L. B., and Ford, C. W., “Influenced of Per ceived Control Over Time On College
Students' Stress And Stress -Related Outcomes,” Research in Higher Education , vol. 39, Oct. 1998, pp. 587 –605. 3Bowyer, K., “A model of student workload,” Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management , vol. 34, Jun.
2012, pp. 239 –258. 4Kember, D., “Interpreting student workload and the factors which shape students' perceptions of their workload,”
Studies in Higher Education , vol. 29, May 2004, pp. 165 –184. 5Willink, J., and Babin, L., Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs LEAD and WIN , New York: St. Martin's Press,
2015. 6“University Student Success (UNIV),” Prescott Catalog 2016 -2017 Available:
http://catalog.erau.edu/prescott/undergraduate -courses/univ/univ.pdf.
