Time Management
For many college students, one of the biggest differences between high school and college is the need to effectively manage your own time. If you began learning time management skills in high school, you have a definite advantage over many college students. Still, you need to make adjustments for the academic environment.
Parents aren’t around to wake you or nag you about being late. There’s no “detention” for being late to class. In fact, most professors won’t even know if you’re absent or present. Social activities are numerous and unless you’re in a dorm with a curfew, you can dance the night away and sleep in when you feel like it. Of course, your newfound freedom can be very expensive short-term with slipping grades and long-term by keeping you from meeting your goals.
The key to effective time management is literally being your own boss. Instead of being accountable to teachers and parents, now you need to be accountable to you! One of the biggest stumbling blocks to time management is procrastination. However, the easiest way to avoid procrastination is to start by memorizing ten little two-letter words; “If it is to be, it is up to me.”
Keep your long-term goals in sight. Map a plan to achieve your goals. You are here. What routes must you take to get to your destination?
everything you know about! Use a calendar to write down class times, work times, social events, and breaks. When up-coming events span beyond the current month, write them into empty calendar blocks.
Start tomorrow at the end of today. Plan each day starting with when you intend to get up. Use a to do list for daily activities. Put scheduled events into their appropriate time slots and prioritize the rest of your list.
Work your plan. Often it’s easy to stop a task and immediately deal with what we think is a small interruption. However, sometimes small interruptions snowball into big time consumers. Work your day according to your plan. If something new needs attention, wedge it into your schedule or if it is an immediate emergency, make sure you reschedule your current task. Also, be sure to mark your place. Write a note to yourself if need be.
Do the tough stuff first. Once, the worst part of a project is over, the rest will be a breeze! However, if the “tough stuff” is keeping you from getting started, then start with something easy to convince yourself that you can get the job done!
Break things down to the ridiculous. Dividing large assignments into smaller parts makes it easier to fit them into your schedule. In addition, you’ll benefit from a sense of accomplishment as you finish each phase. It’s a lot more satisfying to visualize what you have done than it is to agonize over what remains to do.
Rules were made to be bent. Build some flexibility into your schedule. Give yourself extra time to cope with interruptions in your schedule. As well as time to work, build in some time to play. Scheduling recreational activities and regarding them as important parts of your day gives you something to work towards.
Keep your work with you. That way, if you find yourself with extra time—while on the train or bus or waiting for an appointment—you can get something done.
Don't be afraid to say no. It's OK to say no if your friend asks you to go to a movie one night but you have a test the next morning. Instead, find a time that works for both of you and go see the movie then.
Find your productive time. Are you a morning person or a night person? You'll be more efficient if you work when you're at your best.
Create a dedicated study time. Set up a time devoted only to studying or homework. Shut off your phone and respond to calls or texts when your work is finished. Don't check email or surf the Web (except when you need to for the work you're doing) during this time either.
Don't get sidetracked. If you find yourself wasting time on unimportant things, stop, check your to-do list and get back to what's at the top. Maybe you're procrastinating because you're not sure how to move forward on a school project. If that's the problem, check with your teacher to clear things up so you can get moving.
Get a good night's sleep. Your brain needs rest to perform at its peak. If it's time to sleep, list the things you still need to get done on the next day's to-do list and go to bed.
Bag the booze. There’s a reason they call it getting wasted. Alcohol dulls motivation, lessens productivity, and causes students to waste time. If you already don’t want to write that paper, skipping it won’t seem like a big deal after a few drinks. In the morning, though, you’ll be cursing yourself for not doing it.
Take a break from distractions and stay focused. While your computer is full of all sorts of fun diversions – instant messaging, social networking sites, movies, and more – turn it off when you’re trying to focus on school work. You may think you can handle writing a history paper and chatting with a friend, but your mind will be better off if you focus on the task at hand. Save the socializing for study breaks!
Follow your instincts. If there’s a voice inside you saying, “I really shouldn’t be going out tonight,” you should listen to it. If you’re going to feel guilty for going out, you won’t have that much fun anyway.
There’s always tomorrow. Like any other skill, it takes time to learn how to manage your time. Even time management experts have days when their whole schedule falls apart. If yours does, don’t quit on time management. Instead, pick up the pieces and start again the next day. Review your schedules at the end of each week to see what did and what didn’t work for you.