1.) Use a Planner
This is probably the most important time management tip on this entire list. A planner is going to literally save your life in college because there are so many assignments and responsibilities due every single day. Utilizing a planner allows you to write down any piece of essential information so that you can see when you need to have it accomplished by. You won’t ever forget anything once you start regularly using a planner. While there are various different styles of planners, I find that it’s best to use one that has a lot of space.
I appreciate the style of my planner a lot because it has various sections that make organization even easier. The first section is a calendar that leaves you plenty of space to write on, with the option of writing extra notes on the side of the page.
The second section focuses more on each day and leaves you space to make notes for every day of the week. It also allows you to set personal goals for the week and reminders that might not be exclusive to just one day.
The third section allows you to just make notes over whatever you need to, and this could even be used as journal space if you really wanted to use it for that.
2.) Maintain your health
This is a very common tip given for time management and succeeding in school, and the reason why is because of how truthful it is.If you aren’t healthy it’s going to be harder to stay on track with school and life in general. It’s important to eat balanced meals every day, drink enough water every day, get roughly 8 hours of sleep each night, and have a workout routine, even if it’s not an intense one. It will become a lot easier to function and manage your time when you feel good and aren’t lacking in your health. You’ll also have a lot more energy to tackle the day.
3.) Keep a Routine
If you start a routine and stick to it, it will gradually become a lot easier to manage your time every day. A routine will help lessen confusion about when you’re going to have the time to do homework, study, work out, etc. You won’t have to scramble and feel stressed about how you’re going to fit all of your tasks into one day, and become overwhelmed.
4.) Be Organized
Organization is vital to time management. Organizing your bag, your laptop, and your assignments can reduce a lot of stress about finding what you’re looking for, and will overall make things flow more smoothly. Personally, I use an expanding file, and each section is labeled for a particular class. I can find all of the assignments and handouts for that class, and I don’t have to worry about losing track of where I’m storing things, and therefore waste time trying to locate what I’m looking for.
5.) Stop Procrastinating
Procrastination is a major time killer. It’s so easy to get caught up in continually putting off tasks until they creep up on us and catch us by surprise. Procrastination is a hard habit to break, but there are several ways to accomplish kicking it to the curb. My personal favorites include writing down goals and tasks and labeling them with a deadline. Sometimes I even put them into the form of a checklist, that way I can cross things off of the list as I go. I also like to break down goals into smaller pieces, so they don’t seem so monumental. There’s a reason why the saying “eating an elephant can only be done one bite at a time” exists. Finally, I like to reward myself as I accomplish something, whether that be with a snack, or with an allocated amount of free time. This encourages me to keep going and be motivated.
I’ve found all of these tips to be extremely useful in managing my time, and therefore being successful in school. I hope that all of these tips can continue to be useful to other students, and help people reach their goals!
