Time is of the essence ... especially when you finally realize that you are no longer having your parents tell you to complete this and make sure you do that. As a college student, I would say we can all agree we have a lot on our plate. Having coursework, extracurriculars, social life, and some of us even working can be insanely hard to keep a healthy balance that allows us to satisfy all of our needs. We all say we are ready to get our 4.0 for the semester, and we put our positive affirmations in the universe ... until life catches up to us.
Time management is a vital skill to carry in college. On top of planning for our career and the future, it is important to make time for yourself while still accomplishing everything you need to do by the end of the day. To combat this, here are eight different tips that will help you make time for yourself:
Write it down!
Write things down! I am sure everyone has heard this from at least one of your professors – it has been scientifically proven that we remember things better when it has been written down. From the moment we start school in kindergarten, many of us received an agenda so that we can stay on top of our studies.
While we aren't given an agenda anymore, it sure is important. Regardless of whether it be a real agenda, Google Task, or even a post-it note of things to do during the week, it can help remind you of important things to do. Many times, I write a post-it note and put it next to the mouse pad on my laptop so it is the first thing I see (even if I'm about to start watching Netflix).
Use your phone/computer calendar
We are all constantly on our phones and we probably spend about the same amount of time on our laptops or computers. All electronics come with a calendar or reminder app that many of us tend to not use to our advantage. Although writing things down can help to remind you what needs to get done, adding tasks and reminders in your phone, something we are constantly looking at it can be more effective.
Once the semester begins and you have all of your syllabi, go through the important dates and put them into your phone calendar! I promise you will not regret it. Google Calendar lets you set a reminder before important dates, and the reminder app will allow you to put reminders days prior to when things are due to help you. These are definitely resourceful tools we all tend to overlook.
One thing at a time
Remember – we are all human. We can not always complete a million things at once, as much as we would like to. Trying to bombard yourself with a multitude of tasks can often lead to stressing yourself out more than you need to. Becoming flustered is the last thing needed when you have a very busy day ahead of you.
Going back to creating a list of things to do, remember one by one you will eventually get everything done. Yes, it is important to pay attention to deadlines, but as long as you stay focused and calm, you will be able to achieve it all.
Take breaks while studying
Studying can be very dreadful. It is nice when we can knock it out all in one shot, but realistically this is not always manageable. There are times where there is just too much to accomplish and we get drained. Remember that the brain need’s to rest and just as if you are working out your muscles. Take a 30-minute rest to just look at your phone or just relax for a second. Although this can walk a fine line between a break and procrastination. It takes discipline, but it is possible.
Become self-aware
It is important to know yourself and be conscious of when you have the most energy throughout the day. Realizing when you can get the most done without feeling burnt out will help you when prioritizing your tasks throughout the day. Once figuring this out, you will be able to plan out your day accordingly for what you can actually get done around what time.
It is important to be self-aware when procrastinating. If you find yourself being unproductive when you have a lot of things to do, take a second and realize how much you will regret it later. Sometimes watching three hours of David Dobrik YouTube videos is not worth the pain of cramming for three tests, as fun as it is.
Try to schedule your classes together
A lot of times, we don't realize how much a scattered schedule throughout the day can affect us. When we have all of our classes consecutively, we can take a break after. Later, we can go back and focus if we need to do more school work. Having a scattered schedule can be very annoying because often we don’t know what to do with ourselves in the time. We do not always want to go straight to doing work as soon as we get out of an hour and 45-minute lecture.
Stay organized
Although having an agenda and making sure all of your school things stay together is crucial, having an organized living environment is just as important. A clean room means a clear mind!
When you live in chaos and cluster, it can be very hard to stay focused on what you need to accomplish. Personally, I always find when my room is clean and organized, it is much easier to get things done and efficiently.
Remember to be kind to yourself
As previously mentioned, we are human! We can not always be perfect – it is normal for us not to be able to accomplish everything in one day. Do not beat yourself up for something that has already been done. You can either sit and dwell on what you didn’t do or you can learn from your mistakes.
Taking it easy on yourself can be a lot easier said than done. As long as you are putting in the maximum effort, you are capable of you are doing enough. If you really are giving it your all, be kind to yourself when things don't always work in your favor.
Once you have mastered, or at least made progress, managing your time, you will take a lot of weight off of your shoulders and become a lot less stressed. This means you can have more time to work on yourself and do the things you truly enjoy!
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