Time management is a serious concern for any college student, especially given the unstructured nature of the college environment.
Besides dealing with assignments and studying for exams, college students must often juggle work, school, and social obligations. In most cases, they feel that the 24 hours they have each day is not enough to get everything done effectively.
Evidence shows that close to 30% of college students terminate their studies prematurely because they cannot keep up with the demanding nature of higher education. Effective management implies economically using the minutes and hours you have during the day to get as much work done without compromising your mental and physical health. Here are a few tips to help you out.
• Set Clear Goals to Work Towards
Goal-setting is one of the most important steps to manage your time effectively. You need to know what you are working towards or why you are using your time. By setting clear goals on what you need to achieve within a specified period, you improve your chances of success. In addition to setting clear goals, you must start your time management efforts by reviewing your time use.
What areas and distractions waste time without adding value to your goals and targets? If you need help with assignments, work with a reliable essay writer service.
• Track Your Deadlines
You can also improve your time management by noting your deadlines and important dates. As a student in college, you will be taking multiple classes at a time, meaning that there will be several assignments to complete. Working part-time, doing assignments, and studying for exams can be overwhelming, so you need to be more organized.
Effective time management means that you will be tracking your deadlines and setting reminders to keep yourself updated on what needs to be prioritized. Use a calendar, chart, or sheet of paper to remind yourself of all the due dates.
• Start With Smaller and More Urgent Tasks
Frequently, you will struggle to find the energy and motivation you need to get started on large and relatively complex tasks. Instead of procrastinating, start working in an order that works in your favor. This may mean placing smaller and easier tasks on your daily to-do list. Success on these smaller tasks will get you motivated and ready to take on the more complex ones. You can also break up larger tasks to make them more manageable.
• Create and Follow a Schedule
In college, scheduling is the art of planning your activities to allow you to achieve your goals and priorities within the available time. Effective scheduling lets you understand what can be achieved within an indicated timeline. A good schedule also ensures you set aside enough time for essential tasks.
Scheduling is important for effective time management as it helps you keep track of everything. It includes delegating tasks, tracking deadlines, and measuring progress. Having a clear schedule puts everything at your fingertips by allowing you to gather all the details in one place where you can access them anytime. Using the calendar app, you can set up a schedule using digital tools like phones or computers. Or, you can even do so manually by writing your schedule down in a planner.
Depending on how detailed you want your planning to get, you can break down days into blocks of hours or minutes. Before setting your schedule, write down the aspects you wish to include. These could be assignments, study time, social activities, cooking hours, lecture hours, exercise time, and time for family. Students attending online programs have greater scheduling flexibility than their counterparts in in-person sessions.
• Schedule and Use Breaks Wisely
College life can be hectic, and some students end up feeling overwhelmed. Scheduling breaks allows you enough resting time and gives you room to recharge before you continue with other daily activities. Evidence shows that taking deliberate breaks, anywhere between 5 and 60 minutes from studying, will refresh your brain and body and increase your energy and ability to focus. Use your breaks wisely and understand that going through social media does not serve as a purposeful break. Better options include exercise, nature walks, and engaging with friends.
Effective time management is a useful recipe for college success. Make good use of technology, schedule breaks, and become more organized. Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you feel overwhelmed. Effective time management will leave you feeling more liberated and will ensure you never have to panic about deadlines.
