Time Management 101: 4 Tips

Time management is a key factor in order to graduate on time, especially when it comes to deadlines for your classes. During Syllabus Week, I organize my daily schedule, so that it is set before I could fall behind. There are many ways to organize your time for homework, exams, papers, and even extracurricular activities. There are at least four things you have to do in order to establish your schedule to be on track and on top of your grades.

Plan ahead.

There are many ways you can plan ahead or organize your deadlines. Personally, I use a written planner and Google Calendar to illustrate the weeks where my schedule is completely full to make sure I have time to study. Usually, I take some time during the first week of school and plan out my schedule throughout my Google Calendar based on the syllabuses that are given to me.

Plan your study time.

Schedule your own study time. Although it may sound silly to actually set a time to study each day, it will help you in the long run when you have two exams in one week to study. This also prevents you from cramming all the information the night before, which usually does not work out in the end.

Prioritization is key.

During my first day of freshman year, I did not realize what it meant to prioritize tasks, until I had to balance hanging out with friends, working a part-time job, spending time with my family, and studying for my classes. I learned that you have to sometimes sacrifice some luxuries in order to accomplish your tasks. For example, when you have many deadlines approaching, of course you’re going to have to sacrifice some part of your social life for a while, but it is doable.

Get enough sleep.

Try not to overwhelm yourself with homework each night. You want to try to get at least 6-8 hours of sleep each day. There actually has been research done that if you don’t get enough sleep, it is harder to retain any information you may have learned from the day before.

Overall, planning out your schedule is a piece of cake once you get the hang of it. There will be times that you seem to struggle with balancing all aspects of your life, but once you find your routine, you will be able to balance a lot of things.