8 Essential Time Management Tips for College?Students

Whether you’re fresh out of high school or working two jobs while taking night classes to pay for your college tuition. Time management can be a common problem for any student. Add that on top of weekly assignments to complete and exams to study for and college can become very overwhelming.

However, we all have the same 24 hours in a day! Now what we do during that time is what makes the difference between good and great students. Don’t worry you’re not alone in attempting to balance a busy schedule with the demands of being a successful college student. In this article, I will share with you exactly how successful students make the most of their time.

These time management strategies and tips for college students will help keep you organized.

Here are 8 tips to effectively manage your time while in college:

1. Set Goals

The most important thing you can do to manage your time effectively is to set both short and long term goals. Everything else is a potential time-waster. Your daily plan should revolve around working on tasks and activities that directly relate to achieving both your short and long term goals. Working towards our goals can sometimes be difficult and frustrating but, never give up you need to persevere.

If what you’re doing isn’t working, think of another way you could try that still moves you toward your goal, even a tiny bit. If you’re struggling, get a mentor whom you can ask for their ideas on what you could do to move you forward. They may help you see a different way. Thinking about different ways of reaching our goals will make it more likely you will achieve them. If you’re really struck take a break and then reevaluate the goal you wrote down when you started. If you need to adjust your goal to be successful that’s perfectly OK too. ALWAYS be thinking about the next step…

2. Make a Plan

There is the old saying, plan your work, then work your plan. I believe this is spot on! Any journey starts by taking that first step. When you are trying to make the most of your time, you want to make sure every step counts! To do this you have to know where you are going, and that’s what I consider your plan to be. The journey that you take to achieve your goals. Even if you don’t know where to start there’s no excuse your first step could be to research. There is a million how-to videos on the internet or think of people you could ask to gain that information or get a book on the subject from the library. ALWAYS be thinking about your next step…

3. Write down everything

You’re sitting in a lecture about to leave when the professor makes an announcement. You have an exam in three days and homework due next week. As you depart from class, you make a mental note to remember those dates. How often has that happened to you? Only for you to cram all the information on the exam the night before because you forgot to study.

Writing down our goals increases our chances of sticking with them. Statistics show people who write down their goals have over an 80% higher success rate of achieving them than those who do not. That’s a huge difference if you add that up over time! The importance of carefully writing down your goals and how to do that can

4. Stick to a routine

Routines can be the anchor you need to promote health and wellness through structure and organization. No matter what’s going on in our day, knowing that you have a routine can decrease uncertainty about when or how you will make time to study on top of getting to work. It can sound counter-intuitive but developing a daily routine can help you feel more in control of your life, and help make room for all that’s important. Creating a routine can aid your mental health, cope with change, and reduce your anxiety levels.

5. Stay organized

Being organized will allow you to stay on track. Get rid of anything that distracts you and allows you to procrastinate from your work. Having a clean desk space to focus on and clear knowledge of where everything is will improve your efficiency and time management. I would also recommend prioritizing events and assignments that are the highest importance to you on your planner. Then do the hardest or most important task first and get it done.

This will put you in a mental state called flow when you are completely immersed and involved in an activity. Flow actually makes you feel energized and motivated and increases the enjoyment of the activity and productivity. To achieve flow, find a challenge, develop your skills, eliminate distractions, set aside enough space and time, set clear goals and focus completely on the task at hand.

6. Find a balance

There will be times you have what seems like an insurmountable pile of work. As if that’s not bad enough work starts to pick up and your boss is calling you in to pick up extra shifts, and what’s left of your social life begins to vanish.

When life hits the fan its important to take a step back and evaluate your situation. Take a deep breath and ask your family and friends to support you during these challenging times. I feel college students sometimes get to provide like they can do it all by themselves but one of my favorite sayings is Ubuntu- I am because WE are. Always live by it! Just means alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much. The power of we is stronger than I so it’s okay to recognize those times you may be overwhelmed and ask for help. Finding the perfect balance takes years of experience but it’s essential to living a happy and healthy life.

7. Use your technology responsibly

Technology can be one of the biggest aids in your life especially now with AI and how efficient phones are these days. Human beings are practically more self-sufficient ow then ever before. That can be both a blessing and a curse. Personally, I use my phone every day for an alarm to wake up in the morning, and the Google Calendar app on my iPhone makes remembering task easy. It even reminds me 15 minutes before I have meetings in case I forget which has saved me on a few occasions so I highly recommend to use it if you struggling with your schedule.

On the flip side, it can be a distraction to young students who don’t have the discipline to stay focus while you are studying or writing. When you are doing an important task turn off your phone’s ringtones and vibrations and put it in a drawer where you won’t be tempted to answer calls and messages. Allow yourself to check your phone only once per hour. Get off Facebook, Messenger, YouTube, and other distractions. Save them for when you are relaxing.

8. Reward yourself

When you reach your goal always treat yourself for doing the right thing. Take a few minutes out of your day to do something you enjoy. The break will allow your brain to relax and be more productive when you return. Also, be sure to get plenty of sleep and exercise. An alert mind is a high-functioning mind and one that’s less tolerant of time-wasting activities. Take time to enjoy it and thank those that helped you. Think about what you enjoyed and learned along the way. The biggest satisfaction will be how many more opportunities come your way once you are more productive. If all goes well, you’ve proven your professionalism and dedication to being successful. Now, what is your next goal or project going to be? ALWAYS be thinking about the next step…

“Once you have mastered time, you will understand how true it is that most people overestimate what they can accomplish in a year and underestimate what they can achieve in a decade!”

-Anthony Robbins