Time is a scarce commodity in college – possibly for the first time in your life you will need to think about how you spend your days.
As a full-time student, school is a full-time job. For every credit hour, you are expected to spend 2-3 hours working on coursework outside of class time. Given this, in addition to other commitments, it is easy to get overwhelmed. Developing a plan for time management is hard work, but it is worth the effort.
4 Steps to Successful Time Management
1. Define Your Goals.
2. Create a Term Schedule that Works For You.
3. Create a Weekly Schedule for Your Classes, Meetings, Labs, etc.
4. Divide Up Your Day.
Helpful Articles on Time Management & Procrastination
Overall Time Management & Preventative Procrastination Tips from A Former College Student
Time management is a challenging skill to tackle. But with anything else in life, practice makes perfect! Don’t rely on simply remembering to do something: write things down as you hear them in the form of a to-do list so that you know exactly what you have to do later. Always give yourself enough time. I would always rush around campus when I was in college and never gave myself enough time to go places or get tasks accomplished, beginning planning early and set alarms for yourself if you have to. Finally, go to bed early!! You’ll be surprised how much better you’ll feel the next morning and how easy it will be to wake up early for class. See Self Care to learn more about the importance of sleep as a busy college student.
Procrastination, similar to time management, procrastination is something that is always a challenge. I’ve found during my time as an undergraduate student that reminding yourself why you are here and what your goals are is a great mental exercise in working through procrastination. As pointed out in the articles and from personal experience, rewarding yourself and giving yourself something to work towards is great tool for motivation.
Remember to Always Set Goals For Yourself…
Immediate and longer term goals will assist you in prioritizing your activities.
Make sure your goals are SMART – Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-bound.
Prioritize and organize your work:
Divide projects/assignments into smaller tasks – develop a timeline for completing these individual components
Prioritize: Determine which tasks are most important – focus on these first, before they become urgent
Create a calendar and/or list of things that need to be accomplished with dates and deadlines
Allow for flexibility/changes
Develop a regular routine while learning how to manage your time and work
Reward yourself for meeting goals/accomplishing tasks
Decide on specific times to work on each course/item
Record all class times and regular commitments (e.g., practice, meetings, work, etc.)
Record all activities you want/need to do on a regular basis (e.g., exercise, eating times, sleep, etc.)
Block out study/review time for each class—Keep in mind your preferences for study (time of day, place, etc.)
Longer blocks of time (while taking short breaks) allow for serious engagement in your work. 2-3 hours of work out of class is recommended for each hour spent in class —Keep some blocks empty to allow for last minute changes – personal or academic things that may come up
Keep time open for fun/relaxation/socializing
** Some resources made available from Augsburg College, Minneapolis, MN with the permission of Rachel Kruzel, Assistive Technology & Accommodations Specialist**
