Emerson students are notorious for being busy. We know it, professors know it, and yet somehow, we all manage to make it work. Sometimes we need a little push to get things organized, and make sure we are on top of everything that needs to get done. The first and most important rule of time management is prioritization, without a doubt. Before you can prioritize your life, however, you need to be aware of all of your various commitments and tasks. The best way to do this is to have a calendar or planner of some sort, whatever works best for you, that you can always use to keep important dates in mind. Write down everything: classes, clubs, work, dates, social life, everything, even if it is just getting lunch in the dining hall with a friend. The more organized you can be with everything you have to do, the better. It’s helpful to see everything written down in one place, and makes the daunting task of getting it accomplished that much easier.
Once you know exactly what your schedule looks like for the day or the week, you can begin to prioritize your time. Meeting, class, and work times and dates are set in stone, so your homework and social life can be scheduled around those times. Although it sounds obvious, make sure to complete assignments first that are due first. Sometimes, you may think that finishing a smaller assignment that is due later beforehand is the right idea, but not always. That assignment could potentially take longer than you anticipated, leaving little room to finish your other work. This includes answering e-mails and texts as soon as you receive them. Emerson students, and even college students in general, are also notorious for opening an e-mail and thinking “I’ll get to that later,” and completely forgetting about it. If you answer it right away, you won’t have to worry about it anymore and can move on to something else.
Sometimes, your workload may just seem too impossible to handle. This is also where prioritizing comes in. If you feel completely overwhelmed by the length of your to-do list, then it might be time to consider dropping one of your commitments. If you over exert yourself, you won’t be giving your best to anything and you’ll find that you are stretched way too thin. Between clubs, work and class, you have to decide what is the most feasible thing you can drop. For both short-term and long-term goals, what is most important to your education and future career? Sure, film club may be fun and entertaining but if you aren’t looking to work in the field, then it might be best to take a step from it for a while until you feel ready and comfortable with taking the commitment on again. That being said, make sure you are doing things that you enjoy, not purely because they will help you professionally. What’s the sense of filling your time with a million things that don’t make you happy?
Another thing to consider is your use of social media. If you find that Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr are becoming a distraction from your to-do list, then consider disabling your accounts until everything is accomplished. Having a social life is important, but social media just gets in the way of homework. When you complete your assignments, then you actually have time to see your friends in person and not just through their Instagram!
Lastly, all of these tips are no good if you don’t find time to rest. Your health is the most important thing, and sacrificing a meal or sleep time won’t be worth it in the long run. If you manage your time well enough to include time for food and breaks, you shouldn’t have to choose between being well-rested and getting work done. The best way to do this is to reward yourself after completing a task. Allow yourself to watch an episode (just ONE) of your favorite show or give yourself an hour to peruse the Internet. But, make sure that you get back on track after your break so that it doesn’t turn into the accidental “I went on Facebook to check one thing and ended up being on for three hours straight.” We’ve all been there.