In college there are constantly endless things going on around you and it can get very overwhelming trying to manage your time and find a balance between school and your social life. Between classes, clubs, exercise, homework, socializing, and just finding time for yourself, it can get to be extremely difficult to take into consideration everything you have to take care of and do. Here are some tips that have been helping me to de-stress my life and get my work done.
1. 43 Hours
I learned this idea from Assistant Professor of Film & Television and BUTV10 Faculty Advisor, Chris Cavalieri, when I attended a BUTV10 training session earlier this year. When discussing how to manage your time, Professor Cavalieri had us calculate that after classes, homework, studying, sleeping, and eating, the time remaining is 43 hours of free time for ourselves, proving there is plenty of time to do what is required and then some. This number has motivated me to make better use of my time and put my energy towards clubs, friends, exercise, exploring Boston, and just time for myself in general. Now I see those 43 hours as MY time and I don’t want to waste one second. I constantly remind myself to be productive and use MY time effectively. This helps me avoid wasting time and instead make the most of my life!
2. Plan Out Your Week
Each Sunday night I write out every activity, assignment, homework and event that I know I am going to have during the week. This helps me plan out when I am going to have extra time and also lets me see how busy my week is. I always leave space to add anything that comes up throughout the week, and this allows me to keep track of everything I have going on each day.
3. Make Lists
Each day when you get home or back to your dorm, write down everything that you need to get done in a list. This always helps me wrap my head around what I still have to do that day. Then, put numbers next to each task, prioritizing them in order of what you want to accomplish and finish first. If there is a day when you have a lot of work to do you can also estimate how much time each task or assignment will take you so that you can be productive and finish everything in a timely manner. It is also extremely satisfying to cross off each number on your list after finishing an assignment.
4. Take Time For Yourself
It’s okay to take a break one night and give yourself the opportunity to enjoy your night how you would like to. Designate some time in your week to relax and have a chill night. Whether that be a night in by yourself, or a night just hanging out with some of your friends, being able to have some time to distract yourself from doing work can help break up your time and allow you to focus better when you are actually doing work.
5. Think Long Term
If you have any big, long term assignments, projects, or essays, write them out somewhere where you can always see them. It is helpful to be reminded of these tasks in order to remember to work on them. By working on projects a little bit at a time, it makes them seem less daunting and more achievable. You can also designate some time to doing small parts of them on a Sunday night when you plan out your week.
Even though there are always going to be days where you procrastinate and don’t follow all of these tips, they have really helped me so far in attempting to avoid procrastinating and actually getting my work done on time — and even in advance.
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