College is undoubtedly one of the biggest transitions in your life. You suddenly have all this independence and freedom. You don’t have a curfew or your parents watching everything you do. One of the biggest changes about college is the fact that you have to manage your time. Even if you think you don’t, you do. Staying organized and managing your time is not as daunting as some people try to make it seem. Here are a few tips!
- Buy A Planner
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Any college student will tell you this. You cannot do college without a planner. In fact, some students (me) have two planners for both homework and social life. It might seem unnecessary at first because how could you possibly ever forget about one assignment or one of your one million meetings? Just do it and get a planner. The most satisfying thing after a long week is crossing out everything you have accomplished.
- Make a Gym Schedule
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Coming into college, every person worries about the freshman 15. Netflix and the unlimited food at the dining hall overtake any desire to go workout. But really, it’s not that hard to find an hour a day or every other day to go to the gym. Find a class you like. Go to yoga! It doesn’t matter what kind of exercise you do; it will all make you feel better. Find something you enjoy and make a commitment to do that every day or every week.
- Sleep, Sleep, Sleep
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Pulling all nighters is NOT healthy. Sure you have a huge exam tomorrow and you waited until the last minute to study, but staying up all night is not going to do anything except hurt you. You need sleep to solidify your attempts at studying. It’s much better to have energy for the test, even if you didn’t study as much as you should have.
- Reward Yourself
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If you get an A on the paper you spent weeks on, go get ice cream. Go shopping after a long week. Of course you can’t do this everyday, that gets expensive. But reward yourself for things you’re proud of! It gives you something to look forward to.
- Go Out With Your Friends
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Sure, you have plenty of homework you could work on for the next 15 hours, but just go out. Let your friends talk you into just taking a break. I promise you won’t regret it. There’s always time for homework, but college isn’t all about grades. You’re not going to have any memories to look back on if all you do is study.
College is scary, and time management is hard. Professors assign tons of homework, and you’re around people you don’t know, but eventually, you have to get used to it because nothing is going to change. Don’t be stubborn, everyone is in the same boat. You’ll find your way.