Sometimes life pulls you in a million different directions and you feel like you have too much on your plate. This can be especially straining if you’re someone who doesn’t know how to stay organized and manage your time. It may seem impossible to stop life from being chaotic, but it is always possible to make things less stressful and more manageable. Here are some tips about how to organize your schedule so you’re not always stressed about what you’re supposed to be doing or if you forgot to do something.
Multiple calendars
A way to make certain you’re keeping track of your hectic schedule is to have multiple calendars to keep track of everything from school to social events. I recommend using a calendar app in addition to a hard copy planner. Schedule events as soon as you learn about them to avoid double booking or forgetting about important dates. Make sure you are periodically referencing your calendars so you can prepare for the event in advance. Also, write assignments down in advance, a lot of professors hand out syllabi that list course assignments and exam schedules. While these dates can be tentative, it is better to write them down right away and be on top of the assignments and maybe change the dates later, if necessary. I try to color coordinate my calendars with a separate color for class time, homework assignments, exams, work shifts and social events. By knowing what you have scheduled and what you need to accomplish, you are already a step further towards being organized and being as efficient as you can be.
Daily checklists
It is very easy to get overwhelmed by the hustle and bustle of everyday college life. Between homework assignments, studying, social life and work, there is always something to do. That’s why it’s very important to break up the things you need to accomplish everyday so you don’t get overwhelmed by how much you have to do. Have a daily checklist of things you’re going to accomplish. It doesn’t have to be completing a whole project; rather, starting said project and working on it a bit every day so you’re not procrastinating and don’t become overwhelmed. The checklist can also be helpful with tasks that don’t have to do with school. If you haven’t called your mom in awhile make it a “to do” to call her on the way to a class so you are utilizing that spare time and checking something off your to do list. The checklist is all about making sure you are utilizing your time throughout the day by having goals of what you want to accomplish. These goals will keep you on track towards thriving academically and making sure you are balancing your social time as well.
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Plan your free time
Going from having a scheduled lunch time and time for extracurriculars in high school to not having a set schedule in college can be tricky for a lot of people. That’s why I suggest not only planning your classes and social events, but also your free time. Block out times each day where you can eat and when you have some free time. Decide what you want to do with that free time. If you want to go to the gym, make sure you are planning accordingly considering your commute and time spent there, etc. If you want to take a nap, take a nap. It’s important to schedule time to eat and have some “me” time, even if it can’t always be for extended periods of time. Even if you only have thirty minutes of free time, make sure you’re doing something that relaxes you so you don’t burn out from stress.
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Estimate how long activities will take
If you know you have homework assignments to do, you want to make sure you have enough time to complete them. It helps to estimate how long each assignment will take and plan accordingly. You don’t want to be spending hours on one assignment. That’s why it helps to break up the assignment into multiple days and estimate how long it will take to complete. Social events such as club meetings or getting lunch with a friend should also be estimated in order to properly plan out your day. It can be easy to get carried away spend a long time out at lunch but when you have other things you have to do that day you need to make sure you’re keeping track of the time. Same thing goes for club meetings. Make sure you blocked out time for that meeting so you know you need to accomplish other tasks before and after in order to stay on pace for achieving your goals for the day. While all this may seem stressful at first, it will actually make it so your life is less hectic in the long run especially once you incorporate this into your daily routine.
Study smarter, not harder
While everyone has their own study preferences, I’ve found it’s better to study smarter, not harder. Rather than trying to impossibly absorb all information for a quiz or exam, there are ways to focus on what’s really important. Paying attention in class and focusing on what the professors emphasizes is a great way to learn what they expect you to know. In addition, if a professor gives you any sort of outline or study guide, do that because more likely than not you won’t have to learn excess information that isn’t on there. If you’re taking notes from a textbook or online lecture make sure you are understanding concepts, key terms and how they tie together, rather than trying to understand every detail about everything. When you sit down to study, make sure you are focused. Turn your phone off and study until you really feel like you need a break. By sitting down and studying in these intervals where you’re focused, you are studying more effectively. It is also very effective to skim your notes the day you wrote them because it will help you understand what was actually being conveyed and what you should know.
Take care of yourself
If you aren’t taking care of your mental and physical health, there is no way you are going to be able to be efficient on a day to day basis. Make sure you’re drinking water and eating throughout the day. Sleep can be hard to come by in college but try to get as much as possible. The lack of sleep can make it so you’re suffering physically and mentally. If you are someone with mental health issues, it’s important to make sure you’re prioritizing some time to decompress and not overwhelming yourself. Airplanes always instruct passengers to put on their own air mask before helping children or anyone else. Before you can effectively accomplish assignments, have fun at social events, or help anyone else day-to-day, you have to take care of yourself.
Be positive
Via AddictedToSuccess.com
Those with a positive outlook on life are more likely to be goal-oriented and more likely to achieve their goals. It isn’t a matter of thinking “can I?” but “I can.” By being organized and breaking up goals into steps, you are making them more easy to achieve. Tell yourself that you know you are going to accomplish these things each day and you will. It also helps to have a mantra to tell yourself when things get difficult. Reminding yourself that you’re capable of amazing things first thing in the morning can keep you on track for your entire day.
A lot of managing your time is in YOUR hands. Take the necessary steps to improve your schedule and overall outlook. In the end, it could only help you.