With a new school semester, there becomes a sudden stress to juggle between a demanding class schedule, work schedule, and social life; but some healthy time-management habits can ease some of the stress when there’s a lot of balls in the air.
Use What Works for You
It’s the most obvious tip, but a planner is essential to managing a really full schedule. The most hyped version of this is a cute, physical planner full of stickers and habit trackers, which are the perfect thing for some, but the best thing for you is what works best for you.
Try out a planner or Google Calendar or the built in app on your phone. Figure out what makes most sense for you. Personally, I need the pencil on paper, but Google Calendar can be collaborated on or overlaid with other people’s calendars if that simplifies your life
Schedule in Self-Care and Social Events
When a schedule gets hectic, it can be easy to start nudging out the time for that coffee get together or to rush out the house without breakfast, but seeing your friends and taking care of yourself is essential to maintaining your schedule and mental health long-term. So schedule things for yourself and with your friends with the same importance as your work schedule or classes.
If you really think you’ll struggle to finish all your homework if you go out to dinner, adjust your get together instead of canceling, try setting up group study sessions with your friends where you meet up and work on your homework together, order in a pizza or meet at a cute coffee shop so you still leave your room or the library, see your friends, and get your stuff done.
Work Ahead
With a really busy schedule, sometimes all it takes is one things going wrong to throw everything into a mess. Don’t put things off or let procrastination become the habit. If you’re taking classes that rely heavily on tests, don’t fall behind on reading or studying to save time. It’ll cause mayhem later on. Work ahead so that if an emergency shift at work arises or you need an urgent self-care night you have the time to set homework aside then rather than procrastinating early on for an extra episode of Netflix.
Get Enough Sleep
Much like other self-care habits, sleep is easy to cut when things get busy. It can become a habit to stay up late doing homework the night before it’s due, but running on less sleep will make you less and less productive while you are awake. Keep getting enough sleep; that time is important too for your mind and body.
Be Firm about your Time
Another threat to a busy schedule is the sudden additions, like a coworker sobbing about a concert and asking you to take a shift, but if you have a schedule set down already it will mean nothing if you throw it out. Be firm about your time and your schedule. If something is marked down and important, don’t give that up easily. If it’s essential, be flexible, but your time is as important as everyone else’s.
Ultimately, there’s lot of things one can do to try and make a busy schedule easier to manage, but at the end of it all the most important thing is to remember to take care of yourself through class and work and remember to speak up if there’s simply too much to juggle.