Congrats! You’re finally here starting classes, making new friends, joining new clubs, figuring out lunch plans, making time to call your parents…and suddenly you are running out of time to get work done in between it all. When coming to college it can be difficult to figure out how to manage your time so, when you have a minute, maybe this article could help you out!
Use sticky notes/a planner
The first defense on working to beat time management would be to have a planner to write all your work in. If you’re not accustomed to using one, remember to write down the work you have as it is assigned in class so that you don’t forget it! You can use sticky notes to color code based on what classes and activities you’re in to make it easier to visualize your workload.
Make lists and a schedule
If you ever look in your planner and feel totally overwhelmed about what you have to do, list it out on a separate paper and work on scheduling it into what time you have. If you break your work down throughout the week or weekend into separate days, it makes it easier to complete one thing at a time.
Prioritize
When facing a lot of tasks, it can be hard to start just one. This is the time when you should start looking at what needs to be completed first, based on due dates and the importance of the assignment. It can help to complete the big things that take up more time first, then move on to the smaller things. Getting the biggest things you’re worried about done can take a weight off of your shoulders!
Hide your phone
When your finally in your zone and getting things done, just a single notification can cause you to spend the next 20 minutes scrolling through Instagram. To avoid this, try to hide your phone somewhere away from you so you don’t get off task. Put it in a drawer, a separate room, or even ask your roommate to put it somewhere you can’t see.
Don’t be afraid to give yourself a break
Even though it could feel weird to relax a bit when you have a million things to do, it’s extremely important to always remember to take a break. If you find yourself stressed to the max, take half an hour to breathe, watch an episode of your favorite show, get some frozen yogurt, or do whatever your version of relaxation is. It will recharge you so that you can focus again on getting work done!