You have probably heard people tell you how important time management is, but they usually just assume that you know how to go about it. For some people this skill comes naturally, for others it is something that has to be developed. It can be difficult to find a balance of getting the most out of your college experience, staying on top of your grades, and taking care of YOU!
First thing is first, prioritize! Jot down a list of what things you want to make time for, and then rank them based on their importance. For most people grades come first. To stay on top of your school work, it may be helpful to write down all your assignments and exam dates from the syllabus in the beginning of the semester, in some sort of calendar. This way you have an idea of what assignments are due each week and upcoming exams.
After academics, you can start to factor in things like clubs, activities, extracurriculars, on-campus job, church, volunteering, etc. You can start to figure out when you have time to do these things based around your class schedule!
Taking care of your assignments and extra-curricular activities are important, however, it is also important to take care of you! What energizes your mind and soul? Whatever these things are, it is important to make time for them! In college it can be easy to get burned out and stressed. Especially if you spend all your time doing school work, without acknowledging your mental and physical health. Everyone has different levels of how much rejuvenation time they need but try to figure out what you need to do to recharge. If you need help learning what your needs are and how to take better care of yourself, the La Salle Student Counseling Center is an excellent resource where you can schedule individual meetings with a counselor.
Lastly, having an awareness of how you spend your leisure time can make all the difference in managing your time. We are all guilty of spending way too much time scrolling the internet and social media platforms, and it can quickly become a constant and unconscious decision if we are not careful. If you are looking for something to do on campus that is productive, La Salle offers on-campus activities and events on the weekends which are led by organizations such as Late Night La Salle, and the Resident Student Association. Through these events you can meet new people and be more productive with your time.
Being in control of the time you spend on your priorities, and still having time to take care of yourself and do things that make you happy, can help to reduce the amount stress you experience and can lead to having the best possible college experience.