Before going to college, one of the many things that adults or other college students will tell you is that the key to being successful is time management. Everyone who tells you this is absolutely correct. One of the many fears about going to college is the stress from all of the work that has to get done by all of the deadlines. On top of the academic deadlines, you also have a ton of others that are part of life such as bills and deadlines in the workplace. Learning how to manage your time is definitely not the easiest task in the world, but once you get used to it, the entire process becomes easier.
Split up the assignment.
Getting overwhelmed is easy, so splitting up your work is important. If we are talking about an assignment, plan out how you will tackle it. If it’s a huge project, split up the assignment so you do a little bit each day, or half of the work one day and half the next if it’s a smaller one. You do not want to save it until the day of—I am sure we have all been in that situation and it is not pleasant.
Make lists.
Speaking from experience, it is less stressful to write down what you have to get done each day rather than looking at all of your due dates on one calendar. It can get stressful because the amount of work is a lot, but it does not mean you have to do it all that day. Just take one day at a time and prioritize the assignments.
Prioritize.
This may sound like it’s coming from your parents or a close relative, but you need to prioritize. It is possible to have fun in college and get all of your assignments handed in on time and completed with quality. Hang out with your friends, go to a concert or take a nap. Just make sure that you are able to have enough time to finish the assignment – that’s where the first two tips come in handy. If you split up the assignment when you first get it and work on it a little bit each day, you will be able to see how much more you have to put into it and how much you have accomplished already.
Get into the habit of time management.
Your life will be easier if you get in the habit of managing your time. It’s easy once you develop an efficient system of how you choose to organize your assignments and activities. But the longer you wait the harder it is to start!
Leave time for yourself.
Don’t forget to make time to do something you love or relax. You cannot work efficiently if you are stressed to the point where you feel like you are going insane. Moments like that are bound to happen, but they happen less when you manage your time well.
It is hard to implement all of these tips, but once you do it will save your life. My biggest fear with going to college was that I would not be able to handle the workload on top all of the activities I wanted to do, but it is possible with dedication and patience.