The Art of Time Management
As a college student, you are going to have to figure out the art of time management. College is not like high school in the sense that you have the same classes everyday at the same time, nor is it that you have homework everyday that you can just expect. In college you may only have a class once a week and and then homework assignments due another night. You may have professors from different departments or even schools and so they are not talking to each other and saying well all my assignments are due on Mondays and so they could possibly change it for you. The motto for many students is “Due today, Do today” and in some instances this may work out okay, but in others you’re stuck with five assignments all due by midnight on a Thursday night and missing out on an outing with friends.
My number one piece of advice is to use a planner of some sorts, I use the Shovel planner app and I love it because I can schedule my life down to the minute if I wanted to. This app allows you to put in your schedule, social events, assignments and their due dates, and how long it is going to take to do said assignments. As soon as you get your syllabus you are able to see when assignments are due and insert them in and once you know about how long an assignment will take you can add that in as well. This app is helpful because all of your planners/calendars are in the same place so you can see what school, social, or athletics events you have and make sure that you know when homework needs to get done and when.
Time management in terms of college does not include just homework and time for studying. To be successful in college you need to find a way to blend school, life, and metal health breaks too much of one can cause you to fall behind in other areas. I am currently taking twenty-two credit hours this semester and I am learning that sometimes you just have to take a step back from the school work, have some fun, and then come back and finish the work otherwise you will burn out quickly and college will no longer be fun, but a place that you hate. Step back, if not for your sanity for the sanity of your friends, roommates, or family, they notice when you aren’t yourself and when they try to help don’t want to be snapped at or pushed to the wayside because you are too busy for them.
Make sure that you are not pushing yourself too hard, have fun, and by having your life organized you can prevent burnout from happening as quickly.