College has the potential to be the most enjoyable four years of your life, but if your time management skills need improvement, those four years can be overwhelmingly stressful. Use these tips to help lighten the burden of your college load.
1. Find out where you’re wasting time.
This one’s simple, but you have to be honest with yourself. Are you lingering in the dining hall long after you’ve finished eating, despite the huge assignment that’s due tomorrow? Do you take “Facebook breaks” from your work more than once an hour? Does the short trip down the hall to ask a friend a question about the assignment turn into an hour-long gossip session? Although procrastination feels harmless at the time, when crunch time comes along, you’ll always wish you’d skipped that party or worked on that paper instead of watching TV. While you’re doing something, remember to ask yourself why you’re doing it. Ask yourself, “Is this helping me accomplish what I need to accomplish today?” Remember that while personal breaks like parties and club meetings are an important part of your college experience and can actually help increase your productivity, you need to keep them in check. Take to few, and you risk being high strung and unhappy. But if you take too many, you risk getting nothing done.
2. Invest in Post-It notes.
Writing things down is probably one of the biggest things you can do to help you manage your time. Take a Post-It, write down every single thing you need to do for the day, and then carry it in your pocket or wallet to make sure you stay on track. Calendars and planners work, too, but writing a separate note for each day helps you to tackle the “Phantom Load,” or the perception that you have too much work to even know where to get started. Make sure your notes are specific and achievable. Don’t say, “Write history essay,” if you know there’s no way you’ll be able to complete it today. Writing instructions in an overarching way and without a clear starting point actually increases the Phantom Load problem and makes it less likely that you’ll ever get started.
Instead, break your note down like this: “Find sources, and write at least two paragraphs for history essay.” This goal is realistic and specific, making you more likely to stick to it. Also, feel free to write down things on your Post-It that have nothing to do with school work. Including activities like showering, laundry, and a snack break actually makes sense because these are all things that consume real amounts of time. Plus, crossing something off your list feels really, really good, so go ahead and give yourself a couple freebies.
3. Use every second.
That is, use every second, unless you’re taking a break. We’ve already established that breaks are important, but if you have unavoidable down time that you aren’t using as a mental health retreat, use the time to your advantage. Driving somewhere? Use your cellphone to record yourself reading class notes aloud, and then listen to the recording a few times during your drive. You’d be surprised how much this helps when you need to study for tests. Doing laundry? Don’t just sit there and watch daytime television! Catch up on some assignments. Working out? Exercise is extremely important, but nobody ever said you can’t multitask while you do it! Instead of reading a magazine while you’re on the stationary bike or elliptical, read your PowerPoint notes. By multitasking-smartly, not relentlessly-you can greatly reduce your stress load.
By staying on track and managing your time wisely, you can make sure that you have the time to do the things that are really important to you. Managing your time does not require you to plan your day to the last second; that would be stressful, and your goal is to reduce stress. Instead, give yourself a general plan, and make sure you stick to it. Leave wiggle room in your schedule for fun and socialization, but remember that the more on track you are with your assignments, the less worrying you’ll have to do later on.
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