Time management is one of the most important study skills that a college student needs to master-- but it's also one of the most difficult. When you're a student, conflicting responsibilities pile up quickly-- multiple classes, work, campus activities, social obligations, and so forth. Learning how to best use your time and to avoid a semester filled with all night study sessions is a challenge.
So how do you learn to manage your time as a student? Here are some tips.
Keep a Detailed Calendar
It's almost impossible to remember everything you need to do in your head. You need a system to keep track of all your deadlines and obligations-- a low-tech desk calendar or weekly planner, a high-tech PDA, Microsoft Outlook, or whatever works best for you. For some students, a time chart is the best solution. As soon as you become aware of a deadline, record it in the calendar, and be sure to look at upcoming dates in the calendar frequently. Be sure to record all other obligations as well, including your work schedule.
By knowing what's due when, you'll know how much time you can allot to each task. You'll also know ahead of time if you'll need to ask for a different schedule at work or for an extension on an assignment. These kinds of things are much easier to ask for if you ask far in advance.
Plan Out Your Time
It's not a good idea to pick up your books and start working until you're finished-- because you may not have enough time to accomplish all your tasks. Figure out how much time you have for each assignment, and plot this out in your calendar. Try to give yourself some extra time for each assignment in case one takes longer than you expected.
When you plot out your time, be sure to schedule in study breaks. Working straight through without a break can make you less efficient and somewhat insane.
Prioritize
If you have a long list of tasks to complete, you may need to prioritize and spend more time with some tasks than others. If that chemistry lab is simply more important than that history paper, allot more time to the lab-- although be sure to leave yourself a reasonable amount of time for the paper as well. You'll also need to prioritize activities, work, and any other obligations.
An important part of prioritization is to avoid over-committing your time. In order to get the most important tasks completed well, it may be necessary to make fewer obligations to campus organizations, friends, or other drains on your schedule. Learn how to say no.
Avoid Procrastinations and Distractions
Scheduled study breaks are a good thing. Procrastination is not. It's difficult and perhaps impossible to avoid all procrastination, but if you're going to manage your time effectively, you need to learn how to keep it to a minimum. A detailed schedule is one good way to help you keep on track and avoid wasting time.
In a world full of text messaging and computer games, the distractions available to students are abundant and hard to resist. Here are some of the biggest college student study distractions and how to avoid them.
Take Responsibility for Time Management
In college, nobody is there to manage your time but yourself. One of the biggest ways that college is different than high school is that you're not going to receive constant reminders about deadlines and obligations. You need to take the initiative and get yourself organized.
Remember, time management is a learned skill, and it might be a new skill for you. If you try to organize your time and it doesn't go flawlessly at first, never fear. The more you manage your time, the easier this habit will become. Best of luck, students!
Naomi Rockler-Gladen - Instructional designer and freelance writer, Naomi Rockler-Gladen writes some of Suite101's most read work.
