Taking Control of Time

Taking Control of Time

Blog Post 8 - Photo 1

For me, one of the hardest tasks in college is managing my time, because the hours seem to fly by, especially when I let procrastination get the best of me. Looking back, time management in high school was far less complex. Pre-set back to back classes with 10-minute breaks in between, lunch in the same school cafeteria day after day, plus a routine cycle of extracurricular activities and service volunteering, left little leeway for scheduling options. But in college, with courses interspersed throughout the week and enough dining choices to make the Freshman-15 sound way too low, not to mention a jobs and internships, community service, and with any luck a stress-relieving social life, students need strong time management skills and effective study strategies in order to maintain a healthy school-work-life balance. Here are some tips that, I find, help me stay focused, increase productivity, and avoid being derailed by a gazillion alluring distractions on the internet.

  1. Making a to-do list

I am a huge fan of making lists of tasks I need to complete, because that way I can visualize how much work I actually need to get done, then appropriately allocating my time. Listing helps me prioritize and section out my day (or week). Striking something off a list is also an extremely rewarding feeling. Note: The Office of First and Second Year Advising recommends students allow for 2-3 hours of study time per credit hour for “difficult” classes.

  1. Make use of your time in between classes

Oftentimes, those forty-minute breaks in between my classes don’t feel like ‘enough time’ to complete an assignment. Yet, if I do something else instead, I ‘forfeit’ valuable minutes and usually end up not doing anything of particular importance anyway. For those with “a lot on your plate,” utilizing small blocks of time can be a helpful time-budgeting technique because it makes finishing the assignment later, a much quicker task.

  1. Don’t be afraid to say no

You are not obligated to participate in every activity that your friends like. If a friend is going to attend an event that you aren’t particularly interested in, or, if you have a ‘large’ (or potentially GPA-breaking) assignment due the next day, remind yourself that it’s okay to say no or reschedule.

  1. Create and dedicate a time to study

Decide on a time to study and turn your phone off, or keep it out of arm’s reach until your work is finished. Responding to a text or checking Snapchat is only going to sidetrack you into checking other social media apps as well. And when studying for exams, do yourself a favor and temporarily set all devices to Airplane Mode.

  1. Sleep

In order for your brain to function efficiently, you need sufficient sleep. If it is late and you are no longer capable of working at a productive pace, make (let) yourself go to sleep and complete the remaining tasks the next day. Not only will this decrease your chances of catching a cold, it will take much less time to complete the same task if your body and brain are rested and replenished.

 

 

Image from: http://womenslife.sebts.edu/

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