“How would be able to finish all this stuff? Can I meet the deadlines?” These are some of the worries of college students when it comes to time management. Many are seen to be happy to go lucky students who really don’t care if they are using their time efficiently. However, not every college student fits this group – most of them want to direct their time better but have no idea of how to do it. Time management for students is significant, more importantly it develops their organizational skills.
We’ve got some Effective Time Management Tips for College students to make your College Life a little more enjoyable and ensure that you are able to spread your time around the required study hours and have yourself some fun as well.
1. Get yourself up an hour before school. This will give you time to get yourself prepared for the day ahead. Use this time to pack your bag, get your lunch ready, etc. Or if you’re not an early bird prepare everything the night before so that all you need to do in the morning is to eat your breakfast, shower and get dressed.
2. Set a reminder. Set up a reminder for important events using your Smart Phone, diary or other applications. This is an effective method for ensuring that things are not left to the last minute and that you are not double booking yourself. Sooner of later this will become a habit and you will never be late to activities or events again.
3. Be organized. Being organized means, preparing ahead and planning your activities ahead of time. It also means keeping your dorm room clean and having a place for everything and using it. Place these items in a position that you can locate them easily, a place where you will typically see often. Having a place for everything and making sure you are using it will save you time when you are getting ready to go out the door as you will know where everything is quickly.
4. Develop a good study habit. One of the best things when managing your time is when it comes to preparing yourself for tests and exams is by doing a little bit of it every day instead of putting it all off to the end an doing it all at once. Saving yourself additional stress and avoiding you from getting burned up the day before your examination. Spending an hour or less on this each night is enough.
5. Get your priorities set up. When you’re overwhelmed with a number of things to be done setting your priorities is key to managing your time effectively. List them according to their order of importance. This will allow you to maximize your time while minimizing your risks.
6. Know your capacity. Don’t take things on that you are not not sure whether you can finish them. This keeps you away from the embarrassment of not being able to fulfill your commitments. Taking on more of than you can handle will only result in stress and further unwanted consequences.
7. Put time limits on distracting activities. Finding yourself staring at your Facebook page or simply browsing for nothing? Get yourself a time management application that alerts you to the fact that you have been using a time wasting application/website for too long. This will help you get back on track before losing to much of your time.
Time management for students is a gradual process. It is learned and developed in time. Having this skill mastered will help you not only today but for the rest of your life!