How to Manage Your Time in College

Find a paper or digital calendar system., Sketch out deadlines for your semester., Plan a weekly schedule., Create a daily to-do list., Block out time for your job., Make time for sleep, well-balanced meals, exercise, and downtime., Schedule in...

11 Steps 4 min read Medium

Step-by-Step Guide

  1. Step 1: Find a paper or digital calendar system.

    Before you begin making a schedule for yourself you want to find a calendar system that’ll allow you to plot out both long and short-term activities.

    It is important to have just one calendar where you can store all of your information for easy reference.

    Digital calendars can be very useful since they can be linked to many electronic devices, allowing you to access them at any point.

    A calendar that has a monthly overview followed by a weekly breakdown would be very useful for long and short-term planning.
  2. Step 2: Sketch out deadlines for your semester.

    Once you’ve got your hands on the schedules for all of your courses, put all assignment due dates, exams, and homework on your calendar.

    This will help you be aware of what weeks or months of the semester will be particularly busy so you can plan ahead.If you know in advance that you’ve got three midterms in one week, you’ll tell that friend who asks you to go on a weekend trip that you can’t go until later. , Now that you’ve got a roadmap of your semester, you can begin planning out a schedule to prepare yourself for those crunch times.

    Make a weekly priority list that takes both daily homework assignments and larger projects into account.

    You can break down larger projects into more manageable chunks so you’re not overwhelmed.If you have a research paper due at the end of the semester, for example, don’t procrastinate until the week before it’s due! Use your weekly schedule to budget in time for library research, an outline, and a rough draft.

    If you think it’ll take you six weeks to get this done, work backward from the due date to create deadlines for yourself., At the beginning of each week, sit down with your calendar and come up with a list of tasks you’d like to accomplish each day of that week.

    This will allow you to see how you will achieve your weekly goal.

    Prioritize your daily tasks by marking them with an H, M, or L for high, medium, or low importance., Working during college can limit your study hours, but you can learn to manage your time by choosing a flexible job that will help you work around busy academic weeks.Look for a job that has flexible hours, is online, or has a large number of employees with whom you could swap shifts with.

    Ask in advance about time off during times in the semester you know will be busy.

    Consider jobs that will let you work during times that you normally wouldn't study or attend class.

    For instance, if you are a morning worker, you might take shifts at a restaurant in the evening. , You can’t be a machine, so don’t try! Your mental and physical well-being will determine how successful you are in accomplishing your goals.

    Budget adequate sleeping time and don’t feel guilty if you schedule in some fun.In fact, spending time doing a fun hobby can help you become more conscious of your time. , Did you just survive a brutal week of exams and papers? Make sure you build in a reward for all the hard prep work you’d done in the previous months to prepare for this difficult time.You can use these rewards as a motivating tool as well.

    If there’s a movie you’ve been dying to see in theaters, buy a ticket for a showtime at the end of your challenging week. , Things happen.

    You’ll get sick, have a family emergency, or have to cover for a friend at work.

    If you plan some flexibility into your weekly schedule, you’ll manage to stay on top of your schoolwork while navigating life’s curveballs.
  3. Step 3: Plan a weekly schedule.

  4. Step 4: Create a daily to-do list.

  5. Step 5: Block out time for your job.

  6. Step 6: Make time for sleep

  7. Step 7: well-balanced meals

  8. Step 8: exercise

  9. Step 9: and downtime.

  10. Step 10: Schedule in rewards.

  11. Step 11: Leave room for flexibility.

Detailed Guide

Before you begin making a schedule for yourself you want to find a calendar system that’ll allow you to plot out both long and short-term activities.

It is important to have just one calendar where you can store all of your information for easy reference.

Digital calendars can be very useful since they can be linked to many electronic devices, allowing you to access them at any point.

A calendar that has a monthly overview followed by a weekly breakdown would be very useful for long and short-term planning.

Once you’ve got your hands on the schedules for all of your courses, put all assignment due dates, exams, and homework on your calendar.

This will help you be aware of what weeks or months of the semester will be particularly busy so you can plan ahead.If you know in advance that you’ve got three midterms in one week, you’ll tell that friend who asks you to go on a weekend trip that you can’t go until later. , Now that you’ve got a roadmap of your semester, you can begin planning out a schedule to prepare yourself for those crunch times.

Make a weekly priority list that takes both daily homework assignments and larger projects into account.

You can break down larger projects into more manageable chunks so you’re not overwhelmed.If you have a research paper due at the end of the semester, for example, don’t procrastinate until the week before it’s due! Use your weekly schedule to budget in time for library research, an outline, and a rough draft.

If you think it’ll take you six weeks to get this done, work backward from the due date to create deadlines for yourself., At the beginning of each week, sit down with your calendar and come up with a list of tasks you’d like to accomplish each day of that week.

This will allow you to see how you will achieve your weekly goal.

Prioritize your daily tasks by marking them with an H, M, or L for high, medium, or low importance., Working during college can limit your study hours, but you can learn to manage your time by choosing a flexible job that will help you work around busy academic weeks.Look for a job that has flexible hours, is online, or has a large number of employees with whom you could swap shifts with.

Ask in advance about time off during times in the semester you know will be busy.

Consider jobs that will let you work during times that you normally wouldn't study or attend class.

For instance, if you are a morning worker, you might take shifts at a restaurant in the evening. , You can’t be a machine, so don’t try! Your mental and physical well-being will determine how successful you are in accomplishing your goals.

Budget adequate sleeping time and don’t feel guilty if you schedule in some fun.In fact, spending time doing a fun hobby can help you become more conscious of your time. , Did you just survive a brutal week of exams and papers? Make sure you build in a reward for all the hard prep work you’d done in the previous months to prepare for this difficult time.You can use these rewards as a motivating tool as well.

If there’s a movie you’ve been dying to see in theaters, buy a ticket for a showtime at the end of your challenging week. , Things happen.

You’ll get sick, have a family emergency, or have to cover for a friend at work.

If you plan some flexibility into your weekly schedule, you’ll manage to stay on top of your schoolwork while navigating life’s curveballs.

About the Author

M

Margaret Hughes

Dedicated to helping readers learn new skills in cooking and beyond.

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