How Well Are You Managing Your Time, College Student?

Time management is something difficult for all of us, but we learn the true consequences of procrastination when we enter college.  Pulling an all-nighter for a 10 page paper that you had all semester to do??? Sound familiar? I honestly never understood that.  I've never pulled an all-nighter (well, not for school anyways...), but I'm proud of it!

I've begun to realize how many things I have to do and how little time I have! Making a "To-Do" list has been one of the most helpful things while being in college.  I usually have so many things to do that I can't even remember, so I make a list of everything.  When you have an appointment you can't miss, promised a friend dinner, working extra shifts, etc., things get forgotten easily.  I sort them by level of importance and by time length that it requires.  This helps keep track of what I do so I make sure it gets done, and so I can balance school, work and fun.

In order to balance a 22 credit college life, work 15 hrs a week, and still have time to go out every night, I take every minute possible to do something productive, and complete something off that list.  Crossing items off is really fun for me.  If a teacher is running late to class, I take those 10 minutes to get started on various assignments.  Instead of going out for lunch in between classes, I usually go to my room, make something, and get some more of those items crossed off.  If I am spending my down time on Facebook for even 10 minutes at a time, I could be doing so much more.

I've noticed starting on things when they are fresh in your head makes it easier to complete them. I try and do things immediately so that they are out of the way.  I also make sure I have enough time to complete something.  If I know I'll be distracted or interrupted, I don't bother with it! There's always something else that can be done instead and that would be a better use of my time.

The key to all of this is to resist the urge to procrastinate!  I've gotten to balance so much by avoiding that.  I've had a great social life, school life, and work life, all in my 2 1/2 undergrad college years.  Procrastination produces stress and low quality, so, why?  Just make every minute of your day count and you can conquer it!

Some things you can do in your free time to stay ahead:


-Get your 1, 5, and 10 year plans, as well as your "after college" plan. Start on 1 year or after college, which ever comes first!
-Get organized! Clean up your computer, desk, room, car, etc.
-Look for ways to make more $$ 
-Grocery shopping! Hey, it is necessary...
-Keeping in contact with friends and family
-Catching up on favorite blogs, newspaper articles, books, etc.
-Running various errands