College 101 – Blog 2 of 8 - Managing Your Time

One major challenge facing first-time students (or anyone, really!) is how to manage time.    For the college student this is particularly challenging because each day is different, several professors are scheduling exams and papers, it is expected that you are studying even when there are no specific assignments, there are large blocks of “free” time, and many distractions. 

Here is a review of four time management tools from my book, First Semester Success. 

 #1—Semester calendar

At the beginning of each semester, write all of your exams, major papers and projects and important social events on a monthly calendar. Post this and check it often to see the big picture of the semester. Look for when you have clusters of exams and major things due, and then plan your life around those.

 #2—General weekly schedule

Graph out your class schedule for the semester. Add in anything that happens regularly on a weekly basis such as work or meetings. This will give you an idea of when you can study and how to fit in other activities. This weekly schedule needs to become a habit.

 #3—Daily planner

Write down daily assignments as they are given by your professors or listed in the syllabus. This is where you will plan each individual week including special events, appointments, etc.

 #4—To-do list

Use this to plan your goals for each day. Write this out either before bed or first thing in the morning. This will help each day be more purposeful and productive. If you have a busy week, you can make a to-do list for each day of the week either Sunday night or Monday morning. This helps reduce stress because you plan exactly what you will do and when you will do it.

 Many students feel that they don’t want to be so scheduled and want to be able to “go with the flow.” By planning your time, you will actually have more free time and be able to enjoy it more because you are not always thinking about what you should be doing.  Try it!

***** Find more strategies in First Semester Success: Learning Strategies and Motivation for Your First Semester (or Any Semester) of College, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer, at amazon.com, wordassociation.com and barnesandnoble.com.   Click on the upper right  link.