How you do in college has a huge bearing on how you do in your career. Getting better grades in college means getting a better job when you graduate, a better starting salary, and better career prospects. But going through college is not easy. When you find yourself in the middle of exams and homework, it is hard to find the way out. College comes with plenty of obligations as well as expectations. If you want to be successful in it, you need to learn how to manage your time and use your resources for the right purpose.
In college, these struggles are more common than ever. You have to study for an exam, find controversial topics and write your essays, and even attend classes that take at least half of your daily time. To handle all this in 24 hours and get a good night’s sleep, you need to take an entirely new approach. Here are the best tips for time management for college students.
1.Keep a calendar
Before you start a term at college, you need to take a few hours to organize your schedule. Prepare a detailed calendar that will cover your assignments, classes, and help you organize your time.
When it comes to a calendar or a schedule, this is something you have to update regularly, so make sure it is easily accessible. Thanks to technology, you can use an online calendar and add your tasks and goals to it in real time. Update the calendar with test dates, school activities, extra-curricular activities, and due dates of assignments.
The calendar will help you create your schedule and plan your time. This way, you’ll know when you need to study and whether or not you need time to work on your papers. For example, if your calendar shows you that you can’t do an essay in time, you can visit a writing company. You’ll probably have to do this later once you figure out that you can’t write it on your own, but this way it will cost much, much less.
2.Make Weekly Schedules
Once you have your term calendar, making these schedules will only take minutes of your time. As you add your tasks to it in real time, the calendar will tell you what you have to do in the week that follows.
With that information, make your weekly schedule where you’ll fit in the tasks and activities you’ve put in your calendar. This is the greatest tip for time management for students since it allows you to keep track of your time and meet all deadlines without a rush.
If your weekly schedule doesn’t help enough, you can move forward and create a daily schedule. This will motivate you to finish your tasks by the end of the day. And, marking each task after completing it or crossing it off your to-do list can be very satisfactory!
3. Delegate
Unless you can find more hours in a day, you’ll sometimes find yourself in a situation where you can’t finish everything in time. This is the time to delegate. Ask friends to help, ask teachers to postpone the deadline, or hire someone to do your tasks for you. If you can’t study the material in time, find some notes that will help you, or get a tutor that will help you master the material fast.
4. Learn to Prioritize
You’ll get plenty of hard tasks while in college, as well as some easy ones. Completing the harder tasks first is a smart idea since you’ll be more motivated to do the easy ones. Also, the tasks with the biggest importance and the ones that demand most of your time are best done when you’re most focused, energized, and fresh.
If you want to master study time management, prioritize your tasks for the day.
5. Find the Right Study Space/ Time
The space and time when you study are crucial for your motivation and focus. Have you noticed how you study more effectively at night or during the day? Have you noticed how some distractions prevent you from completing the things in your schedule?
It is time to make some changes. If you want to concentrate and finish your tasks in less time, it is time to take the crucial step and find the right time and space to study. Find a distraction-free spot with just the right lighting, temperature, and minus the distractions such as your phone, the TV, or other people. You can also take the help of alchemy tuitions.
6. Change your Lifestyle
You might think that this is unrelated to your studies, but it is in fact, one of the best time management tips for students. The more relaxed, rested, and energized you are, the better you can study.
So, make some lifestyle changes. Get enough sleep. Eat healthy. Get some exercise.
Conclusion
College life does not have to be so complicated. Do you envy the students who magically find the time to do everything, and still have time to have fun? All they have is a good time management, which is something everyone can achieve if only he tries. So, take our advice into consideration and learn to study more effectively.
[The author of this article, Michael Turner, is a college tutor, freelance writer, and an academic advisor. As a person with three different professions and years of experience in the world of academia, Michael is the perfect person to give you advice. You can read his tips in the many articles he’s published online.]