Like most college students, I found myself struggling to effectively manage my time. Assignments were not being completed until the final minute, striking a work/college/leisure life balance seemed impossible. Personally it felt like I was busy all of the time, yet I was always so far behind with college work.
How did I overcome this issue? The following is a few simple ideas which radically improved my time management skills:
- Create a personal timetable. For example, I knew my college timetable and when I had to work at my part time job. I could fill this information into my personal timetable, then I could see what time I had free to do study, assignments and fun activities. You do not have to be extremely rigid within this timetable but the structure is extremely beneficial because it allocates time for everything and prevents wasting time while also creating a routine.
Prioritise your tasks in order of importance. Decide which assignments are most important and require the greatest amount of work and complete them before the lesser important ones. This avoids procrastination and wasting valuable time. It also ensures these assignments are not left until the last minute.- With regard to assignments, read the brief and break it down into smaller manageable chunks. I think this makes tasks seem much less daunting. Also by completing the assignment one chunk at a time allows you to keep track of what has been completed and what is left to do.
- Ensure regular breaks are included in your routine. These are vital to rest the brain and to avoid hitting the dreaded "study slump"! Also I recommend one day of the week to be free from study or work related activities, which is time dedicated to yourself!
