Time to Schedule Your Life!

We all have very busy lives, but the life of a college student takes some serious time management! Maybe you weren't aware of how busy you really are! Did you know that taking a full load of classes can be compared to a full-time job? Did you know that for every class that you take, you should schedule about three hours of study time that week for it? Are you taking time in your day for "down-time?"(Make sure you take time to re-charge your battery and rest) These are just a few of the VERY important questions that you should be asking yourself this semester. Here are some of the events in your life that you might need to schedule: classes, homework, job, friends, family, organizations, meetings, internships, eating, sleeping and down-time.

Okay, now we know how busy you are, so what should we do about it? Let's work on your time management skills. These tips will carry you through college, work and help in your daily life. First of all, get out your planner, calendar and cell phone. Next, make a list of all of your activities that have certain time constraints. You can do this on your planner. Write in all of your class times, work times, organization or meeting times. Now, schedule yourself some study time!(or if you have tutoring-schedule it!) This will help you see when you have time to relax, eat, sleep and visit with friends and family. This will also help you to prioritize your activities. When people ask you to do something that you may or may not want to do, you can pull out your planner and tell them if you are busy or free. Another thing that writing down your daily events will do for you is to remind you of tests.(schedule study time during the week of)and you will also feel a sense of satisfaction when you mark off each day that you have finished. This is a good way to keep track and feel accomplished!

Now, get your cell phone out! Set your alarm for important weekly scheduled events: classes, work, meetings, etc. You can do this weekly, monthly or even daily.

At home or in your dorm, it will help you to have a monthly calendar posted. You may want to get a big wall calendar or one online. This is helpful for you to schedule and see your week-at-a-glance. It is good to look at each day of the week each morning, to see what you have to do that day or that week. You will feel organized and in control. Even though all of this planning and writing down things might seem overwhelming and just another thing that you have to do, soon you will start doing it automatically! If you make it part of your routine, you will do it without even noticing it.

The point is to stay in control of your life and plan your schedule. Of course, most people do not want to plan every minute of their day, like sleeping and eating, but just make sure that you get enough sleep and eat healthy. You are a very busy college student, so start managing your time!