“How Am I Going To Get Everything Done?”
As a college student who juggles academic, job, extracurricular, social, and personal demands, this question describes the continual challenge you will face during your college experience. Time can be your ally or your foe, depending on how skilled you are at managing it. As a result, time management will be one of the most important skills you will need and use during your college experience.
Let’s take a look at the planning process.
Planning Process
- Devote at least 10 minutes a day to planning. This involves sitting down in a quiet environment, comparing what you planned to do with what you accomplished for that day. Look ahead on your planning calendars to see what activities or projects are scheduled for the next few days or weeks. A daily review allows you to make schedule adjustments and to prepare mentally, physically, and emotionally for the demands on your time.
- Write out a priority task list - “To Do” list. A “To do list” is a daily or weekly list that identifies what specific tasks you must accomplish to reach the goals you have set for yourself. It serves as a visual reminder and helps you to prioritize your tasks. A “To Do” list can also help you eliminate unnecessary tasks or delegate those that don’t really require your individual attention.
Example:
If you have set a goal to get an “A” in Math 1050, your “To Do” list would include activities that help you accomplish this goal.
- Meet with a math tutor today 12:00-2:00
- Do homework on quadratic equations pgs. 124-127.
- Meet with a study group to review for the test.
- Prepare and use a daily/weekly planning calendar. A daily/weekly calendar will help you monitor where you are spending time, to determine if you are spending time on those activities most important to you. It will visually tell you how much of your time is committed to activities, your classes, and homework.
- Schedule fixed blocks of time first. Start with classes, labs, meetings, and study time. Other activities such as work hours, social/extracurricular activities, and errands need to be scheduled around these.
Schedule essential daily activities like sleeping and eating. Be realistic; schedule healthy time periods for these activities. - Prepare and use a monthly or semester planner. Using the course syllabus from each of your classes, enter all examinations and due dates of major assignments, projects, and papers on your semester calendar. This will give you an overview of your semester.
Remember to include dates for appointments and meetings, last day to add/drop classes, vacations and holidays, etc.
Important: Planning calendars are meant to help you manage your time. Use them in whatever way facilitates that goal.