Time Management
When I worked at a university, students would sometimes ask me, “What advice would you give to an incoming freshman?” I thought about what issues came up for students every semester, without fail, and what they could do to help solve these issues.
Time management is definitely an issue with new college students. They are independent for the first time. Parents aren’t managing how they spend their time anymore; teachers aren’t constantly reminding them to complete work.
Time management isn’t just an issue with students, though. Many people struggle with managing their time well.
Problems
- You turn in a writing assignment after the due date because you started it the night before and you didn’t realize how much research you had to do before you could write the paper.
- You turn in a work report late because you waited until the last minute to do it, and just as you’re ready to start, you’re given an urgent task to complete right then, leaving you not enough time to deliver both items when they’re due.
- You arrive to class after the 10-minute lateness grace period, so you aren’t counted as present. This can affect your financial aid if you have too many absences.
- You arrive to work late and you are written up by your supervisor because you’ve gotten to work late 3 times already that month.
- You miss track practice because you overslept and you get in trouble with your coach.
- Your child misses soccer practice because you overslept and you were her ride there.
If these situations are familiar to you, you need to work on your time management skills.
Solutions
- Use a planner or the calendar on your phone to make a schedule that sets aside adequate time to complete each activity you need to do, without overlap.
- Be realistic about how much time it takes to complete a task.
- Use the reminder alarm function on your phone’s calendar to ring 10, 30, or 60 minutes before the next activity.
- In Google Calendar (at least on Android phones), if you enter the address where the calendar item takes place, it will send you an alert when it is time to leave.
- Set an alarm on your phone to wake you up every day, preferably with enough time to get stuff done before you start your day.
- Get 7-8 hours of sleep a night and have a reasonable bedtime. Getting sufficient sleep will help you to have a clear head; having a reasonable bedtime will help you to not oversleep.
Personally, I rely on my phone’s calendar to keep me on track. I schedule time for exercise, cooking, social events, Skype dates with faraway friends, homework, writing, paying bills, appointments, personal time, and major due dates. Everything! I like to break complex tasks down into steps, and I recommend that students do the same. For example, here is a research report writing schedule:
Early morning is the most productive time of my day for doing personal things, such as writing and exercising. Before dawn, I’m not likely to be interrupted. I’m well-rested. When I was a freshman, the early morning and early afternoon were my most productive times. My roommates were asleep still in the morning, so I could focus on reading for class. I would do my homework in the afternoon, right after classes were done.
Not everyone will use the same tools or methods to manage their time for maximum productivity. It is important to learn how to make the best use of your time, though, as it will serve you well throughout your life.