Time Management Tips For College Students

In the midst of football games, hanging out with friends, organization and frat parties, and finding a source for your next meal, where do you find time for writing papers, studying for exams, reading, and going to the gym?

The following tips are written with your best intentions in mind; having as much fun as humanly possible, while also meeting the requirements placed on you by schools, parents, and professors. You just have to be smart about it and have a plan. So, here is where you begin:

1. Acknowledge Your Main Concern

Notice I said to acknowledge your priorities. This means, take a good look at your life and acknowledge (be aware of) the priorities that you typically assign to the various areas in your life. If you can acknowledge that you consistently give a particular area of your life the highest priority, you might find that this either needs to be changed or you need to find a way to make this priority work within your life (meeting your other obligations as well). It's okay if your main priority right now is hanging out with your girlfriend . . . as long as this priority does not prevent you from meeting your other priorities and obligations as a student. Understand that the fact that you are in college means that the obligations associated with that (studying, reading, writing papers) automatically become a priority. Conflicting priorities can be a challenge but once you acknowledge that you have several equal priorities, you will be able to better schedule your time and energy to encompass them all.

2. Plan Ahead

Knowing what's due throughout the semester can help you plan out how you can finish the assignment, while also maintaining your social life and activities. If you want to do it all and maintain your GPA, schedule in time to study for your exams and write your essay during time-frames that you can commit to keeping. Remember tip #1? Keep your priorities in mind when you plan. Your priorities are the absolute first things that should be scheduled into your plan.

3. Multi-Task; Selectively

Studying for a test is not the ideal time to multi-task! Conversely, going to the gym may be a great time to get some cardio and reading done at the same time. Use your time wisely. If you know you have a fifteen minute walk across campus at 10:30am, plan to do something productive during that walking time, such as making necessary phone calls or eating a snack between classes. Similarly, if you have a fifteen minute break between classes across the hall from each other, you can utilize that time to go over your notes or briefly read a chapter. Those fifteen minutes of studying can give you some extra time with your friends later!

4. Know Your Limits

Your priorities are number one and should be treated accordingly. An endless schedule of constant rush, worry, and anxiety usually results in very high stress levels, which in turn may cause a number of other health issues.

5. Be Responsible

Remember that this is only one stage in your life and the choices you make now truly do have an affect on your success in life down the road. If studying is not your favorite pastime (and whose is?), just remember that it's a stepping stone to where you want to go. Being responsible with your time is a choice, one that you will be thankful for when you land your dream job!

Article Source: EzineArticles.com