Time Management for Students

Posted on Thursday, May 4th, 2017

Spring semester starts next week, which means back to class for some and the start of a balancing act between school, work, and life. And while school tends to start slow, you’ll be in the midst of midterms and projects before you know it. The best way to prepare for the inevitable busy time is to start your semester off on the right foot.

If you are headed back to school, read on for some ways to manage your time to make the transition back to school a little bit easier and plan for the semester ahead.

 

Figure Out What’s Most Important

The challenge with time management is that when you look at everything on your to-do list, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed. But fear not: there is an easy way to avoid this panicky feeling. You need to prioritize.

Take the time to sit down and figure out what your schedule is going to look like. Don’t consider just school; instead, look at school, work, study time, and social time. Next, highlight what takes priority and what you need to focus on immediately. Consider due dates and work backwards: factor in the time to complete the project, any drafts that need to be submitted, and team meetings you’ll need to have.

This will give you a good idea of what things you need to address first. It helps alleviate that feeling of panic, and ensures that you are able to meet the commitments that you make. It will also help you make informed decisions about things like taking vacations, going out with friends, or picking up extra shifts at work.

Create a Weekly Schedule

Once you have that list of priorities and tasks sorted out, you’ll be in great shape to build yourself an ongoing, weekly schedule.

Creating a schedule has all kinds of benefits. One of these is that once you see your tasks for the week laid out, it makes it a lot harder to procrastinate. With the tasks written down right in front of you, you know exactly what the consequences would be if you procrastinate too much.

The other great thing about having a weekly schedule is that you can see how tasks and appointments can be shifted around. When the busy period of school hits, you’ll know your basic schedule and be able to reallocate appointments and commitments as needed.

This also helps when you’re working on projects. By prioritizing the tasks you need to address, you can create a functional and flexible schedule to avoid feeling overwhelmed.

Build in Some Time for Fun

No one is a machine, and everyone needs to have some fun. Whether it’s going out with friends, visiting family, or taking part in sports teams, stepping away from the homework for a bit is really good for your overall health.

When you create your schedule, build in some time for relaxation. Book some time to turn your brain off and just have fun. It’s the summer, after all!

Are you interested in taking a co-op course at Algonquin College? Are you an employer looking to hire an Algonquin co-op student? Get in touch with us! Visit our website at https://www.algonquincollege.com/coop/, connect with us at coop@algonquincollege.com or call us at 613-727-4723 Ext.7623.


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