Digital calendars can be very useful since they can be linked to many electronic devices, allowing you to access them at any point. A calendar that has a monthly overview followed by a weekly breakdown would be very useful for long and short-term planning.
If you know in advance that you’ve got three midterms in one week, you’ll tell that friend who asks you to go on a weekend trip that you can’t go until later.
If you have a research paper due at the end of the semester, for example, don’t procrastinate until the week before it’s due! Use your weekly schedule to budget in time for library research, an outline, and a rough draft. If you think it’ll take you six weeks to get this done, work backward from the due date to create deadlines for yourself. [3] X Research source Use a sense of urgency and importance. Something really important and really urgent should be done immediately, while something that is not urgent but still important can be scheduled a little bit further in the future. [4] X Expert Source Alexander Ruiz, M. Ed. Educational Consultant Expert Interview. 18 June 2020.
Prioritize your daily tasks by marking them with an H, M, or L for high, medium, or low importance.
For instance, if you’re starting a paper from scratch, schedule time on the first day for coming up with a topic. The second day, start a paper outline, and on the third day, finish the outline. For the next four days, you can start researching.
Look for a job that has flexible hours, is online, or has a large number of employees with whom you could swap shifts with. Ask in advance about time off during times in the semester you know will be busy. Consider jobs that will let you work during times that you normally wouldn’t study or attend class. For instance, if you like to study in the morning, take shifts at a restaurant in the evening. If you’re more of a late-night studier, lifeguard at a local pool in the mornings.
In fact, spending time doing a fun hobby can help you become more conscious of your time.
You can use these rewards as a motivating tool as well. [8] X Expert Source Alexander Ruiz, M. Ed. Educational Consultant Expert Interview. 18 June 2020. If there’s a movie you’ve been dying to see in theaters, buy a ticket for a showtime at the end of your challenging week.
If you have a class you don’t like to study for, you should prioritize working on this course during the time of day you are most concentrated.
Experiment with different workspaces to find what works best for you.
Instead, use these sites during scheduled downtime. Or, better yet, schedule to see some of these people you follow online in person! If you can’t seem to keep yourself away from social media, alter your alert settings or have a friend change your password. [14] X Research source
If you have a chatty roommate, head to a campus library or dorm study space.
Have an easy way to show your friends that you’re busy, such as a “Do Not Disturb” sign on your door.
For example, you can have categories for academic, recreational, work, or social activities.
If you need to work to pay your rent and want to maintain a high GPA, you should prioritize spending more time on these sorts of activities.
