Awesome Time Management Skills to Get You Through College
Written on October 30th, 2009 at 12:37 pm by Beth Ann Whitmore.I wouldn’t say that I am the best student at Keuka College, but I have gone to just about all of the workshops on how to improve your time management skills. From those workshops, I can say that I’m pretty good at knowing what works and what doesn’t. I’ve developed a list of tips on how you too can be a pro at managing your time.
1. Make a ‘To-Do’ List. Every Day.
Put the most important thing first and make sure you get it done. Preferably use this strategy in the beginning of the day, so you’ll be less stressed later on. If you need to break down your “to do” list into smaller tasks so you can have more things to do, you’ll be able to check more things off quicker. It’s easier to keep something on your list when you see that you’re making an impact in what you have to do for the day. MOST IMPORTANTLY. When you are done with the day, get rid of your to do list and start a new one for the next day. You can copy over the most important things you need, but have a new list with no marks on it at the beginning of each day.
2. Plan Out the Times You Have Between Classes
During my sophomore year, my adviser told me this strategy during a meeting and it’s a great idea. Every morning (or even the night before), plan out little small tasks that you can do between classes, like a worksheet that you could fill out, an outline you could start, or even just a chapter you can read for a class. Keep these items in a folder in your bag during the day. Between classes, or while you’re waiting before a meeting, you can pull that work out, and get a little something done in your extra little free time. It definitely adds up.
3. You Don’t Have to Say ‘Yes’ to Everyone
This is important. I had a friend that had a really hard time saying ‘no’ to people when they would ask her for help. She was offered quite a few jobs on campus as a tutor, and she just didn’t have to time for it. She had a very difficult time putting herself before someone in need, but she finally realized she had to in order to keep her grades up.
4. Review Your Notes Every Day
You’ve probably heard this before and thought it was bogus or a waste of time – that’s what I thought. You learn so much more when you take the time out to actually review your notes. Your little notes in the margin will make sense if you go over them the day that you wrote them. I’ve found that typing out my notes and putting them on notely.com is really helpful.
5. Keep a Notebook Handy with a Pen
When you’re doing your homework or studying, odds are you are going to think of something that you have to do. It will bother you and prevent you from focusing on what you need to be doing. With the notebook you are keeping with you, you can write down what you need to remember to do and then forget about it until you’re done. Just make sure to always review that notebook and add things to your ‘to-do’ list.
