Improve Your Time Management

Effective time management strategies are necessary for you to do well in college. Just by learning better ways to get the important things done, you can lessen your stress and improve your grades. Decide which strategies work for you and stick to them!

Plan and track your schedule

Keep track of all your responsibilities by using a planner, an online calendar, or cell phone calendar. You might consider using a free email account (such as Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail, and Gmail) which has a built-in calendar. An internet calendar, such as Google calendar, can send information from your calendar and send text reminders to your cell phone for appointments, study sessions, or breaks.

However, some people find that tracking their schedule electronically does not work for them; they prefer to use a paper calendar or day planner and write appointments in it. It does not matter what system you use, as long as you use it regularly! Whatever system you prefer should be easily accessible to you throughout the day so you can make immediate schedule changes and not over-commit or double-book yourself.

Record all your time commitments in one central place to help you stay organized and easily see what is on your schedule each day. It is best not to use multiple calendars since this can lead to errors, missed appointments, double-booking and stress.

Be aware of how you spend your time

It is important that you document all tasks, events and assignments in your calendar or planner. You will gain a firm understanding of how you are spending your time and which activities are more time-consuming. One idea to track how much time you are spending on different activities, is to color code your schedule. For example, mark all school-related activities with green, your work time with blue, and your social time with yellow. Use the method that works for you.

Prioritize your important tasks

Once you have a good idea of where you spend your time, prioritize all your daily responsibilities. Make a list of all your responsibilities, and then rank each task—from those that are very important to those that are not as important at the moment. Notice where you are spending most of your time. Make changes if you are not spending enough time on your top priorities.

Determine how much study time & class time you need each week

The best way to estimate your study time needs is to use this equation:

2 credit class = 4-6 hours of study/per week + 2 hours class time (6-8 hours per week)
3 credit class = 6-9 hours of study/per week + 3 hours class time (9-12 hours per week)
4 credit class = 8-12 hours of study/per week + 4 hours class time (12-16 hours per week)

Decide how many courses you can realistically complete

Many students under-estimate how much time is needed for school and register for too many credits. If this happens to you, you may need to withdraw from a course and forfeit the tuition, or you may receive a failing grade which lowers your GPA.

To make sure you are planning enough time in your week for school, calculate the total number of hours you need for study and classes each week, then determine how much time you have each day and each week to commit to your education. Can you realistically fit into your weekly schedule the number of hours you need to study? You may want to talk with your academic advisor about how many classes work best for your schedule. A successfully schedule may involve cutting back on the number of courses you take or choosing a different combination of courses so you are not taking too many time intensive or highly challenging courses.

Make time to relax

Developing a schedule is a way of taking care of yourself and eliminating stress. Include time in your schedule to give yourself a break and do something to refresh yourself. It is also important to celebrate your successes and achieving your goals – no matter how small. You deserve it!

Activity: Create Your Weekly Schedule

This activity is the second of three worksheets that must be submitted to your advisor to demonstrate successful ASW workshop completion. This useful online tool is simple to use and helps estimate how you spend your time and where you could make changes. Follow these steps:

1. Open the link to Time Management weekly schedule and fill in the worksheet. (If you are using Chrome, right click and save)
2. Print your schedule when you have filled in your hours for all weekly activities.
3. Bring this weekly schedule with you when you meet with your advisor to discuss strategies that might help your time management.