by Karen Banes

Created on: September 02, 2008

For some students going away to college may be the first time that they have had to be fully responsible for managing their own time and resources, without well-meaning parents chiding them along. For others the return to school may be combined with a job and/or family responsibilities which will make good time management skills even more vital. The following tips will help you plan, manage, and even find time.

Identify time related needs and wants. Make a list of what you need to do each day, week and month. This will include attending class, studying, working a paid job if you have one and other essentials such as sleep. Then make a list of things you don't need to do but want to. This might include joining clubs or sports teams, attending social events, or a weekend trip home.

Create a schedule. Buy a daily planner that works for you and schedule in all the things you need to achieve first. Then try to find time slots for the ones you want to do. You may want to color code needs and wants.

Prioritize tasks. In effect you now have tasks divided into high priority and low priority. Within these categories prioritize further so you achieve the really important things first and aren't stressed about them while completing less important, but maybe more pleasurable, tasks.

Set achievable goals. Setting a deadline for a task and reaching it helps you feel in control of your time. List your short-term and long-term goals and tick them off as you achieve them. This can be very motivating. Break bigger tasks down into manageable chunks and list them as goals (ie not "read chapter 3 by the end of this week", but "read 2 pages a day for the next 6 days").

Allow for some flexibility. Schedule some "holes" in your daily plan. If every minute of the day is accounted for and something goes wrong or takes longer than anticipated it's important to be able to catch up. If nothing goes wrong, great. You have a little down time to chill out and re-charge.

Avoid procrastination. Don't put tasks off because you think you won't be able to achieve them, or they seem too monumental to even start. Break them down as described above, then just get on with it.

Ask for help. You don't have to do everything yourself. If you can get help from friends, family, professionals, professors or academic services ask for it.

Don't expect perfection. Many of us waste time trying to attain perfection in certain tasks. While it is great to aim for the best, perfection is not a realistic goal and trying to achieve it is often a futile time trap.

Eliminate time wasters. We all have activities (and people) in our lives that we really don't need to spend time on. Whether it's watching too much TV, aimlessly surfing the internet or hanging out with a particular person we don't even like that much, it's really beneficial to try to eliminate them.

Learn to say no. It's OK to say no, or "not this semester, maybe next", to some opportunities. Spreading yourself too thin is a major reason for feeling time deprived and out of control. Remember, you can do it all, but not necessarily at the same time. Put things you don't have time for right now on you list of goals for the future, and concentrate on a creating a manageable schedule that works for you right now.

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