by Sara W.

Created on: August 03, 2009

Are you getting tired of having only five minutes in the cafeteria, stuffing a bagel down your throat and running to class like a crazy person, only to feel like you have to puke from having eaten too fast before sprinting a few miles? If this is a picture of your life as a college student, you are not alone. Learning to juggle all of those college student responsibilities can feel incredibly overwhelming. And believe it or not, it is possible to slow down and smell the roses on the way to class, and to sit and enjoy that bagel in the cafeteria (maybe even a glass of orange juice and a bowl of cereal, too!) Here are a few tips to help you manage your schedule, and keep your sanity!

Prioritize

Remember what you are here for. The primary goal of college is not to get an A in Social Life 101. Of course you want to have a social life, but college is first and foremost about academics. Be diligent to get your studies finished during the week, so that way your weekends are free to have fun! Don't linger in the cafeteria at dinner time with your friends until eight or nine at night. Eat your dinner, chat for a bit, and then hit the books. If you don't plan on taking your classes seriously, then this advice is not for you. You might as well plan on not surviving college, and either getting kicked out or dropping out. If you do want to take your classes seriously, then you will glean from practicing good time management skills. Once you've determined that academics is your top priority, then taking good care of yourself should be your second priority. This means that you need to get enough sleep so that you don't feel like a zombie the next day. It also means that you should get enough sleep so that you can get up as early as you need to in order to enjoy a decent breakfast. You might even find that an early morning jog is in order. If you make yourself a high priority, and take proper care of your sleep, eating, and exercise needs, you'll feel like a brand new person.

Plan

Once you've mastered the art of prioritizing, now you are ready for the next step: learning how to plan. The biggest necessity for every successful college student can be purchased at Wal-Mart for as little as a couple bucks: a pocket planner. Make sure to purchase a planner that has a big space designated for each day, so that you can write all of your daily tasks down. Write down EVERYTHING! From small assignments, to important tests, to that big date. Write it all down. Doing this removes a huge burden of responsibility from your memory. And face it, your memory will fail you if you are under great amounts of stress. Writing everything down not only reduces your stress level, it also saves you from having to recall every little task. All you have to do is frequently glance at your planner, and you're good to go!

Relax

Part of taking care of yourself is allowing yourself to have a moderate amount of fun! Reward yourself for getting that huge assignment finished and go out with your friends. Plan a big road trip for the weekend. Head to the beach. Go see a movie. Do anything, as long as it has nothing to do with school or homework or classes. Get your mind completely off of school and get some much needed rest and relaxation. Another perk of being responsible with your homework and studies is that you will find more spare time to be spontaneous. Don't decide to do something spontaneous the night before a big test, if you have not studied for it yet. But if all of your homework and studies are caught up, you are free to do something just for fun.

Once you've mastered the art of prioritizing and planning, the rest will come easily. And you will likely find that your grades as well as your social life are improving!

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