Time Management for the Aspiring College Student

It’s about that time of year when I once again realize that the trick to keeping it cool during the trimester is to manage my time wisely. Of course, this realization has come after one too many nights staying up past midnight reading Henry David Thoreau’s Walden. Nevertheless, this week I have made it my mission to figure out the best way to manage my time.

Here are my top 5 tips for controlling the clock so it doesn’t feel like it’s controlling you.

Find an agenda system that works for you

I love, love, love Google Calendar! However, I know some people who swear by Notion or even a paper agenda. It really all depends on who you are, what you like, and how your brain works. Some people find that digital agendas are too hard to manage or that paper agendas take up too much space in their backpack.

Personalization is so important for an agenda system because it  ensures you will keep using it! If you don’t like how your toothpaste tastes, you’re less likely to brush twice a day, right? Same thing with your agenda system. Find the flavor that suits you best! Even though mint is what’s hot on the market, cinnamon toothpaste can be found at most grocery stores (just ask my mom who LOVES cinnamon toothpaste). It’s okay to have different preferences, even on a weekly basis, for how your agenda looks. This is about making an agenda system work for you, not making you work for your agenda system.

Schedule everything

We made plans to meet for lunch three hours ago? Is it in my Google Calendar? No? So we’re not meeting for lunch? Ha, I’m just kidding, but I really do rely on my Google Calendar for a lot of my scheduled hangouts with my friends. I like to block off time to study in the mornings and evenings, as well as any time I have some important social event to attend. I also add my classes and when I do laundry!

Scheduling “everything” allows me the space to relax and re-engage as I need to. As a high-achiever, sometimes I find it difficult to turn off my brain and do fun things that are important to my mental health and well-being. By scheduling a dinner date with my friends, I can be sure to have time for them and recharge myself. I have also scheduled alone time for myself too, which can be amazing if you just need to watch NCIS with a big bowl of popcorn alone.

Set time limits

How long will it actually take you to read that 20 page article? Start the timer on your phone then shove your phone into your backpack. You may be surprised at how short of a time it actually takes you when you’re not being distracted by that little screen.

I like to allot an hour to every task that I have. If I don’t finish it when the hour is up, I will move on to something else and come back to it later. If it takes me less than an hour, I will reward myself with a little screentime or a walk. 

Time limits can be effective in making sure you don’t spend too much time on a single task. Sometimes that can drain your energy, preventing you from giving your best efforts on other things. Time limits can also be effective in making sure you spend enough time on each task. You can’t easily back out of doing your Archaeology Lab readings if you set aside 30 minutes to do at least part of them.

Not a “To Do” List

Negative connotations will zap your emotional energy. My dad calls his list of necessary tasks “Honey Dew” as it draws a more positive association to it. I haven’t found a permanent name for my list yet, but this week, my list is called “Sigma Grindset.” Based on an internet meme my roommate finds hilarious, the name of the list helps me to remember that I’m not just trying to check tasks off the list, but rather grow from the tasks there.

If I zoom out on my life and my goals, it helps to contextualize why I’m doing a reading about racism in Brazil for my Intro to Anthropology class. Right now, since I want to be a good person and also a sociologist, focusing on the big takeaways from this reading can benefit me both as a person and in my career. It can also keep me centered on what matters to me, rather than just being overwhelmed by the number of tasks I have to do before I go to sleep tonight.

You’re not a bad person if you don’t accomplish everything on your “Sigma Grindset” list. Productivity isn’t a measure of your worth, and you are so much more than what you check off your list on any given day.

About rest

We aren’t machines. Now is the time to quit expecting yourself to operate like one! Note to the reader: I should take this advice more to heart myself. This week I had to take some days off from class because I was sick, but the whole time I kept trying to do readings instead of resting. Bad call! Rest when you need it; the work will still be there in the morning. I stressed myself out when I didn’t need to.

Consciously budgeting your time must not be procrastination in disguise! This comes from knowing thyself and how thee operates. Procrastination partially comes from trying to avoid uncomfortable feelings associated with the task at hand. For example, I dread doing my laundry because I hate folding clothes. One way to override this is to add more comfortable feelings to the mix. I hate folding clothes, but I do like how clean they smell once they come out of the dryer. I could add a dryer sheet to make my clothes smell even better! If you can get to the root of why you are procrastinating, it is much easier to figure out what to do to stop procrastinating. Having a timetable that allows for flexibility (such as saying “Math homework time!” rather than “Problem set 57.5 homework time!”) may allow you to get other important tasks done efficiently. Or it may be better for you to be very specific about what you want to get done (“Read pages 60 to 70 of Walden” versus “Read 10 pages of Walden”).

TL;DR:

Your time management system should fit your needs. Scheduling nearly everything ensures you devote time to everything you care about. Don’t ever spend too much time on one task! Your “To Do” List is a guide for memory, not a “Do This or You’re a Bad Person” list. Rest when you need it!