TIME MANAGEMENT

Tick, tick, tick ...No, it's not the beginning to 60 MINUTES nor is it the dreaded crocodile coming to get Captain Hook. It's time moving on. College students often report that their inability to manage their time is the biggest problem they face in college. Time management is a skill few people master, but it is one that most people need.
Do you agree? Probably, since you are reading this right now. You have so many competing demands on your time: friends, movies, studying lectures, home, relationships and on and on. How can you come to grips with all of it? Most time management experts say that one of the first things people need to do to manage their time is to determine how they spend their time now. A tool for doing this is called a time audit. You may want to look at a sample time audit to compare yours. Once you have completed a time audit you can begin to change the way you manage yourself in relation to time.
Did you catch that? Time really can't be managed. You can't slow it down or speed it up or manufacture it. It just IS. Time management is MANAGING YOURSELF when following some basic time management principles.

TIME MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLES

As a student, there are some basic Principles of Time Management that you can apply.

Identify "Best Time" for Studying: Everyone has high and low periods of attention and concentration. Are you a "morning person" or a "night person". Use your power times to study; use the down times for routines such as laundry and errands.

Study Difficult Subjects First: When you are fresh, you can process information more quickly and save time as a result.

Use Distributed Learning and Practice: Study in shorter time blocks with short breaks between. This keeps you from getting fatigued and "wasting time." This type of studying is efficient because while you are taking a break, the brain is still processing the information.

Make Sure the Surroundings are Conducive to Studying: This will allow you to reduce distractions which can "waste time." If there are times in the residence halls or your apartment when you know there will be noise and commotion, use that time for mindless tasks.

Make Room for Entertainment and Relaxation: College is more than studying. You need to have a social life, yet, you need to have a balance in your life.

Make Sure you Have Time to Sleep and Eat Properly: Sleep is often an activity (or lack of activity) that students use as their time management "bank." When they need a few extra hours for studying or socializing, they withdraw a few hours of sleep. Doing this makes the time they spend studying less effective because they will need a couple hours of clock time to get an hour of productive time. This is not a good way to manage yourself in relation to time.

Try to Combine Activities: Use the "Twofer" concept. If you are spending time at the laundromat, bring your psychology notes to study. If you are waiting in line for tickets to the REM concert, bring your biology flashcards to memorize.

These are some ideas to get you started. You can read more about time management in one of the books in the bibliography. You can also learn more at time management workshops. In addition, you should know that college students aren't the only ones who have become more efficient workers. Get a headstart and learn how to manage yourself in respect to time NOW.
If you have some favorite time management tips, send them to the developers via the feedback link at the bottom of this page. Also, if you have questions about time management, send them to the Study Strategies TAs .