Time Management 101: Prerequisite to Success in College

It’s Thursday evening. The baby won’t go to sleep, and your English paper is due tomorrow at 9 A.M. Maybe you can get an extension, but you’ve got so many errands to do this weekend that there won’t be much extra time anyway. Is this the story of your life (or of some other adult student you know)?  If this situation persists through out the semester, you can a) plead for an incomplete; b) drop the course; c) get a lower grade; d) learn to manage your time. Which would you choose?

The Basic Techniques

The idea behind time management is that everyone has the same 525,600 minutes in a year, but not everyone uses them the same way. Some are efficient time managers; others are wasteful. If you start to practice the principles behind time management, you’ll run into fewer crises and experience less stress. Remember, fewer and less, not none. What are the principles to consider?

• First, organize your time by understanding that the goal of time management is to keep you in balance: your academic/work/family/personal time needs all must be met. If you don’t juggle all the balls, one will fall directly to the ground and the others inevitably will follow. The middle and ends of the semester are hardest, but if you’ve managed all semester to juggle those balls, you’re less likely to have a collapse at those critical time junctures.
• Write down what you absolutely must get done each week. Then write down what you can get done weekly. Finally, write down what would be nice to get done weekly. Prioritize the tasks’ importance accordingly, by putting an  A, B, or C beside each task as you brainstorm. Prioritizing is one of the hardest tasks, but do it!
• Figure how many additional hours that you’ll need for sleeping, eating, commuting, studying, family responsibilities, physical activity, spiritual activity, meetings, and socializing.
• Get a weekly calendar and fill it in with as much detail as possible. Make sure you include deadlines for school work, work deadlines, children’s and your own medical appointments, grocery shopping, etc.
• Make sure you sequence activities in such a way that you take advantage of your best work times. It might be first thing in the morning, or it could be late at night. Use that time for academic work, if possible.
• Try to vary what you do. Two hours of studying interpersed with some more physical activity (even roaming the library looking for a book) is better than four hours of solid studying at a stretch.
• Check your calendar daily, or better yet, use a computer or personal digital assistant that will beep at you when self-assigned tasks are due.

When You Get Off Track

If you are beating yourself up because you’ve procrastinated, stop. Everyone procrastinates to some extent, but procrastination can make your life dysfunctional, if uncontrolled. Here are a few tips:

• Outwit yourself by making yourself do the dreaded task for five minutes. Most people can do almost anything if it’s only for five minute.
• Also, ask yourself frequently throughout the day, “What is the best use of my time right now?” Maybe a quick phone call or e-mail to a classmate will answer a question that will help you complete an assignment or prepare for an exam.
• Break a large task into small, manageable tasks.
• Go public and let others know when they can expect you to complete a task (children usually don’t forget when you’ve said you’ll be finished with your school work and can play ball with them or drive them somewhere!).
• Reward yourself when you accomplish a hard task within your deadline. Getting into bed early or extra socializing works well, depending on your style. 
• Learning to manage your time is one of the best gifts you can give yourself when you go back to school.

—by Dee Seligman