Article by David Love

Scheduling and time management is very important in the lives of college students. Here are six of the most important tips for effective time management in college.

1) Make a Time Schedule

Making and following a time schedule will greatly help your time management efforts.

Make your own Time Schedule listing all of the possible activities that you want to do during the entire week. Remember that each week has 168 hours, so after sleeping, eating, showering, time actually attending classes, and working (if you also work), whatever time is left over is the maximum amount of time you have to study (and socialize and anything else).

You can get a ready-to-use time schedule, but some people say it is better to make your own. Many sites online offer a free feature that can be used for this purpose (for example, Google Calendar).

The first entries on your time schedule should be the most important: your classes, meals, work (if you also work), caring for children (if you have any). Be sure that for each entry the time is exact.

Then enter your study time, making it at a time you will be alert. It is best to review your class notes soon after class, and then again once or twice before the next meeting of that class.

A study break should on average be 10 minutes.

2) Say “NO” when you need to protect your study time

Even though it can be difficult to turn people down, it must be done for your personal welfare. If a friend asked you to go do something later tonight, but you already had scheduled and agreed to a group study session with some classmates to review for the upcoming exam, which is more important, socializing or your future? If they are truly your friend they will understand that you need to study and will be glad to get together with you on your next break after your next exam.

Related to the idea of saying “No” in a polite manner:

* You are not turning the person down, you are turning down their invitation. You still value them every bit as much as before even though you cannot agree to go since you must study and do well on your test. If you didn’t care, why bother even going to classes and college in the first place?

* Tell your friend the reason why you are not going, and if they are your true friend they will understand.

* Tell your friend that when you get free you will be glad and eager to go.

3) Set a rank order of importance for everything in your schedule

What must be completed today? Tomorrow?

Also, consider the different time frames of immediate, medium-range, and longer term. A good example of this is you can have a daily, a weekly, a monthly, and a full semester schedule.

4) Study while traveling and commuting, if possible

While on a bus or train ride to and from school, you can listen to some audio recordings of your class lectures and/or review your class notes and reading materials. Obviously, if you are driving a car, you should not be studying while driving, even in a traffic jam.

5) Stay focused

You made your time schedule for a reason – to manage your time better, and that will only happen if you follow the schedule and keep updating it every day or two. Make sure to note the most important jobs of each day. Any left over, not completed things need to be put back on the schedule to be completed as soon as possible.

6) Schedule time for breaks

This includes breaks during the time you are studying, and also after studying and exams.

Following these tips will put you and your growing time management skills far ahead of many other students.