10 Time Management Tips for College Students

Are you at college or university and looking for specific time management tips for students?

Do you find it difficult to manage your time during the semester and throughout the school year?

In this post, you’ll find ten tips to help you better manage your time at school.

Not in school? No problem!

Many of these tips can be easily applied to situations in everyday life.

Use a planner or calendar.

Keeping a schedule or calendar allows you to clearly see how you are spending (or not spending) your time.

If you don’t already use a planner or calendar, you should start using one as soon as possible! 

Feel free to use an electronic or paper planner; it really doesn’t matter which one you use so long as you use it.

Jot down everything and anything related to your studies: classes, labs, rehearsals, study sessions, workouts, trainings, work shifts, and so on.

Read syllabi and make notes in your calendar.

Want to know when all of your exams and finals will be held, and when your reports and assignments are due?

There’s a handy little time management tool your professors and instructors have prepared for each of your classes and courses: it’s called a syllabus.

You can use all of your course syllabi to help you plan your time during the semester.

Write down all assignment due dates and exam dates in your calendar to get a sense of how busy you’ll be throughout the calendar year.

Follow directions.

One of the easiest ways to save time in life, is to simply follow the directions or instructions given to you.

It really is that simple! You’re not in school to reinvent the wheel; you’re in school to learn.

Why waste hours upon hours trying to figure out how to set up a biology experiment on your own?

Your lab instructor has clearly written down how you should set up the experiment.

Trust me, you’ll still learn a lot when you follow instructions.

Track your time.

Quick, how many hours did you spend last week studying? In class? In practice? At your part-time job? Partying?

If you’re not sure where your time is going, it’s probably a good idea to conduct a time audit.

It’s quite simple: all you do is track your activities and how much time you spent on each of them.

Try doing this for a couple of days.

You can write down everything in a small notebook or take notes on your phone, tablet or laptop.

You might be thoroughly surprised at how you are truly spending your time!

If things are looking crowded, you may need to cut back on a few extracurricular activities so you can devote more time to your studies.   

Learn how to study effectively.

Studying is not just staring at a textbook, screen or monitor blankly; it’s an active process.

Similarly, spending more time studying, doesn’t mean you’ll be a better student. The solution?

Make the most of the time you do have by learning how to study efficiently.

There really is a marked difference between studying and studying with a purpose.

Spent more time on challenging courses.

You don’t have to spend equal amounts of time on your studies.

Some courses will be more demanding than others, either by their content, structure, or how challenging you find the material.

Make the most of your time by figuring out which of your courses require more of your time or effort, and which require less.

Break down projects into smaller tasks.

A large project, such as a term paper, may seem intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be.

All you have to do is break down the project into more manageable, day-to-day steps.

It’s worth taking some time to write out how you will work on your project.

For example, you might break down a term paper into the following steps: reviewing term paper guidelines, write paper outline, conduct preliminary research, and write first draft.

You could also add: conduct additional research, write second draft, and so on, and then schedule tasks into your calendar.

This makes it easier for you to manage your time and project, as you know exactly what you’re going to be working on, on any given day.

Begin assignments as soon as you receive them.

Start working on a project, report or assignment as soon as you receive it, preferably that same day.

And no, this doesn’t mean you have to write your entire report in one sitting!

Instead, just work on some little small piece of your assignment.

You could thoroughly review the assignment instructions and take notes, do a little bit of background research online, or brainstorm project ideas.

Remember, the longer you wait, the harder it will be to start your project…and the less time you’ll have to do your work.

Look for windows of opportunity.

Time can be found in the most unexpected of places. You just have to know where to look…and think a bit creatively!

Not making the most out your free mornings?

Why not try going to bed an hour or two earlier so you can wake up and get things done around campus while libraries and study halls are relatively empty and quiet?

How about doing a little bit of reading after your class on Tuesday afternoon, but just before dinnertime?

Check your schedule to see whether or not you are making use of all of your time; and make adjustments accordingly.

Don’t underestimate what you can Achieve.

Instead of wishing you had longer chunks of time, make use of any, and all time available to you.

Don’t just chuck away valuable bits of time, five minutes here, ten minutes there, because they don’t seem like a lot of time.

All of those minutes do add up over the course of a week, month and semester!

What can you do in five minutes? Could you begin one problem from your chemistry problem set?

Review your notes from yesterday’s history class or pack up your sports equipment for training later today?

The possibilities truly are endless.    

Learn how to manage your time at school

Time management is an important skill that everyone should learn and practice if they want to be successful in life.

My time management guide can help you learn how to prioritize tasks, manage time in meetings, and arrive on time to appointments.

My printable calendar system can help you track important dates, events, and activities throughout the year.

How about you?  Which of these tips are you going to try out this semester to help you better manage your time? Join in the conversation and leave a comment below!

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About the Author

Rashelle

Rashelle Isip is a New York City-based productivity consultant who helps successful entrepreneurs and business owners manage their time and energy so they can reduce stress, work less, and make more money in their businesses. She has been featured in Fast Company, Forbes, NBC News, The Washington Post, NPR, and The Atlantic. Get her free guide, 5 Unexpected Things You Need to Organize a Work Notebook, by clicking here.

4 Comments

  1. Janet Barclay

    These are excellent tips, especially “Begin assignments as soon as you receive them.” If you list all the small steps involved and work backwards from the deadline, you won’t find yourself scrambling at the last minute, or going to the library only the find the books you need aren’t available.

    Reply
    • Rashelle

      Thanks, Janet! I am glad you enjoyed the post.

      Reply
  2. Seana Turner

    I love your point about using small amounts of time. This is where the college schedule differs so much from the high school schedule. If students wait to work until they have a “big chunk of time,” they may quickly fall behind. Learning to work at different locations and with smaller bits of time can make a big difference! (visiting from the #POBC)

    Reply
    • Rashelle

      Hi Seana, thanks for your comment. As I always like to say, small bits of time are still time that can be used. It’s far better to make use of what you have, when you have it. Thanks for visiting!

      Reply

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