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Whether you’re a first time college student or a seasoned one, we’re well aware that learning to juggle all of the priorities that come with being in college is more than enough to drive anyone bonkers. From attending classes, to socializing with your friends, to studying for exams, one of the most critical components of maximizing your potential is learning to effectively use the one thing we all just never seem to be able to get enough of; time!
The solution: learning effective time management skills. Time-what? Yeah, don’t worry we know the struggle is real and the good news is that once you get in the habit of making good time management decisions, you’ll be able to effectively manage your time without having to put too much thought into it.
But what’s the best way to manage your time? Have no fear! We’ve done the heavy lifting for you and found the top 5 best time management tips for college students to assist in getting you headed in the right direction!
Top 5 Best Time Management Tools For College Students
sandiego.edu1. List, Plan, Repeat.
One of the major deciding factors in effectively utilizing time management skills as a college student is to learn to prioritize your commitments. This can be achieved by actively making prioritized lists beginning with what you need to do first, to what you need to do last. The time that is spent playing a not so fun game of last minute catch-up is time that you could be spending doing something that’s actually fun! Like you know.. not studying! List, plan, and repeat; you’ll thank yourself later.
2. Get Real, But Stay Flexible.
No one in the world wants to live on a schedule that is completely jam-packed with productivity. Create a study schedule based off of the results of trial and error; figure out exactly how much time it usually takes to complete tasks and chart your discoveries. Then go on to create a more concrete schedule based off of your results. Make sure to take into account the importance of down time and be realistic about what you can achieve.
3. Use Your Study Time Wisely
One of the key components to effective studying is attempting to make sure that the time you set aside for studying is time that you can spend productively. Aim to make it a goal to only have to complete mundane study tasks once. Nothing is a bigger time waster than having to repeatedly re-read, re-write, or re-organize. Do it once, and do it right!
4. Know Thy Study Self
In order to learn effective time management study skills, you must first know yourself. Because let’s face it; regardless of how organized you become, if you aren’t absorbing the info there’s a good chance you won’t stay on track.
Create a list with the following questions:
1. What is the best way for me to absorb and memorize information?
2. Do I get the most out of studying in a group or while I am alone?
3. What time of day am I most motivated to study? What time of day am I least likely to want to study?
4. What hinders me from getting the most out of studying? What annoyances distract me the most? (IE: noise, being in a comfortable setting, ect.)
5. What is my primary learning style? If you’d like a more concrete answer to this question head on over to Education Planner.org and take their Learning Styles Test.
Once you become better acquainted with your ideal study self, apply the knowledge you’ve gained to your study routine. Eliminate distractions and couple your primary learning styles with your ideal environment to insure that you’ll get the most out of your study time.
5. Find Your Study Inspiration
In order to complete any goal it is human nature to need to feel the inspiration to do so. The first step to finding your study inspiration is to identify what you would like to achieve. Define your overall goal, construct a list of both long term and short term goals, set milestones, and reward yourself for meeting your objectives.
As explained by Psychology Today:
“The secret to achieving a big goal is to break it down into doable doses. By creating “Micro Goals” every day you will get the “ding ding ding” feeling of dopamine and keep charging on to accomplish your long-term “Macro” goal”.
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