This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Bucknell chapter.
In the transition from high school to college, it can be difficult to balance a new social life with a new college workload. It is easy to become overwhelmed with schoolwork when there are so many distractions. Here are some tips for how to best manage your time:
- Don’t procrastinate the big things. It is unrealistic to tell you to never procrastinate. However, procrastinating larger assignments such as group projects and longer essays will only lead to stress and bad grades. Instead, save the smaller assignments for last minute and get ahead on the big ones.
- Conquer your fear of missing out. I completely get the struggle of feeling like I will miss out on everything if I do not go out one night or miss an activity with my friends. It is important to find the balance between saying yes and saying no. Maybe you have a big test on Friday, and your friends are going out Thursday night. Instead of going out on Thursday, spend the night studying for your test and look forward to Friday night, if that’s your scene, or the next time you have plans with your friends.
- Plan ahead. Pretend that you know your friends are going out on Thursday and you have a test on Friday. When planning ahead, you can study during the week and free up your Thursday night! This requires conquering your procrastination, but with the right motivation, it can be achieved.
- Find what tools work for you. When struggling to manage your time, it might help to plan out your day using a planner, a to-do list, or other planning tools. Google calendar is a popular resource for college students that allows the user to plug in classes, personal events, meetings, and study time.
- Improve your productivity. It is easy to get distracted when trying to get work done or other necessary tasks. Instead of allowing yourself to be distracted by your phone or your friends, try to find a productive environment that will allow you to save time. Maybe that means doing work in the library, or putting your phone away to do work. When you can get your work done faster, you free up time to do the things you enjoy.