As a college student, the most critical thing is trying to find a perfect balance between school, work, relationship and family time, and time for yourself. Right about now, it seems damn near impossible to do it without going insane. Trust me, I know. However, this past school year, I’ve been focusing on managing my time for all of the above, which I will be sharing with you. No need to fear, Aley is here!
*Disclaimer: this is what works for me, it may not be the same for everyone else*
Courtesy of Tenor
School
-
My Study Life. In my opinion, My Study Life is the best school organizing app to ever exist. You’re able to put down what classes you have, when they are and where they are. You can put in assignments for each class and when they’re due; this app will send you reminders of what tasks need to get done— it even sends you reminders for when class is about to start! As someone who spends a lot of time on her phone (even though I hate to admit it), this app is a total life saver.
-
Your phone. I’ve been working really hard on trying to stay off my phone more. I think I’ve gotten better however my screen time says otherwise. Luckily, I set a limit for each of my apps and set a schedule for my time away from the screen. This has helped me a lot, especially when I’m trying to focus on schoolwork.
-
Getting your homework done ASAP. This is key for having more time for other things outside of school. As soon as you get home from class, try your best to finish whatever homework was assigned. For example, I have math on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so I work/finish my math homework every Tuesday. When a class assigns homework which won’t be finished in one day, I set a plan for different times throughout the week to finish it. This gives me more free time on the weekend, plus it helps me spend less time procrastinating. (Shout out to my mom who taught me this trick).
-
Bring your homework with you. I understand this isn’t always allowed, depending on where you work and how busy you are at work, however it won’t hurt to ask your boss/manager if you can bring in your homework to work on it during breaks or whenever you aren’t busy. Hit those two birds with one stone!
Courtesy of Tenor
Work
-
Adjust your schedule. If at all possible, try to adjust your work schedule to better your time. If you know you have a long day of classes, don’t work that day! I am very fortunate to say I absolutely love where I work and I’m grateful my boss is extremely lenient with my schedule. I know this isn’t the case for everyone, and I understand some are even working full time (hats off to you). But if you’re lucky enough to work at a job where you can easily adjust your schedule, do it. It will save you a ton of time and you’ll be less stressed.
Relationships/Friendships
-
It’s okay if you can’t find the time. There is no need to feel pressured into finding time for your boo. You’re busy and so is he/she! You should always be supportive of each others hectic schedules. It’s important to make time for each other, however it’s very important to make sure you aren’t compromising time to be with them; make the most of your time together.
-
You don’t have to always do something fancy. When you two do find time to hang out, you don’t have to get all dressed up and go out to dinner and a movie. Hang out at the coffee shop and have a study date, goof off at Target, go to McDonald’s and order fries to eat while driving around looking at houses. Or Netflix and chill. You do you.
-
Plan a time. Sometimes it feels even more impossible to find time to hang out with your BFF, but try talking to your friend(s) about meeting up once a week or so at a café on campus. This can be the time to unwind and do “therapy talks” and catch up. Seeing their faces vs. texting them can make a positive impact in your crazy week.
Courtesy of Tenor
Family
-
Create a tradition. To someone like me, family is the most important thing in life. As a student who commutes to class, I spend a lot of time around my family when I’m not in school or at work. Of course there are those weeks where everyone is too busy to talk/hang out, which is why, every Friday night, we get together and do our “pizza and a movie” nights. Every Friday, we order in pizza and watch a movie recently released on DVD. We’ve been doing this little tradition for as long as I can remember, and when I was younger, it didn’t seem like much; today, I’ve come to realize how much I cherish this time of the week.
-
Skype/Facetime! For my non-commuters who are far from home and can’t see your family as often as you’d like, might I suggest a techy approach? Try setting up a weekly Skype-talk with your parents/grandparents/siblings. It may not be the same thing as being in the same room as them, but it’s the closest thing to it.
You
-
An hour for yourself. Try to find at least one hour every day dedicated to just you. I might sound crazy when I say this, but it’s the perfect way to wind down your day and have some you-time. Whether it’s taking a bubble bath and putting on cozy pjs right before bed, or watching a Disney movie while mindlessly munching on Oreos after finishing homework, or reading that book on your shelf that’s been calling your name. Whatever makes you happy, healthy or not, set aside an hour in your day for you.
Courtesy of Tenor