We’re six weeks into the semester, and I have hit that point of feeling overwhelmed and burnt out. I’ve left myself with little free time to call a friend or go to the gym, been staying up later and later, and feeling less satisfied with my work. I needed a reality check. I needed to start managing my time better, so I started to create a more formalized schedule. I know myself, and I started to realize that by not allocating specific times for all my daily tasks, I would procrastinate and leave myself cramming for a quiz or writing a paper last minute.
About a week ago, I started inputting all my daily tasks into my GoogleCalendar the night before. Even the things that seemed insignificant like printing my reading or submitting a discussion post, I still put in there. This helped me to visualize my day ahead, and disciplined me to actually carry out the task within the time I had specified. I also inputted things like going to the gym and going to Kimball, so when those times came, I wasn’t worried or stressed about the next thing on my to-do list – I rather had already thought about it and knew what came next.
Something I’ve struggled with immensely while at school is actually enjoying myself where I am in that exact moment. It’s hard to not worry about the next thing, or the next assignment I have. But by creating a schedule that helps me to visualize my day and week, I know when I will be focusing on that specific task. Additionally, when that time comes, I can put all my energy into it. When I am hanging out with my friends or having lunch, I can enjoy that time and not stress about everything else.
During this past week, I have spent more quality time with my friends, made time to workout throughout the day, and have gone to bed at decent hours while also successfully completing my homework and getting assignments done. I find that when I create a realistic schedule, I am more disciplined to actually complete them and cross them off my to-do list.
Time management in college is hard. I always find myself struggling with it. And sometimes all I need is a nice big reality check and a realization that I have to implement a change for the better.