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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at LUM chapter.

If you’ve had a college experience remotely like mine, I’m sure you have also heard the words ‘time management.’ I believe that time management is something that we all need to master, but that most people shrug off. Ironically, people often think they don’t have the time for time management. However, in the end, learning how to budget your time to make you happy is so important. So, here are some tips on how you can get started on your time-management journey!  

Are you a spacer or a condenser? 

The first question to ask yourself is when you are most happy and productive. Is it when you space out or condense your work? There is no right answer, it’s simply what works best for you. Do you like to pace yourself throughout the day? In other words, do you like using up a lot of the day to do work but spacing it out so that you have breaks in between assignments? If so, it sounds like to a certain extent you are a spacer. If this doesn’t sound like you, and you enjoy using up less of the day to complete your assignments but with little to no breaks, you are a condenser. You like to be done with your work earlier and have the rest of the day to relax. From my own experience, I think most of us tend to be spacers, but I have also met people who enjoy condensing their work.  

Are you a procrastinator? 

The next question you should answer is whether you are a procrastinator. To a certain extent, we all are inclined to procrastinate. If we don’t want to do something, we avoid it! This is a normal and human reaction. However, procrastination is often linked to negative emotions like anxiety, stress, and feelings of failure. When we let our work pile up, we feel like pulling our hair out. It’s important to stray away from procrastination, even though it is tempting because it typically leads to stress. Furthermore, if you procrastinate, you might not be putting your best work forward, and know you could’ve received a better grade if you simply invested more time.  

Are you a planner or a go with the flow type?  

There are two types of girls in this world: the planner, and the go with the flow girl. The planner girl tends to have a list, either on her laptop or her planner (or both) that details all her assignments and plans for the day. Some planners even schedule out their day based on the hour. This can work very well for people who need organization and structure to function best. On the other hand, some girls just like to go with the flow. They wake up every day and based on things like their mood and level of the business decide how much work they want to commit themselves to. If a day ends up being free, they get the bulk of their work done. If another day plans pop up last minute, they can spend the day with their friends and know that they will get their work done when they are free.  

Ultimately, Balance is Key! 

At the end of the day, the key is to balance yourself based on the answers you gave to these questions. If you are a spacer, ask yourself if you are happy using up as much time as you do for your work. If not, try to condense it by taking fewer breaks, but having more free time later. If you tend to condense, try spacing out your workload so that you have more time and breaks. When it comes to procrastination, try to get a head start on your work so that you can avoid the stress of waiting until the eleventh hour. Then again, if you try to get everything done first thing, remember that it’s okay to take some time off and not push yourself too hard. In terms of planning, if being very organized and structured helps you stick to it! But, if planning every hour of your day makes you overwhelmed, maybe stick to just generally planning out your day. Opposingly, if you plan absolutely nothing and find yourself missing deadlines or realizing last minute that you have a major assignment due, planning can be a great tool and an amazing way to boost your GPA.  

The important part of this piece is to recognize how essential balancing is within time management and trying to find what works best for your productivity while prioritizing your happiness and mental health.  

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