There’s more to college than the academics. It also is a time to teach you how to manage your priorities and how to allocate your time for the different extracurriculars you may have. With so much free will, it’s easy to fall prey to procrastination (we’ve all been there). Below, I’ve compiled a few tips and tricks that help me stay on top of my academics, while also maintaining a social life and doing things outside of school.
1. Have a Daily agenda
The best way to reduce your stress is to write down all the stressors. I use a Goodnotes template and annotate a daily, hourly plan for every weekday, and sometimes weekends if they end up getting busy. However, you can always use a piece of paper or your phone’s notes app. By outlining my day with specific times, I can see how busy I’ll be that day, and sometimes I feel a lot more busy in my head than I am. Additionally, a daily agenda will help you keep track of time and see how on track you are with your plan.
2. Prioritize and reward
If you are studying continuously for hours on end, you are bound to get bored. Our attention spans are declining, and if you can sit for 4 hours with nothing but your laptop and your notebook, I’m proud and scared of you. I like to add incentives into my days that encourage me to complete my necessary assignments and work while also keeping some energy throughout the day. Incentives can be things like getting a takeout meal after completing half of your assignments, or going to the movies with your friends later that evening. Prioritizing takes a role here when you find yourself being short on time and not knowing what assignment or task to do, in fear you won’t finish all of them. If you are feeling low on motivation, start with something easy to build that momentum and get you into that productive mindset. If you’ve got a lengthy paper to write, use the Pomodoro technique (25 minutes straight work, 5 minute break) to get yourself into the necessary zone.
3. Take necessary breaks
Though it may seem counterintuitive if you are crunching on time, and now I’m telling you to take a break? Well, if you take a proper break, which wouldn’t be doom-scrolling Tiktok or mindlessly cycling through apps on your phone, but a break that will keep your brain active while also distracting you from the work you have on your desk. Some productive break ideas could be going for a walk or to the gym to get the blood pumping through your body and waking you up. You could also do simple household chore like the laundry, or spend some time drawing. I don’t know if this is the case for everyone, but when I am not scrolling on my phone, I am much more aware of my time and therefore can easily keep myself on track with what I have left to do.
4. keep track of the week
Expanding beyond the daily agenda, we have the weekly calendar that can help gauge the week ahead. Taking 15-30 minutes out of your Sunday before the week starts, you can look for your busiest days, and help prioritize assignments for yourself based on the deadlines. Additionally, it helps you go into the week with a clearer head as you are much more prepared, and don’t have to keep the tasks floating all in your head.
5. learn your limits
We always want to be good at the things we do. We always want to have all the time in the world to do our assignments, while also getting as much experience of the world outside of the classroom. Sometimes, we fall victim to procrastination, screen time, and other things that we know are bad for us, yet can’t seem to stop ourselves from participating in it. You have to give yourself grace (but not leniency) in order to do better next time. Barely studied for an exam, and didn’t get a score you liked? It happens, so next time you will schedule active studying time into your weekly calendar, and you’ll make yourself commit to it by offering an incentive.
These are the last 4 (typically) years of complete structure in our lives, so why not make the most of it by developing good habits that will set you up for success once you graduate and are on your own even more!