Time Management Strategies

Getting used to a college workload as well as study tips!

When working with college students the one thing I hear on a consistent basis is, “I don’t have enough time to get done all I need to do?” This is a common concern, not only for student’s, but for faculty and staff as well. Learning how to manage your time and make it work for you, as opposed to being at the mercy of it, is one of the basic foundations of college life as well as for life after graduation.

Learn to prioritize your time.

When I meet with a student who expresses concern about time management I give them a blank grid of an entire week. This grid is broken down into hourly components from 7 a.m. - 2 a.m. including the weekend. I want students to understand as well as to see how many hours are available to them and to realize that everyone has the same amount of time during a week. In regards to time management the key is how one uses these hours.

I have students fill in the grid based on their priorities for a particular semester. Setting priorities will help you to allot enough time to those things that are most important to you.

Ideally students will list classes, extracurricular activities and work as “Group 1” priorities. I ask them to also include time for meals and sleep. I then ask the student to draw a line through Friday and Saturday nights from roughly 7 P.M. until when they go to sleep. The reason for this is to emphasize the need for a social life. Students need to know that a healthy social life is necessary, and is a part of functioning as a normal student.

After they have listed these “non-negotiable” priorities I then ask them to list those things they feel they must do to function as a normal person. These “Group 2” priorities can include a limited amount of guilty pleasure time; computer time, video game time, favorite TV shows, phone time.

By doing this I am hope to show them that they don’t necessarily have to give up all of their personal time to have good time management skills, or to have enough time to get done what they need academically.

I stress to each student that the only way for this exercise to work is for them to be completely honest as far as where their time is going. I remind them that the point of this exercise is to help them see where their time is going, not to impress me or show me what they think I want to see. The times that are set for sleep, meals and personal time need to be as honest as possible, so that you will realistically know how much academic or study time is available.

The grid should then begin to take shape, and available times, or times to be designated towards academics, should begin to emerge. The student should see that if they use what available time is left, they will have sufficient time to devote to their academics. If it is evident that not enough time is available for academics then adjustments are made to the “Group 2” time. Hopefully the student will realize through this exercise that if they prioritize their time, and stay true to it, there is enough time to do the things they need and want, and will be able to function at a high level, academically and personally.

Many students, after filling out their weekly grid, are pleasantly surprised to see how much time they actually have for their academics and for themselves.

I urge students to make minor adjustments to their weekly grid every couple of weeks as the semester progresses. This allows for modifications based on the ebb and flow of the semester. These adjustments are not to be done at the cost of changing the basic structure of the week, but instead done to maximize opportunities.

I encourage students to have some built in flex time. These 3-5 hours each week are built in for life’s little emergencies, or for potentially busy times during each semester (mid terms, holidays).

Quality over quantity.

What students often fail to realize is that time used wisely is more effective than just having more time. In college, blocks of time between classes, in the mornings and afternoons are hidden gems of time that can quickly add up to quality study time. I encourage students that the time before or after class can be used to revise and highlight notes, or to read and prepare for an upcoming class. I also encourage students to go to the library during this time, to do research or write papers. This a time when you are already in an academic mindset and will usually have with you what you need to study.

What can also emerge from the weekly grid exercise are big blocks of time in the evenings (provided the student hasn’t unwisely scheduled too many “Group 2” activities). These 3-5 hour blocks can be imposing, and seem too large to some students, sometimes resulting in procrastination or avoidance. I suggest they break these big blocks of time into small digestible pieces of time. For example, if there is a 5-hour block of time, don’t necessarily plan to sit and study for all 5 hours. Instead of a potential mind-numbing marathon of reading or writing, in which some of the information isn’t absorbed due to overload, make it an effective 3-hour study session broken down into half-hour or hour-long focused study blocks. The information will be more easily retained, and the big block of time won’t look so imposing, lending itself to procrastination.

Make your time management practices a habit.

The ultimate goal is for the time management practice to become a habit, and one that helps you to be more effective academically and socially. By repeating their schedule week after week students begin to see their use of time as a natural and productive habit as opposed to a restriction.

Many students resist setting up a weekly schedule for fear that it will be too confining, but what they fail to realize is that by setting concrete time for taking care of their priorities, including studying, they essentially allow themselves more time for other things.

For time management to work you must buy into the principle that you are in control of where your times goes or how you spend it, and not that time controls you.
To be successful in college, or in life for that matter, you must value your time and not give it away too freely. Prioritization of time is perhaps the most basic foundation of college success, for without that you will always be working at a disadvantage, or playing catch up. The sooner you learn this valuable lesson, the quicker you will be able to take advantage of your educational and social opportunities.

Editorial provided by Dave Seiler, Associate Director of Academic Success at Southwestern University located in Georgetown, TX.