As a student, you can feel like you have both all the time in the world and not enough time. You have school, sports, clubs, volunteer work, friends, family, and so much more filling up your calendar, which can get overwhelming.
That’s why it is vital to start implementing healthy time management practices in your life now. That way, you can still enjoy and succeed in your student life and have those habits well established as you enter adulthood.
But how do you develop time management strategies? Let’s look at four steps you can take today to create a healthy relationship with your schedule.
Have a Schedule, Have a Planner
Whether it’s a digital or physical planner, you need to have a way to organize your schedule. It may seem no big deal to remember event dates and assignments in your head, but having a place to write down your day-to-day tasks, classes, and events can help you visualize the best way to organize your schedule and make the most of your time.
There’s also no excuse not to have one. Everyone has a calendar on their phone, whether through Google, Apple, or a more specialized calendar app that can help you block your time. If you’re more creative, you can look into creating a bullet journal to customize your planner to whatever you need it to be.
Be Conscious and Prioritize
Your time is valuable; you can use every minute of your day to support your future or work against it. Being conscious of your time means understanding the value it can have on your life and prioritizing your to-do list to reflect that.
Are you prioritizing homework or hanging out with your friends? Practicing the flute or helping your mom cook dinner? Write out your to-do list and try rating each task by level of importance. This will help you get essential tasks done sooner and trim what’s unnecessary for your life.
Flexibility and Taking Breaks
Planning your schedule can seem stressful, but it doesn’t have to be. It’s important to remember to be flexible when you’re planning out your day. Our lives rarely go the way we plan, so having flexibility in your schedule can help you avoid unnecessary anxiety when unexpected things happen during your day.
You can also plan mental health breaks throughout the day. If event finishes a little early or you have an extra five minutes in your schedule, use that time to rest your mind: meditate, stretch, take a walk, or just scroll mindlessly on the internet for a minute. These breaks keep burnout away and can make you more productive when it’s time to focus.
Stay Focused
The best part of managing your time is knowing when you need to focus. This doesn’t mean procrastinating on your phone, either. By knowing when you need no interruptions, you can plan accordingly. You can study or practice in peace because it is YOUR time.
Time management doesn’t need to feel like a hassle. It’s easier to plan your day and get the most out of it. All you have to do is make scheduling and time management a priority in your life.
