Are you nervous about starting college while juggling academics, employment, extracurricular activities, and a social life?

A woman on the phone says,

As you transition into higher education, keeping up the balancing act for all your responsibilities can quickly become exhausting. That's where effective time management comes in!

Check out these useful time management strategies if you're feeling overwhelmed by all that's on your plate.

1. Write Out Responsibilities

Hands typing away on a laptop keyboard, with sentences on the screen.

Creating items like outlines or checklists helps visualize what you need to accomplish.

These serve as roadmaps and guides, helping you fit in socializing and involvement in non-academic activities that may otherwise get sidelined. This also alleviates any anxiety that you might feel as you figure out where to start.

Putting ideas to paper is a good start and helps develop organizational and planning skills. Check out The Importance of Writing It Down, a video by leadership consultant Dave Edwards, who talks about writing ideas down so that they're not forgotten. 

Quiz

Mark has three weeks to complete a three page paper. What effective strategy should he consider during the time he has until the paper is due? Select all that apply:

2. Prioritize

Rick from Rick and Morty says,

First-time college students have a lot ahead of them, so time prioritization is key. It helps you decide which aspects of a project require more attention.

It can also be the secret sauce for expanding your activities beyond academics to include building social relationships and participating in extracurriculars.

You may decide to prioritize a lengthy or challenging task. This tactic allows you to act fast to troubleshoot any issues that you may encounter.

Or perhaps you want to begin by focusing your attention on simpler tasks? This way, you can start tasks with many moving pieces that require more focus.

How you prioritize your time depends on your unique working style and the types of tasks on your plate.

The Eisenhower Matrix offers a valuable framework that helps you figure out your priorities based on urgency and importance.

To use it, divide a page into four quadrants:

  • Urgent & Important: Do it now

  • Important but Not Urgent: Decide a time to do it

  • Urgent but Not Important: Delegate it to someone else (or automate it by using technology)

  • Neither Urgent Nor Important: Delete or eliminate it (at least for now)

Image created by the author via Canva

Quiz

What are the best way Jason can prepare for an upcoming chemistry exam, where he is required to know the periodic table? Select all that apply:

3. Set Deadlines

Cedric the Entertainer saying

Maybe you're a full-time student along with other commitments like sports or employment. Have you ever found yourself in a jam? At times, life gets in the way of us completing tasks, resulting in us not being able to meet target dates.

Setting smaller target times will help tackle many tasks. This helps reduce any pressure felt throughout the process.

Sticky notes, planners, and using Google Calendar for regular alerts, can help you stay focused on deadlines.

Check out this TikTok video by @thecreatorgrace1, who talks about the neat features of the Structured app — from reminders and time-tracking to customizable themes and colors!

4. Take Regular Breaks

A man looking at a woman while saying,

Overwhelmed as you try to accomplish multiple things? Or maybe don’t know where to even begin? Taking scheduled breaks can go a long way in preventing burnout.

You could listen to music, go on a walk, or eat some good food. Take time to recharge and come back in an hour or two, or the next day.

The Pomodoro technique is a strategy that incorporates short breaks into your work-time. It can help a task seem less daunting, manage distractions, and support concentration.

Schedule an hour or two ahead of time, so you make a mental note to yourself. This helps to develop discipline. Planning breaks and incentives can also keep your motivation up. For a bit of help doing this, check out this "Study with me" YouTube video that uses the Pomodoro technique.

Take Action

Johnny Rose from Schitt's Creek pointing both index fingers while saying,

Time management skills aren't developed overnight! Just like any other skill, it takes practice and consistency to become a time management ninja. Keep at it, and soon enough, you'll find your groove.

Consider these ideas for more on this topic:

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