Time Mastery: Time Management Techniques for the College Student 

Your college years can be some of the best years of your life. You’re building long lasting friendships with peers, getting to know who you really are and hopefully finding time to study so that you can eventually graduate and enter into the workforce.  Some students also work a part-time job while going to school full-time.  Finding the time to juggle and balance all your responsibilities can be difficult at times, but time management skills can be learned. So, if you’re worried about feeling stressed out or are already there, follow my time management techniques below for some relief.

My College Experience

I’m an early riser so I was more inclined to choose early morning college courses. Most of the time, my courses were finished by 2 pm which freed up my afternoon. I would usually go to the gym for an hour to unwind from the day’s classes. After the gym I would go to the library with the highest percentage of girls (at Rutgers that was the Mabel Smith Library on the Cook/Douglass Campus) because you need to find enough time for dating, too! There, I would study for at least 2 hours. I would review the material that I took notes on that day in class to reinforce the learning. Studying and reviewing my notes then helped me save time later when it came time to prepare for the exam.

If you’re working a part-time job like many full time students are (and like I did as well), I may be able to help. I only worked two four-hour shifts and scheduled them every other day. When I was able to choose the days I worked, I always picked Tuesdays and Thursdays. I never chose to work on Monday because I wanted to ease back into the week and didn’t want to wear myself too thin too early on in the week. I would also try to pick up shifts on the weekend. Working a few extra shifts (if possible) can provide you with a little extra money so you don’t have to bug mom or dad all the time. Any free time during the day, nights or on weekends should be spent with your friends and/or significant other with the occasional study session squeezed in.

This schedule has always worked for me, but everyone is different. A great way to help you build better time management skills is to first learn what you do well and what you can do better. Taking a Time Management course is a quick, easy and effective way to learn more about your current time management skills and pick up on some new time management techniques.

More of my Time Management Techniques for Students 

Start small. Break up larger projects into smaller/more manageable projects to start chipping away at a looming deadline.

Pepper in study breaks. Every hour take a 10 minute break. Do something that doesn’t involve studying like taking a walk, listening to your new favorite song, call someone or just don your Ray-Bans and people watch on campus.

Snack healthy. Make your own trail mix of almonds, pumpkin seeds and raisins to keep your brain sharp and your stomach satiated

Start a study group. Studying in a group can be extremely helpful and from my experience can be beneficial to discuss topics with the group that may come up on the next exam. Plus you’re exposing yourself to meet new friends which may come in handy when the weekend rolls around.