College 101: Time Management Tips
When my main character Melody Thomas from my debut novel "Drama University" was in College in the early 2000's, there weren't any iPhones or Google Calendars to keep track of all of her assignments and social events. She just used her good 'ol student planner like she always had. Many people still use a paper planner. I know I prefer to!Now days there's so many choices to uses to stay organized. But this isn't even about staying organized. It's about being on your own for the first time in you life.
There's no one to tell you when to wake up, when to eat breakfast, when to go home it's all up to you (unless you have a dorm curfew, which I suggest you abide by).
College is a great experience! Enjoy it, savor it! I loved my college experience for the most part. I am a very disciplined person, but I still had to reign myself in and know when it was time to study and such.
I loved to party and enjoy myself like everyone else but I also knew and kept in the back of my head that there was a specific reason... to get that degree!
So with that being said here are a few Time Management Tips for you that helped me tremendously in school:College Can Be A lot Harder Than High School! Do NOT say I'll do it later too many times. It will turn into a bad habit. You'll likely forget about that assignment that's due or Quiz you have Monday in Econ class. Plan ahead and accordingly when possible. Always try to have your assignments done ahead of time so that you can go have a good time guilt free!Distractions Will Kill Your Study Time! There are a ton of distractions in college. Especially if you live in the dorms or on campus! I liked to study in the comfort of my own room, but sometimes that wasn't possible. I had loud suite mates and some roommates who preferred to have their music on while I preferred quite to study. It's just hard sometimes to find somewhere good to study! If it's not your environment, sometimes it's your phone that keeps going off with alerts (Silence that sucker and hide it in your bag or away from where you can grab it easily to check it). Whatever you do, try to find a comfortable spot that fits your study style whether it be the quiet of the library or a student lounge area. Get somewhere where you can concentrate and get 'er done!If You're Late All The Time This Is For You! In college, often times I found myself constantly rushing here and rushing there. Sometimes it was my fault, sometimes it was because I had things to go to back to back and couldn't help it. But often times it was my fault. I rushed everywhere! I rushed to work, I rushed to get to class, I rushed to get to Dinner in the Cafeteria. You get the point. I just was pretty horrible about keeping track of time. Say if class is at 9 am, I would often wake up at 8:45 am and expect to get to class on time walking from the furthest end of campus. Instead of waking up a bit earlier, so I could get breakfast and get to class on time and not have to run I chose to sit in class. What often happened is I would forget something. A book, my phone, my notebook for that class. It was horrible. I didn't learn until about senior year when I had to be at work at 8 am in the morning and had class all day I better have everything I needed for the day because ain't nobody got time to run all the way back to my apartment to get what I forgot I needed.I hope some of these little tidbits help!Until next time...-Nicole Alicia