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Managing your time like a pro
Managing your time like a pro
What time is it?
What time is it?
It may seem like a lot of things are out of your control as you wait for college decisions and financial aid, but there is one thing you can control: your time!
Organizing and dedicating your time to accomplishing specific tasks is going to be the key to finishing out your senior year strong, so finding a time management plan that fits your lifestyle and habits is crucial.
tips and tricks for time management
tips and tricks for time management
You might have to try out a few different things before you find what works for you. Check out these ideas below for some things you might experiment with!
Start each week with a game plan
Start each week with a game plan
Before the week starts, try asking yourself these questions:
What are my goals for the week academically, socially, and personally?
What are my priorities—do any of these goals have a deadline?
Doing this can help you figure out what you want to focus on doing this week, and what tasks you need to finish to do this.
Start each day by finishing easy tasks
Start each day by finishing easy tasks
If you start out the day crossing off small or easy tasks from your to-do list, you’ll feel accomplished and hopefully have some motivation to keep working on larger tasks.
This is especially useful when you have a bigger thing to do later that you’re not feeling very excited to do.
Minimize distractions
Minimize distractions
We all get distracted, but that doesn’t mean you can’t try to avoid them:
Disable text notifications on your computer, put your phone in another room, and try to find a quiet place to work.
Some distractions are unavoidable, but you can have a plan in place to minimize them, like wearing headphones to block out noise or having a snack on-hand if you know you get hungry while studying.
If you find yourself checking your phone or browsing the internet, use these as rewards instead of distractions. If you accomplish a certain task, then you can check social media.
Establish a routine
Establish a routine
The more of a routine you have, the less you’ll have to think about when you need to accomplish important tasks—it’ll just be something you do every day.
One way to do this is linking the new task you’re trying to accomplish to an already existing routine. For example, since you eat dinner every night, try to do 30 minutes of your scholarship essay before or after you eat.
stay organized with digital tools
stay organized with digital tools
We live in a world with a lot of ways to organize your time online, so it can be hard to find what works.
Try using one of the tools below for a few weeks and see if it helps. Remember, it takes time to build a habit, so if it’s not working, give it a bit more time or try another one!
If you like keeping track of thing on your computer
If you like keeping track of thing on your computer
If you do your classwork on the computer, it can also be a great place to stay organized:
Google Calendar: This all-in-one scheduling tool that allows you to schedule events, set reminders for yourself, schedule video calls, and see any upcoming dates and deadlines. You don’t even need a Gmail account to use it!
Google Keep: A note taking tool where you can organize and set reminders on tasks.
Trello: A visual tool that helps you organize and prioritize tasks, create boards for goals, in-progress, and completed tasks.
If you like staying organized with your phone
If you like staying organized with your phone
If you’ve always got your phone with you, you can use apps to get serious about your time management:
Focus Keeper: use timers to set work time, breaks, goals, and more!
Toggl Plan: get a visual overview of tasks and deadlines, drag and drop tasks to different categories.
Rescue Time: track where your time goes, block distractions, and set productivity goals.
stay organized with a journal
stay organized with a journal
IF you like writing things down on paper
IF you like writing things down on paper
If you like writing things down on paper, a bullet journal is a more creative way to schedule your time, create to-do lists, and brainstorm. In addition to helping you stay organized, bullet journaling can be a fun, stress-relieving activity. All you need is a notebook and a pen!
You’re in charge of how you format your journal, but you can check out this guide for ideas on how to start. You can also look at some examples here!
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