Photo: “Time” by mydaydream via Pixabay
It is already the beginning of the fourth week of the semester, and I’m sure planners are gradually piling up with due dates. How will you ever finish that eight-page essay in four days? Plus, read five chapters for your American history class? It’s all about managing your time wisely. It is known that many students, including myself, struggle with how to plan when to do assignments without procrastinating. Believe it or not, there are a few easy tips to manage time that are actually viable, if you choose to pursue them.
At least twice in your student life, someone must have suggested that you create a “To Do” list. I know what you were thinking, and I thought the same way—these never help! What if we took the idea of a “To Do” list and turned it into a “When To Do” list? Basically, you would write down all of the items you need “to do” with their due dates, and when you plan on doing them. It also may be helpful to split up an assignment. For example, if you have a five page essay due on Friday and it’s Monday, you could write that you will outline your paper on Monday and write two pages on Tuesday and one or two on each day after that— however you’d like to break it apart.
Personally, I have found that “chunking” essays has saved me an extreme amount of stress and time. The feeling of completion of even a page of writing leaves me one less page to write the next day. Essay chunking is especially useful with big research papers of 10 or 11 pages; there is even more time to revise.
“When To Do” lists are also wonderful to help plan your outside of school hobbies. While planning out when you will be working on assignments, you have to keep in mind what you may have time to do that day. If you read pages 56-90 of your Geology textbook and answer questions 7-12, then maybe you’ll have time to watch “Stranger Things.”
Whether we want to believe it or not, cell phones are a major reason why time management gets screwed up. A student could have the most organized schedule and be on task—then their ringer goes off. Cell phones can add hours on end to coursework. My recommendation: leave your mobile device in another room where you will feel too tired to get up and get it.
Taking control of your homework schedule is crucial to start at the beginning of the semester. If you practice to plan ahead sooner, it will become a habit and make the remainder of the semester run as smooth as it can. Again, these tips may not work for everyone and so building off of them to find your personal style is all it takes.
Madison Starinieri is a third-year student majoring in English education and special education. MS882527@wcupa.edu