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The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Grand Canyon University. Any sources cited were accurate as of the publish date.
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Time, and what you choose to do with it, is an important element to every college student’s schedule. As an incoming freshman, you are entering a whole new chapter of your life. Before now, you had people telling you what to do and how to do it, but now it’s time to make your own decisions. Ultimately, these are some of the hardest choices you will have to make.
There will be days when you are going to have to choose between going out with friends or finishing up an assignment and going to class. This is where we begin to see the significance and value of time management. Most freshmen experience a sense of freedom they have never had before, and because of this, they do not have the skills to properly manage their time. It’s so important to find a routine that will help you achieve success in college, while still having time to do all the fun things that college has to offer.
The first step to practicing good time management is to prioritize the events and commitments in your life. As a student, classes and homework should always be a top priority. Avoid having to miss class or pushing back homework by blocking off time in your schedule to accomplish both of those things. There are a number of ways and tools to do this, such as using a planner or the calendar app in your phone. You could also set reminders on your phone of when your classes are or when you have a prior commitment made.
Next, make sure to look at your schedule and set time aside during the week to take care of your homework. The last thing you want is to end the week by spending all of Sunday rushing to finish up the four papers that you could have finished throughout the week. It’s easy to look ahead at your schedule and determine times, how much and on what days, you should designate for homework or studying. For example, if you have classes on Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays, you can set aside time after those classes to work on homework. If you were to get one or two assignments done on those days, you could find yourself with a completely homework-free weekend!
The second step to time management – definitely the more difficult of the two – is actually sticking to the schedule that you set for yourself. This is the hardest part because it all comes down to your own willpower and discipline! By continually training yourself in your routine, it will soon become second nature and you will be comfortable in your schedule and accomplishing the goals that you made for yourself.
Of course there will be times that you will wait to do an assignment, like if you’re sick or if you and your friends decide to take a spontaneous trip to the Grand Canyon – and that’s completely fine! Putting off homework isn’t a huge problem – until it becomes a habit. Hopefully with these tips you can begin setting a schedule for yourself and learning time management so that you can be ready to take on all your responsibilities while also finding time for yourself and the things that matter most to you!
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