Want to learn how to get everything out of college you can without completely burning out?
Finding balance between academics and extracurriculars is easily one of the biggest challenges students will face when in college. Whether you go to a small school with affordable college degree programs or a giant state school with tuition prices through the roof — this is a problem every student encounters.
There’s too much to do and not enough hours in the day.
Before we get into the guide, check out these stats:
72% of college students felt overwhelmed frequently with balancing academics and their personal life. That’s right. Nearly 3 out of every 4 students are stressed about the same thing you are.
Thankfully it doesn’t have to feel that way…
Students who attend schools like wayne state know that finding affordable college degree programs is only part of the battle. The other half? Learning how to manage your time – so both your grades and your life outside of school don’t suffer.
Let’s go over how to do just that…
Why Time Management is Important in College
College is NOT high school.
Try telling that to a freshman on move-in day. But it’s true. Your day isn’t planned for you in college. Suddenly students are making their own schedule — and most haven’t had to do that before.
Throwing extracurriculars into the equation just creates more chaos. Practicing your sport, club meetings, student government, volunteering… the list goes on and on. And they each take up a piece of the same 24 hours you have.
Let’s look at another stat:
Around 30% of college students say their grades/job performance suffered because of poor time management. Imagine if that number was 0%.
Students who figure out how to manage their time excel in college. They’re the ones who learn how to balance school and everything else they throw into their schedule.
The #1 Thing Students Mess Up
If you asked 100 students this question, you’d probably get 100 different answers. But there’s one thing most students struggle with that really brings everything else down.
Doing too much at once.
The start of a new semester is always exciting. Nobody wants to miss out on what’s happening. But before you know it — mid-semester rolls around and you’ve got deadlines looming, practice until midnight, clubs, homework, studying… you get the idea.
You hit a wall.
And it’s the students who haven’t taken the time to plan everything out that hit that wall first.
Does that sound like you?
The solution isn’t hard. But it does require action.
5 Time Management Strategies That Will Make Your Life Easier
Review these. Pick the ones that you know will work for you and start using them. That’s it.
Here are five that have helped students for years.
1. Create a Weekly Master Schedule
Every Sunday, plan out your entire week. Not just class, but everything. When you study, when you sleep, when you have free time. Once you layout everything you know you HAVE to do you’ll start to see where you can cut back.
This sounds simple, but students who use a planner are 50% more likely to get their assignments done on time.
2. Use Time Blocking
Time blocking is when you plan to do certain tasks at set times. Instead of thinking “I’ll study later”, you decide that you’ll study from 7-9PM.
This isn’t just motivational speak. When you say you’ll do something later it rarely happens. When you set a definitive time slot… it happens.
Students who use time blocking methods find themselves 20% more productive.
3. Prioritize With Purpose
Not everything has the same level of priority.
Divide your tasks into urgent vs important. Papers that are due tomorrow are urgent. Maybe studying for a test next week is important but not urgent. Both are things you need to do, but they shouldn’t be assigned the same amount of time.
This type of prioritization helps students stop spending two hours on things that don’t need it while the big stuff piles up.
4. Schedule Your Peak Hours
Everyone has times throughout the day when they’re most productive. Some students are morning people. Some don’t crack until noon. Figure out when you’re best at schoolwork and protect that time.
During your peak hours, do your hardest work. Don’t waste that time browsing Facebook or answering emails.
5. Learn to Say No
Here’s the hard truth…
You don’t have time for EVERYTHING.
It’s easy to want to join every club and attend every event. But your schedule isn’t infinite. Your dollar budget definitely isn’t.
Sticking to a few things you love and spending quality time on them is better than spreading yourself thin.
Tools to Make Your Life Easier
Took us long enough.
Alright so tools aren’t going to fix your life. But they can help you along the way. Here are a few students swear by:
- Google Calendar – free, works on all devices, simple to time block
- Notion / Trello – both great for keeping track of projects/assignments
- Forest App – helps students stay off their phones during studying time
- Good ole pen and paper – oldie but goodie
Find tools that you’ll actually use. An app you spend $10 on and just ignore doesn’t do you or anyone any good.
How to Keep Yourself Organized
Want to know the worst part about staying on top of stuff?
It takes work.
Coming into college super organized is one thing. But staying that way for a whole semester is where most students fall short.
The key is to take 15-20 minutes every Sunday to review the week ahead and make adjustments. That way things don’t slip through the cracks and your whole system doesn’t come crashing down.
85% of college students agree that better time management would improve their academic performance. The students who take that to heart are the ones who graduate with both great grades and awesome extracurricular experience.
Let’s Review…
Learning how to balance academics and extracurriculars can be easy if you have the right system.
Following what you’ve learned here:
- Plan out your whole week every Sunday
- Use time blocking for studying
- Schedule your most important tasks
- Don’t forget to study during your peak hours
- Say no to things you KNOW you don’t have time for
These will help you feel less stressed and actually enjoy college.
Go ahead and start this Sunday. Your future self will thank you.