welcome to time management for college students brought to you by the Eastern Kentucky University student success center it was so easy in high school wasn't it a bell would ring and you knew where to go next and what you were going to do College is not like that of course suddenly the world expects you to be very adult all at once and not only takes away the bells but it doesn't even tell you when to eat when to do laundry when to study take time for soft care they even let you choose your class schedule time management centers on our habits think about how many times you mindlessly look at your phone in a day that's a habit habits are hard to break but they can be easy to create start now to build good habits by intentionally making good decisions managing your own time first look at your time in two categories the parts of your day you can control and the parts that you cannot control things you can't control or when your classes meet sure you got to create your schedule the face-to-face classes still have a set time most students do not have a great deal of control over their work schedule parts of your day you can control though or when you eat when you study when you socialize when you sleep an important recommendation we make is keeping a planner the planner can help you see your schedule and begin to set your priorities if you are just starting to use a planner try writing in a detailed scheduler first include all the elements of your day including class time when you eat when you sleep when you socialize and so first in your planner make the parts of your schedule you cannot control add your class times and work schedule add other events that are scheduled by other people then begin to include a healthy sleep schedule and times to eat then include your study plan see the Student Success Center video about effective study plans for more details but do make sure your study plan is set for early in the day the brain is not as effective at learning later at night after adding your study plan times make sure you include time for yourself it is important to include self-care time in order for your brain to relax well sometimes it's difficult to relax when you feel like you should be studying scheduling time for self-care gives your brain permission to relax and not feel guilty about what you think you should be doing in a world that loves hacks how about some time-saving hacks first make efficient use of your study time make sure that your study space is ready for you that you have your materials and that you'll be studying in an environment conducive to study find a good study space and go there when you study never study in your bed and send your brain mixed messages do we sleep here do we study here and suddenly you can't do either there well that said time that you set aside for laundry can do double duty that's a good time to review flashcards or watch videos that supplement content new classes when you're walking from class you can chat with classmates about what you just discussed in class or go over some of the terms you just covered if you aren't walking with classmates it's a good time to rehearse in your mind key terms and concepts and try to remember definitions and explanations without looking at your notes when your brain has to work hard to recall content it pushes the informational long-term memory a little easier limit distractions when you study there are any number of apps available online that can help you prevent programs on your computer and your phone from being distractions most importantly approach your study time with positivity hold yourself accountable and reward yourself when you stick to your schedule it's easier to stick to a study schedule when you have some reward time scheduled in during the week assess how things are going after a few weeks you will likely have to schedule more time for some classes and perhaps less time for others once you hit your stride stick with it so that you build habits into your schedule then you'll find time management comes naturally to you