5 Simple Back-to-School Time Management Tips for Students

Before classes start and assignments flood in, getting prepared is critical to making it through the school year successfully. To get ahead and prevent burnout, the following tips can help you manage time this back-to-school season.

Make a plan
While not every minute of every hour needs to be mapped out, it helps to have a general daily structure and routine to manage life, school and personal well-being. Map out your daily schedule, identify dedicated time for classes, assignments, and studies, and stick to a regular wake up and sleep time.

Set realistic weekly goals
While successfully graduating may be the ultimate goal, the road to getting there is full of mini goals and milestones. From completing an outline to signing up for that study group, submitting your paper to completing two hours of uninterrupted study, take time to set realistic goals for each week. This helps to stay organized, motivated and celebrate achievements along the way.

Identify energy peaks
Nobody works at one hundred percent all hours of the day. Figure out the most productive time of day and use it to the fullest. Intensely focused work during periods of high energy and alertness will help ensure those one-hour tasks don’t end up taking three.

Leave no task unwritten
Keeping track of tasks in a planner, calendar, or to-do list will help prioritize tasks, de-clutter the brain, and get things done. Try apps like Evernote and Wunderlist to stay on track.

Know your distractions
In a time when attention is the new currency, be mindful and intentional about when and where most of your attention is going. Conduct a mini self-assessment to see if your attention is going to things that matter most in your life, or where you’d like to make changes. Also, create time to turn off and give your mind and body complete rest.

For students looking for more personalized assistance, please contact your Assistance Program.