Tips on Time Management
Often it can seem very overwhelming when it’s 9pm by the time you finally get home after class and meetings and you know you have papers to write, lab reports to finish, and reading to get done. There is a way to handle this stress—one piece at a time! My personal strategy has been to keep up-to-date with events, homework, and studying by recording them in my agenda, which I carry with me to and from class. I like to know what I have to do every day and how that fits in my whole week; for me, it lessens the feeling of being swamped down with massive amounts of studying for that bio midterm on Monday or from stress I get for thinking about the future (graduate school). Another tip is learning to prioritize (very important). However, something I have learned is that it is one thing to be able to prioritize, and another to actually get things done. Once you start, it is much easier to keep the flow going of studying.
Another tip I have addresses the lack of motivation many students may have in school work. At times during studying for my lower division science classes, I’ve wondered what any of this has to do with learning, and with it my motivation for keeping on top of things started to fade. I have found that putting up something inspirational to your goals in life or your career—whether that be a poster of someone you admire, or a quote that captures a quality you like—serves as a constant reminder that what you are doing right now is working toward your future.
And as many others have already said, remember, you are only an undergraduate once, so enjoy it while you can!