Student Blog: Learning Time Management

I have a lot going on this semester, which has been both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, I’m finally taking classes I’ve been looking forward to, I have not one but two wonderful jobs that I love, and I have been directing Little Women this semester, which has been a huge milestone in my college career. On the other hand, there’s still only 24 hours in the day. I will admit, managing my full schedule has been a challenge because time management is not my strong suit, but I have discovered tools that have helped me improve my time management skills over time.

My first essential tool for managing all my responsibilities is Outlook Calendar, but really any digitized calendar will do. Temple uses Outlook, so that has been what is most confident for me. This helps my brain visualize what my day will look like and it sends my phone notifications 15 minutes before the scheduled event in case it slips my mind. Another feature of Outlook Calendar that I like is that you can enter the event once then set it to repeat until a certain day, so I can enter my class schedule and have it repeat until the last day of the semester. If you are a person who likes to visualize their schedule, I definitely recommend using Outlook or Google Calendar.

Another tool that helps me manage my time is setting specific time aside in my schedule to complete homework. Luckily I am able to work on homework at my on-campus job, as well as at my off-campus job, but I also carve out chunks of time to do work during the day. That can also help to ensure I am balancing my time between doing homework and having chill time (and that I’m not doing too much of either). I am someone who has lots of energy in the morning and it dwindles as the day goes on, so I try to do homework early before my classes start or sometime before rehearsal, and allow myself to rest in the evenings when my rehearsals are over.

In addition to keeping track of time, I tend to struggle to keep track of my physical stuff as well. It’s unrealistic for me to carry around a different notebook for each class, some of which I never end up using, so I use multi-subject notebooks. This semester, I have a small 3 subject notebook that had folders inside for my theater classes, so I’ve only had to keep track of that one notebook instead of three notebooks and a folder. This prevents me from having multiple unused notebooks lying around and helps me keep all of my notes and papers organized in one place.

Although none of these ideas are revolutionary, it is my formula for success that I discovered through trial and error. These small adjustments have made a huge impact on my college success and have helped me discover what works for me and what does not. If you are struggling with managing your time in college, just know that you are not alone and even small additions and changes can make a big difference!