Soon after entering into college, students begin to feel stressed out by the overwhelming burden of classes, assignments and quizzes. Add to this the student’s work responsibilities and co-curricular involvements, and it all appears as if they would never be able to make it through college successfully. Here comes the importance of learning to manage your time. First of all, it is really important to understand that time management is a skill that can only be learnt over time through consistent practice. It is equally important to understand that learning this skill can make some real difference in the quality of your life.

Set your priorities

Realizing that the primary purpose of their being in college is to graduate, students must set their priorities right. Even for students who are juggling academics with a job, the academic work should take priority over everything else. Not only this, while deciding upon your priorities, you should never undermine the importance of your health and fitness related activities.

Make a realistic schedule

After finalizing your priorities, you need to figure out a workable schedule based upon your priorities. Make sure the schedule is a realistic one, i.e.. it should leave time for meals as well as transit time to/from college. There should be enough time for academic activities in your daily schedule so that you never have to stay up all night to complete your projects for a deadline. But your schedule must also not be too strict; it should have time for relaxation, if not on a daily basis then certainly on a weekly basis.

Follow the schedule strictly

No matter how much time and effort you've invested in coming up with a balanced schedule, it is absolutely of no use unless you stick to it. Mind you, this is not going to be an easy task. In order to overcome your procrastination tendencies, you’ll really need to feel motivated all the time. You’ll need to remind yourself over and over again that following your daily schedule strictly would keep your life balanced and would save you from getting overburdened with work. Often it so happens that you are pulled off track because of the activities of your friends. To avoid this, you must learn to say no. A little deviation from your schedule is certainly not going to harm you, but if you are ready to give in every time your friends invite you to hang out with them, you will surely mess it all up.

Ask for help

At times, students need help in order to manage their time productively. In numerous colleges, on-campus tutoring centres offer help with time management. Students should take full advantage of these centres. Not only this, students could ask their teachers for help in this regard. Other students who are proficient in time management skills can also be asked for assistance. The point is to look out for all the opportunities and resources available for learning time management skills so that you get through college not only with a degree in your hand, but with an invaluable skill that would serve you for the rest of your life.

Author Bio:
Richard Thompson has been the lead writer for the leading essay company OrderMyPapers for over 5 years now. His work is most insightful work that you can’t find anywhere else. He writes with passion and he doesn't consider assignments a burden; that’s his biggest trait and selling point.