Time Management For College Students

By Ben Glass, Esquire

Benjamin W. Glass and Associates

. https://www.benglasslaw.com/

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Time Management For College Students

By the time you see this article, your college-age kids will have probably gone back to school. I give you permission to copy and mail this article to them.

Here's my message for those of who you are embarking upon (or are in the midst of) what many people will look back on as one of the greatest times in their lives. By the way, this applies to everyone else out there, as well though you may need to “translate” a few of the ideas to your life.

1. You will NEVER have as much time to get stuff accomplished in the real world as you will when you are in college, and this applies whether or not you are doing cool extracurricular stuff like sports or drama, social groups like sororities, or being the editor of your school paper.

2. Never in the history of man have there been more distractions instantly available to you. You know what “messaging with friends” was in 1976 when I headed off to William and Mary? Writing a note on the whiteboard that hung from every dorm room and coming back later to see if your friend had responded.

3. Never again will you get such a detailed “to do” list (in the form of a class syllabus).

4. Never again will you have as many people doing the dishes and taking care of your heating/air conditioning for you!

So, here's what you should be doing

1. Map out your life. Get a calendar and put in the “due dates” of all of those tests, papers, and other projects.

2. Working backward, “map out” exactly what times you are going to give highly focused attention to those projects. Set appointments with yourself.

3. Build in buffer time for #2.

4. Have integrity with the “appointments” you make with yourself. Honor yourself by keeping the appointments.

5. When you are working, turn off those devices. They are killing your ability to think for long periods of time. You can't actually “multi-task.” Again, this is all about honoring the commitment you have already made to yourself.

6. Create a “mastermind group.” Okay, your buddies won't know what a mastermind group is, so tell your friends it's a “we are going to surprise everyone and crush the class curve study group.” Go find folks who seem to be smarter about certain subjects than you are, and surround yourself with them. You are the average of the five people you hang out with most. Study with a bunch of folks who have a higher GPA than you do, and your GPA will rise.

There. I've just handed you a masterful playbook for success in college. Your parents will appreciate that I have given you this gift. Use it.