Managing Your Time
Time management means being honest about your priorities and limitations, as well as keeping your days organized. Focus on what goals are important to you, and combine with healthy time management skills to develop feasible timelines for achieving them. Remember that everyone is unique - so consider the tips below, try a few activities, and adapt them for yourself. Read more in this UW article about time management.
Take care of yourself
Whether you’re enrolled in max credits this quarter, taking care of family members, working while going to school, having a rough week, or all of the above, there’s likely a lot going on for you as a student. Feelings like stress, guilt over procrastinating, pressure to succeed, can actually hinder your ability to get things done and increase your psychological burden. Therefore, it’s important to dedicate time to practicing self-care so that you can re-balance yourself to meet life’s challenges. For some quick ways to recharge, plan to try out some of the suggested self-care activities in the Activities section of this tutorial. UW has many Mental Health Tools and Mindfulness and Relaxation resources for students.
Image credit: UW Visual Asset Collection Links to an external site.
Prioritize your goals
There’s probably not enough hours in a day to do everything that comes your way. Instead of trying to save time by multi-tasking (it doesn’t work!) and trying to cram everything into your schedule, ask yourself: What things are most important to you? Do you currently make the time to do them? Any type of goal you have - academic or personal - can be transformed into a SMART goal.
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Specific |
Being specific about your goal helps you focus and clearly define what you are going to do. Your goal should include answers to the “Five W’s”: who, what, where, when, and why. |
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Measurable |
Managing your goals and staying motivated is easier when you choose a measurable goal so that you can track your progress. |
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Achievable |
It’s important to set goals that will expand your horizons, but still remain realistic and within your capabilities. Don’t let setbacks or critiques demotivate you! Failure is a natural part of the growth process. Be open to the lessons of your experiences on the path to your goal and adjust as you go. |
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Relevant |
Reflect on what goals make sense for YOU, your interests, where you are right now and where you see yourself in the future. What seems like a good goal for others might not be the best fit for you. Set the bar high, according to your own standards, to attain a satisfying achievement. |
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Timely |
Set a realistic timeframe for achieving your goal: next week, by the end of the quarter, by graduation. Honestly consider the time you need to accomplish the smaller tasks that make up your goal. Putting checkpoints on more long-term goals gives you clear targets to work towards. |
Make a schedule and do your best to stick to it
Scheduling tools can be as fancy as a leatherbound journal, as simple as print-out, or as high-tech as an app - just find what works for you! The key is to practice recording these events as soon as you know of them, instead of trying to keep them all in your head. Cross tasks off as you complete them to keep motivated! Do you currently use a calendar or planner for scheduling purposes? Is it working for you? How often do you look at it/add to it?
Reflect regularly
It’s important to plan ahead with future goals but also to be present with how you’re feeling as you progress and whether you need to re-adjust because your priorities have changed (it happens!). Self-care, goal-setting, and scheduling all work together, so check in often with yourself about whether any of these elements should be shifted for balance.
College is all about pursuing opportunities, but be realistic when considering taking on additional commitments Refer back to your schedule, goals, and personal wellness when considering taking on another commitment. Saying “no” is also perfectly healthy and necessary!