Time Management: The art of balance

College is a world of new and different experiences. The most important thing to remember while in college is that you are a “college student” you’re not just here for the ride. This is a place where your responsibility is at a new height. There’s no one here telling you when to go to bed, eat, take a shower or do your homework. This is the type of freedom every young adult dreams of after being in a house of rules for eighteen years. But the downside to having this freedom is we have to adjust how we’d normally handle our day to day operations. The key to college success is time management; the act or process of planning and exercising conscious control over the amount of time spent on specific activities, especially to increase effectiveness, efficiency or productivity.

The first step in managing your time efficiency is goal setting. Setting S.M.A.R.T. goals makes it way easier to organization how you decide to spend your time and money. The “S” is for Specific which is the what, where and how? Stating specifically what you would like to accomplish is a great way to determine decision making. The “M” is for Measurable which is “from and to” measurement gives feedback or a pre-evaluation on the progress of the goals you set. The “A” Assignable meaning “who?” the goal itself must be assignable to the individuals or groups. The “R” is for Realistic “is it feasible?” The goals you set should be challenging yet attainable within the given timeframe. Which brings me to the last letter “T” for Time-bound, “...when?” The time frame determines the amount of work ethic and consistency its going to take to complete your goal.

The next step in time management is planning and preparation. I can’t stress enough always have a backup, a ba...

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...ould be list at the top. Courses that are less challenging would be listed in order below.

As a student is important to know your strength and weakness. Who knows you better than you know yourself. Your first semester in college teaches you that, if you know you aren't a morning person. Then for the second semester don’t sign up for morning classes. If you prefer to wake up early as to having classes in the afternoon then try to get morning classes.

College is very complex some days are going to be a lot harder than others, none the less taking on the challenge and reaping the benefits of your accomplishments is some much more rewarding than you could think. College is about making the experience for yourself, coming in to your own, appling your morals and values to your everyday life. So welcome to college and value your time here because you can’t get it back.