While funds and sleep may be in short supply, many if not most, college students are also nearly always scarce on time. During college finals, having good time management skills becomes even more vital. But just what steps can you take to make sure you’re managing your time well during the chaos of finals week?
Step One: Get some sleep. When things get rough and tough, sleep often gets cut out of your schedule. That paper and lab report have to be done by tomorrow morning, so no sleep tonight, right? Wrong. Not getting adequate sleep in college can actually cost you more time in the long run. Your brain will run slower, you’ll be more likely to get sick, you’ll be less able to handle stress, and you’ll be super tired all the time.
So even if it seems counter-intuitive, invest some time in getting some quality sleep. There’s always a few ways to get a little more sleep in school, no matter how hectic your schedule might seem.
Step Two: Prioritize often. Keep a running list in your head, on your laptop, on your phone, in the cloud of the major projects and tasks that you’re managing during finals week. Adjust it as often as necessary and refer to it when you’re feeling stressed about all the things you have to do. If you feel overwhelmed, just concentrate on the top 1 or 2 items. You can only do so many things at once, so focusing on the most significant can help you feel like you’re accomplishing something instead of worrying about everything else you should be doing.
Additionally, one of the best ways to handle your time is to avoid procrastinating. If you have a final paper due Tuesday, schedule some time to work on it over the weekend instead of planning to be up all night Monday night cramming to get it done. Planning to procrastinate isn’t time management; it’s just plain silly and, ironically, a big waste of time.
Step Three: Leave extra time, just in case. As hard and as much as you might try to plan every detail of your college life, sometimes things just happen. You get sick; your laptop crashes; your roommate loses your keys; your car breaks down. For flex time, leave as much time as you can each day during finals week. That way, you won’t have to stress when the unavoidable happens, since you’ll know you already have a little time to deal with the unexpected. And if nothing happens and you find yourself with some free time, you can re-prioritize and refocus as required.