5 tips to be a more productive college student
As a college student and intern I know that it’s hard to stay organized and make the most of the little time that exists between school, work, studying, and extra curricular activities. Here are some tips to help you be productive and reduce unnecessary stress.
Write Things Down: Writing things down allows you to free up space within your brain. Even if you’re pretty good at remembering things it’s helpful to have it all spelled out in front of you because the more information you take in, the more it’s likely that something will get pushed to the back of your brain and forgotten. Let the paper/smartphone/computer do the remembering for you so you can focus on one thing at a time.
Quit Procrastinating: It’s no longer acceptable to use excuses like “I’m too tired” or “I’ll have time tomorrow.” First, you have no idea what’s going to come your way tomorrow. Some last minute thing could come up and you may have little to no time at all. Second, the longer you put it off, the harder it will be to do. So just do it. Get it out of the way so you don’t have to worry about it anymore. Then you really will have time to do something else tomorrow.
Make A Schedule: Help yourself stop procrastinating by making a schedule. Scheduling out your tasks is a great way to take away the pressure of having to remember what exactly needs to get done next. It will tell you how much time you actually have to designate to a certain task...as well as time left over for fun!
Organize: Take time to organize your room or workspace. Everything from personal things to important paperwork, needs a home. If it’s old and irrelevant, toss it. If it’s not used often, store it somewhere high or low. If it’s in constant demand, keep it in an easy to reach spot. My mother used to tell me (and still does sometimes) that my room is a reflection of my mind: if it is cluttered, so is my mind. I’m starting to think she’s right...just don’t tell her I said that.
Manage Your Time: This may seem similar to #3 but there are a few aspects that are different. A couple things to do to help you with this is to prepare for your day the night before. Make sure you know what your day will probably look like the night before. That will give you more peace as you go to bed at night. Then start your day early. It’s only logical that if your day starts earlier, you’ll have more time to do the things you need to do.