How to Manage Your Time at University

Hi, guys! It’s Alora, and today’s blog post is all about managing your time effectively during your university journey. University is a place full of many distractions. If you’re not alert enough to see the signs, you’ll most likely get carried away by it all. I aim to give people a complete look into my life, which at the moment is centred around college. I want to share some practical tips on how to make the most of your time at university. These points are going to be from my first-year experience.

1. Know Your Purpose for Being Here: You’d be surprised how many people are in the university for things other than studying. You have to know what your reason is for being here. Are you here to get your degree? Are you here to go to parties and neglect your studies? Or maybe you want to be balanced. Either way, you need to know this and truly understand your reason for being here before you’re able to manage your time. Knowing your goal is the first step in making steps to achieve it.
2. Rank Tasks in Terms of Importance: Prioritization is crucial when it comes to managing your time effectively. Identify the tasks and activities that are most important to you. For example, if achieving a high GPA is a priority, make studying and coursework your primary focus, not parties and motives. Create a list of tasks in order of importance, ensuring that you allocate your time accordingly. That’s as simple as it gets. You have to identify the main things you want to do in university and identify them, from the most important to the least important.
3. Make Time for Activities that Further Your Goals: Once you have identified your priorities, allocate your time wisely. Devote more hours to activities that align with your goals. If academic success is your main objective, two or more extra hours into studying than the other activities. Your time should be occupied a bit more by activities of higher priority. This doesn’t mean that you’ll spend all your time studying. It means that you’ll put a little more effort outside the classroom towards your academics. Get into the habit of reading for two hours, five days a week, it’ll help get into the habit of studying. It will also help you keep up to date with schoolwork.
4. Don’t Cut Out Social Events: While academics are essential, socializing and building connections are also integral parts of the university experience. Instead of completely eliminating social events, choose those that you wish to attend and leave the rest. There’s always going to be something fun at each party so you’ll have to make a sacrifice. First, don’t be tempted by the fun and second, don’t be moved by it either. Avoid some of the events and go for some of them as well.
5. Prioritize Sleep: One aspect of time management that is often overlooked is sleep. Staying up till 5 am is not the best practice. All that does is put a strain on your mind and affect your ability to think clearly. It may work out now, but soon enough it will be what destroys you. Put sleep as a factor when managing your time. It is more important than you think and can help with the organization of your thoughts as well as better understanding. Try to put in a worst-case scenario of six hours of sleep and aim for 8hours on your best days. You can also schedule small naps during your free time between lectures. I’m heavily guilty of that.
6. Cope with Distractions: As I said earlier, University has a lot of distractions. Some can be friends, parties, stressful relationships as well as even our phones. If you’re someone who struggles with distractions, it’s best to handle them early on and quickly. If your friends always or too frequently stop you from studying at the time you’ve set, cut them off. If parties are the issue, cut them down. Stressful relationship? Make a separate time to spend time with your partner and if they‘re toxic and disturb your peace of mind, cut them off. Is your phone taking too much of your time? Give it to a trusted friend for the period you have something important to do. There will always be distractions, all that matters is that you handle them.
7. Make Time for Your Destressers: Stress is inevitable during your university journey, so it’s essential to make time for activities that help you unwind and recharge. Whether it’s exercising, practising mindfulness, engaging in creative hobbies, or spending time with loved ones, prioritize these activities to maintain a healthy work-life balance and reduce stress.

By implementing these practical tips on how to manage your time at University, you’ll be better equipped to navigate the challenges and demands of university life. Remember to clarify your purpose, prioritize tasks, allocate time wisely, maintain a balanced social life, prioritize sleep, cope with distractions, and make time for destressers. That’s all I have on how to manage your time at University, I hope it was helpful. Feel free to ask questions in the comments. I’ll try to answer them either in the comments or in my next post.