Being a student is tough! It isn’t enough to just be smart or talented.  You have to successfully manage a class schedule, homework deadlines, extra curricular activities, college/scholarship/career applications and maybe even a part-time job, all while maintaining the social life you both want and need. It’s a lot to deal with, but it doesn’t have to be stressful.

Here are 5 tried and true strategies that worked for me:

1) Break up your “Meat” Tasks. Trying to study for 48 hours straight is like eating nothing but steak for two days. It doesn’t work. Spread these things out over several days.

2) Keep a calendar. You may think you can get by without writing down your deadlines, but you are wrong. You can only keep so much information in your head because you start forgetting things. Keeping a calendar is essential.

3) Make your own deadlines. When you procrastinate, you give up control of your time. Make your own homework deadline a few days before the real one so you won’t wait until the last minute.

4) Don’t waste time stressing out. Students sometimes treat being “stressed out” like a badge of honor, as though being stressed somehow makes you smarter. Don’t get caught up in that.


5) Get help! Tell your friends or roommates that you are trying to work on your time management. This makes you accountable to someone other than just yourself.