time management tips

All of us know how crazy college life could get sometimes. With all the classes, conferences, and researches, it is no wonder that some are incredibly stressed out and confused and have their priorities all jumbled up.

There are students who hold a temporary job while doing college. Others have to balance out their studies with extra-curricular and civic activities. Of course, you also need to spend time with old and new friends and hang out with them.

All these things are actually part of the activities college students need to juggle with. Organizing your time so that you can successfully complete your college degree and still fulfil your other responsibilities is a feat you need to master. Learning time management skills to increase your effectiveness is necessary if you want succeed as college student.

First, you need to know how valuable each time of the day is and how to utilize your time well according to your schedule in college. There is a well-told story in Steven Covey’s “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” which tells a profound lesson of how to manage your time wisely.

The story is about a lecturer who stood before  a class holding a big jar, which he placed with big rocks. After filling it up with big rocks, he asked the class if it is full and most said yes.

Then, he got smaller rocks and dropped them in the big jar too, along with the bigger rocks. The smaller rocks, naturally could fit in the jar. After which, he again asked the students whether the jar is already full. Still, most in the class said yes. Other students suspiciously said it appears full.

After their response, the professor took out a bag of sand and emptied it into the jar, too. The sand, of course filled out all the tinier spaces between the bigger and smaller rocks. After pouring the entire bag of sand unto the jar, he again asks the class if the jar is already full. The class,rather uncertainly, said that it is full.

However, the man was not satisfied, he got out a glass of water and poured the water into the jar, which really did seeped up into the sand and ranks and eventually filled up the jar.

After this, he asks the class what the moral of the story is. The class, believing that they have spotted the trick, replied quite smartly that the moral of the story is that “you can always squeeze a bit more in.”

But, the man quickly pointed out that the real moral of the story is that “you need to get your big rocks in first, or all that other smaller ’stuff’ gets in way too soon and takes up all the space.”

Indeed, it is very true and is truly, a profound truth about time management strategies for college students.

Firstly, you have to recognize your ‘big rocks’ – the things that matter to you the most. Of course, you could always squeeze in other less important activities along with your ‘big rock’ activities.

However, if you fail to identify your top priorities and always accomplish them first, then you will never have the chance to finish them out. This is because those other stuff you are doing will take up most of your time and marginalize your efforts for your top priority activities.

According to Covey, these are the Quadrant 2 activities. Covey also explains that if you fail to take time to set the most important goal in your life as the first thing in your college student activity schedule, then you will never get the chance to let your ‘big rock’ activity evolve and grow.

This kind of effective time management is also a means of self-management. In fact, these two concepts are one and the same. College students got to establish priorities for themselves from number 1 or the most important thing they desire from life, up to the least important but significant little stuff they have to do that supports their achievement of their most important goal.

Once you have listed down your ‘big rock’ goal, then you have to manage your college student activities – studies, researches, extra – curricular college activities, civic duties and socials, without ever straying far from your ultimate goal. Be sure that you don’t wind up doing lots of things but finish up with nothing.

Take time to think about your reasons for being in college and your reasons for involving yourself in other college student activities. Doing this exercise helps you draw up the list of priorities you need to accomplish.

Never forget Covey and his big rocks, though. In listing down your priorities in life, always put in number one, your big rock activities.

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