<p>Are you good at managing your time? If so, what advice or suggestions would you give to someone who sucks at it?</p>
<p>I like to rank the assignments I have to do, in the order I will complete them before I begin this way I won’t waste any time wondering if I should do stats problems or study for gov test. Instead, I have a schedule of what I need to do, in what order. </p>
<p>Using a planner is really important because you can’t guarantee that you’ll remember all of your assignments at the end of the day. </p>
<p>Lately, I’ve also been rewarding myself. I’ll spend a certain amount if time working on one project then take a short break, giving me time to play q game, check my facebook, or eat something. It can be kind of hard initially to get back into doing the work but I suppose time management is all about forcing yourself to do things you don’t necessarily wanna do :)</p>
<p>I’ve always had a bit of an issue with time management, but this semester I worked up a system that really worked to keep me on track. Each week, I write out a detailed to-do list, which is broken down by day. Things listed under each day are things that need to be accomplished on or by that day. This includes assignments and also important things such as adviser meetings, club meetings, etc. I arrange this into a check sheet so that when something is finished, I check it off.</p>
<p>Also, for a larger task, such as writing a paper or studying for a test, I set very specific goals and break it up into sub-sections. For instance, for a test I might write:</p>
<p> Study for test:
- Read over notes
– 1 time
– 2 times
– 3 times
- Do online review questions
- Read over text, pgs blah - blah, and blah</p>
<p>For some reason, I find that having an idea of when everything needs to be done by keeps me on track and reminds me that I need to be accomplishing things. A lot of times I will add somewhat small, trivial things to the list so that I will, 1) feel intimidated by it and get working sooner, and 2) get to check off more things because I find that reinforcing for some reason. This speaks to my overall nerdiness but I find it very thrilling to check the last box on a to-do list. </p>
<p>Before this semester I was a horrid procrastinator. I would pull an all-nighter or close to one for nearly every paper I wrote, and never studied for a test before the night before. For some reason, making these check sheets really helped me keep on track and this semester was way less stressful than others despite the fact that I was doing about the same amount of work as before. The practice also reinforced itself because I was able to relax at the end of the night, leading to more sleep, better moods, and getting sick less.</p>
<p>Of course, this is just the system that works for me because of the way my mind works, and it took me until my junior year of college to figure it out. 
If you have a strange fascination with checking boxes it might do something for you too, but sometimes finding what works just involves some trial and error.</p>
<p>I’d suggest that you begin studying early before things get nasty towards the end of the semester.</p>
<p>You guys sound like my obsessive roommate. xD</p>
<p>I just look at my syllabi, see what’s due and when, and do a reasonable amount every day (reasonable being enough that I’ll finish it by the due date). </p>
<p>I mean, I do have a whiteboard on which I write which assignments are due what day, but I don’t break it down like that. I rarely use my planner. I’m so forgetful, I forget to look at it, so I’m better off with a big board on my wall telling me what to do. -chuckles- (I have a terrible time remembering simple things…)</p>
<p>Anyway, OP, if you’re having problems, just plan things out in detail. Or be like Josephina92 and give yourself rewards for getting work done quickly and efficiently. That’s what my roommate does. </p>
<p>If you think you’re having problems with having too much stuff to do without enough time, prioritize. Work and studying come before outings with friends and such. Make it so the work will get done before you get distracted by friends and facebook. </p>
<p>That’s really all there is to it. You just need to put work high on your priority list to make sure it’s getting done everyday before you do less important things. Also, don’t overextend yourself. Make sure you’re not trying to commit to too many clubs/sports/etc. That can really hamper successful time management.</p>
<p>You really can’t teach time management. Although you can attend a plethora of seminars and workshops, at the end of the day it comes down to your personal “will” so to speak. It took about twelve weeks through semester one for me to realize that no matter how many planners and stuff I bought, if I didn’t want to get stuff done, it just wasn’t going to get done.</p>
<p>TO SUM UP: MOTIVATION IS THE BEST TIME MANAGEMENT “SECRET”.</p>
<p>Motivation is key. I guess we’re all just assuming you have the motivation, just not the means to do things 
</p>
<p>I am the worst kind of procrastinator, because although I wait until the last minute to do things, everything pretty much works out and I get a good grade on the assignment. So I have never really been punished for procrastinating and therefore I have instead had to force myself to work in my time management, especially as I prepare to head off to college next year. </p>
<p>Mostly it’s just a ton of trial and error and trying to figure out what works best for you.</p>
<p>I tend to plan things out on my computer, while my roomie uses a giant paper calendar. </p>
<p>Pros of computer: no need to copy “HIST 9:00AM-10:00AM” forty-five times per semester, easy color-coding, easy to move things around. I can print out a page every now and then if I need portability. Additionally, since I use Outlook both as my email program and my planning software, I’ve written a few macros to streamline things. For example, I can turn a email into a task or an event with only a few clicks - saves me time copying/pasting. Useful b/c both my HS and its host uni tend to communicate via email.</p>
<p>(Quick explanation: I’m an HS student taking uni classes, via a special program. This is my fourth/final semester in this program, so…)</p>
<p>At the start of the semester, I go through my syllabus and put everything into Outlook. For example, if I have a test, I’ll turn the block for that class red (for urgent-important (yes, I use the Seven Habits system, and yes I realize it makes me sound like a lifeless, paper-pushing robot-wannabe)), and note what the test covers in the “Notes” area. HW goes into the notes box too (note: the majority of my teachers use webct or have a personal teaching webpage, so it’s easier to copy-paste into Outlook than write it down somewhere).</p>
<p>Oh, “productive procrastination”. There are definitely some subjects I like more than others, so sometimes if I can’t concentrate/am feeling lazy, I’ll let myself…say, take notes on physics (easy) instead of trying to force my way through polisci notes (not so easy). The basic idea is that if I set time out to be productive, then I have to be productive.</p>
<p>Re: ranking assignments. I find that ABC sorting works well for me. A: Important, get done ASAP (preferably today), and reserved for harder subjects I may need help/advice on. B: Not that important, get done in the next few days, easy stuff that I know I can do. C: Practice problems. To be done when I have time.</p>
<p>Of course, take everything with a grain of salt, as different systems work for different people. </p>
<p>(And I really should be getting back to work…gah, two readings due tomorrow…okay, cc break over… <em>pouts</em>)</p>