October 20, 2021

Graphic by Jack Copeland

A few days ago, I sauntered into the Reynolds Journalism Institute on campus while recording sounds for an in-class activity when I decided to check my email. I saw that I received the first newsletter from The Lead — a free weekly publication that provides resources and connections for student journalists. I got mildly excited and decided, for whatever reason, that this was a good time to open it and see what it was all about. However, as I sat down on that long wavy black bench in the institute with my phone in hand, it suddenly hit me: Do I have time for this?

This question led to another more familiar, yet nagging inquiry: How should we, restless college students, manage our time? Drawing on my personal experiences as a college student, I attempt to answer this question, shed some light on the topic and, hopefully, relieve some stress along the way.

Growing up in a Russian household, I didn’t have much say on what I could and could not do. My father, a Soviet Army veteran of 16 years, had put in place a strict set of rules around the house for my siblings and me to follow.

Each morning, without exception, we had to perform 10 push-ups, 10 pull-ups and 10 squats — four sets of each — all of which he supervised and scrutinized by paying close attention to form and repetitions. As 6-, 7- and 8-year-olds, it was grueling and not particularly fun. In addition, our beds had to be made and our hair neatly combed. Yelling, screaming or arguing with each other, as kids often do, was strictly forbidden. In short, we had to do what we were told, no questions asked. My mother detested these rules.

This type of upbringing might seem a little rough, perhaps a bit unnecessary. But in reality, it formed the foundation of my appreciation and respect for the intertwined practices of discipline and time management. It taught me that certain things had to be done, regardless of my enjoyment level. Today, I rarely have days without some sort of structure composed of the two.

The thing is, time management isn’t as difficult as it might seem. In fact, it’s more intimidating than anything. Sure, we all have plenty of things we have to get done: homework, chores, jobs, friends, commitments, significant others — the list goes on. Yet, with a little bit of time management almost anything is possible.

There’s only one problem: time management sucks.

Let’s face it, time management is a chore. It’s that inconvenience we all try to avoid, like taking the car to the garage for an oil change — you know you have to, but you really don’t want to go. From another perspective, so much is going on in the world right now, and so much is changing, that time management seems like the antidote to living an exciting life.

Nevertheless, for our purposes, time management is crucial. Remember, we are talking about a specific type of environment (college) with a fairly flexible set of rules created to make it possible for one to excel. In other words, if one strives to do well in college, not managing time is not an option.

Fine.

Say we committed ourselves to the fun-killing concept of time management. Now what? The short answer: prioritize and sacrifice.

In a nutshell, prioritizing means sacrificing one thing for something else. It means, literally, ranking in order of importance the things that are going on in your life right now and then executing them in that order. You’re not eliminating; you’re rearranging.

Ask yourself this question: what is the most important thing to me when it comes to my academic career specifically, and college life in general?

Is it making as many friends as I possibly can?

Is it joining as many clubs as I can handle?

Is it shutting down the outside world so I can focus on my studies?

Is it all the above?

The answer is entirely up to you. For practical reasons, however, let’s focus on the third option, academics.

One easy way to successfully complete all of your weekly assignments, for instance, is to write them down on a piece of paper along with check boxes next to each item and the due date, and stick it on the wall where you can see it. (I use 6-inch by 4-inch Post-it notes from Walmart. I like these because they are large enough to fit many items.) Then, as the week progresses and you complete more items, simply check off the corresponding boxes. That way, you get a real sense of progress, a clear idea of what’s left to be done and a clutter-free mind. (Personally, I prefer a physical, old-fashioned piece of paper that I can grab off the wall and alter if I need to. But by all means, if you prefer an electronic version, go for it!)

Once you get into the habit of making a list for your weekly assignments, chances are that different aspects of your college life will follow. You could manage your extracurricular activities, club meetings and even time dedicated to hanging out with friends. (You probably won’t need to make a list for when you hang out with friends, but you get the idea.)

College is a four-year, all-consuming endeavor that leaves very little time for anything else. Use it to your advantage. Just remember, whatever decisions you make will determine the outcome. Time management can certainly help. I had the “fortune” of getting an early introduction through discipline and physical exercises when I was a kid. You might or might not have been as lucky as I have. Whichever it is, if you haven’t introduced the concept of time management into your college life, now is the time.

Edited by Cayli Yanagida | cyanagida@themaneater.com

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