Returning to higher education can be a major time commitment as you work to juggle classes, work, family, etc.
In order to make everything feel more manageable, it’s key to develop your time management skills. When first starting out, it can feel overwhelming trying to balance every part of your life. This feeling is fully valid, however there are plenty of steps you can take to minimize your stress levels and find success in everything you do.
The main things to focus on are building a schedule that works for you, eliminating distractions, and taking care of your mental health. Let’s look more closely at these three strategies:
How Can I Craft a Good Schedule?
The best schedule you can make is the one that works best for you and everything you have on your plate.
There are several factors to keep in mind when crafting your schedule. You need to have the self awareness to know what periods of the day you’re most productive. Some people get the most done in the mornings, while others find their waves of motivation coming late at night. There’s no right or wrong time–you do you.
You also need to look analytically at each of your assignments to prioritize what you do first. When you have multiple assignments on your plate, you can choose to tackle the shorter ones first before moving on to the longer ones, or vice versa. Some people also find it best to work on tasks in intervals. Spend 30 minutes at a time on each one, then move to something else.
When mapping out what you need to get done each day, creating a to-do list or planner is definitely a recommended practice. This way you can visualize all the things you need to get done, and additionally get the gratification later on when you’re able to check things off of your list.
How Can I Eliminate Distractions?
Eliminating distractions can take different forms–from staying off your phone, to avoiding multitasking at all costs.
Our phones are our most helpful tools, but also one of our greatest distractions. It’s very easy for checking a single text message to turn into an hour or more of doom scrolling through apps. To minimize the temptation, it’s best to leave it in another room while you work or set time limits on certain apps to keep you off of them.
Multitasking can be another form of distraction. It’s been shown to reduce productivity by up to 40% and increase errors by 50%. Our brains aren’t designed to focus on multiple things at once, so attempting to multitask will only take away from both tasks. It’s best to focus on one class or assignment at a time.
You also want to be in a tidy, comfortable workspace when doing your assignments. Working in a cluttered or messy environment can take your attention from the task at hand. It’s also recommended to work in a space that is dedicated just for that. As tempting as it may be to work in bed, your body associates that place with rest, not work.
How Should I Take Care of My Well-Being?
An important part of time and stress management comes from you taking care of your mental health to be at your best.
As important as it is to plan out times to work, it’s equally vital to include moments in your schedule for relaxation and fun. Being a student is only one part of your life, you still additionally are a friend, a parent, and simply a person. Give yourself grace when things get tough, and never be afraid to take a break or ask for help.
When making your schedule, it’s additionally important to establish a good sleep schedule. Getting 7-8 hours of sleep a night is more than just a recommendation, it’s what our body needs to be able to function properly and effectively. When building a routine, set a good bed time and wake up time and stick to them the best you can.
Be sure to also take care of your physical health by eating three balanced meals a day, and exercising when you can. Certain activities can also be very calming such as yoga. Fueling your body can in turn fuel your brain.
How Much Time Will Classes Really Take?
The time online college courses will take varies by the university and the program.
With SDSU Online, course times are different between undergraduate and graduate level classes. Students in a 3-unit undergraduate course should expect to spend 90-135 hours on it total. Graduate-level 3-unit courses will take students closer to 135-180 hours overall. The weekly time commitment depends on the length of the course.
To make the math easier to determine how long your courses will take, we’ve created an easy to use Back-to-School Time Estimator Tool. This tool will simplify the process of figuring out the weekly time commitment needed for each term, and assist you in making your schedule.
Use the tool today to start building your perfect online college routine!
