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One of the unnamed difficulties of college is the allocation of resources and time. All too often, students are blindsided by the sudden responsibility of managing and scheduling their classes, courses and homework dates without any overseeing parental body to guide their hand. The proper management of time can impact the success of academic and social lives, while the mismanagement of the many distractions and temptations will result in a convolution of unmet deadlines, incomplete assignments, and a schedule that always seems to be one step ahead of the output.

The Compromise

The college compromise means finding a way to have your personal time and your academic time with their own allotted schedules and time frames. A successful college experience doesn’t have to mean focusing on studies without enjoying the social niceties, or conversely, partying without bothering to practice and study for assignments and tests. As with much in life, moderation is a key. Managing academic chores in one hand with personal choices in the other is the kind of mature grace that the most successful students exhibit.

Of course, some of this comes from proper preparation. Making sure that you have all the materials you need to take notes, investing in a laptop ahead of time, installing note taking software, all of this can be worthwhile. The same goes for how you manage the logistics of living on or off-campus. For instance, Off Campus Living can provide a very worthwhile alternative to mature students looking for a more peaceful, mature approach to studying and university life, rather than jumping in with the ‘freshers experience’ and ‘party accommodation blocks’ we hear so much about.

Here are the essential five steps to help manage your studies:

1. Prioritize Your Work–Academic work comes second to nothing. Classroom assignments are inflexible schedules that students must meet within the time frame — no excuse. Students need to lay out when they have classes, how much homework they should do when those classes are over, and any preparatory time that needs to be given over to upcoming quizzes and exams.
2. Schedule Dates to Tackle Your Assignments Quickly and Efficiently–It might seem counterintuitive, but although the scheduling of events might make the week’s work seem busier than it actually is, abiding by those schedules and sectioning off realistic time frames for each assignment will ultimately free up more of the day for other pursuits. Realistically setting dates for assignments also allows students to keep from getting overwhelmed.
3. Allow Yourself Breaks–Brains need breaks; that’s why students set down specific times and dates for their studies. Procrastination is the death of the academic, and it can be stressful even while partying when there is a looming report that sits unfinished on the desk of the dorm. Setting adequate time to study also allows your brain to rest and distress, which has the bonus of boosting academic performance on future assignments.
4. Sort Out Healthy and Unhealthy Distractions–Students need to compartmentalize personal time around academic time so that work can be finished without excuse and play can be enjoyed without guilt. There are healthy and unhealthy distractions, and distinguishing between the two takes finesse. At times, distractions can actually be productive. Whether or not a distraction is healthy often comes down to a student’s mindset about it. Sometimes, students are able to use a distraction as an incentive to get his or her homework done sooner rather than later.As a general rule, however, first year students should make it a rule to stay away from unproductive social media tools that preoccupy their minds during study time. Twitter, Facebook, and other websites can be helpful for social outreach, but they are typically detrimental distractions that keep a student’s eyes off his or her homework and glued to their personal feed.
5. Ask for Help–Sometimes students need help with their time management. Luckily, there are places to go and people to turn to in the event that college becomes overwhelming. Campuses actually offer help with time management through academic advisers and tutoring centers, while technological apps and software like Google Calendar can help students quickly and easily track their schedule the moment they open their tablet.

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Author Bio
Ryan Ayers is a writer who creates informative articles in relation to education. In this article, he offers management tips to students and aims to encourage further study with an online project management degree from Get A Real Degree.