You Can't Always "Do it Later"

Hi guys!

My name is Katie and I am a coach in the Academic Achievement Center. I also help give the Academic Success Workshops on campus. I am currently an Accounting major in the Business School, and I know what it can feel like to be overwhelmed with work and other activities. I am a member of Alpha Phi, a sorority on campus, and I am in the process of joining Beta Alpha Psi the accounting fraternity. I work on campus as well 11 hours a week, and I like to be able to make time for classes, work, and social activities everyday.

When I came to UCONN, I was so overwhelmed with how much time I had during the day, I sometimes found that I put things off because I left like I could always "do it later". Now that I have had some time to get used to UCONN, and learn how to balance all my activities, I know how important Time Management is on a large campus. For me, having a large day planner has been one of the most helpful tools in managing my time successfully. At first, I only wrote down exams and homework assignments in my planner. Over time, I realize that the best way to manage your time effectively is to make sure you write down EVERYTHING you want to accomplish that day. I have things like homework, exams, meetings, time with friends, dinner, and household chores all written in my planner. I have found that being able to visualize my day helps me to manage my time better. I also have found that To-Do lists are a huge help. Making a list of specific things you want to accomplish differs from the day planner in that it doesn't include everything you have planned for the day, but instead is a list of the things you would like to accomplish. Being able to compare your list of daily activities to a list of assignments you want to get done is a great tool to help with time management. I can look at all the assignments and chores I want to get done and compare them with the time schedule I have basically set up in my planner. This allows me to schedule my time wisely so I use every second of freed up time to accomplish my to do list. I hope you find this helpful in your Time Management journey!

To learn more time management techniques, as well as study skills and note taking ideas, stop by the Academic Achievement Center from 4 to 8 Sunday through Wednesday, or stay for an Academic Success Workshop. Workshops take place Sundays from 4-5, Monday 5-6, Tuesday 5-6, and Wednesday 530-630.