Time is so valuable as a college student. Not only do you have a strict schedule, but somehow you also have to find ways to value other people’s time when it comes to office hours, group projects, and even just hanging out with friends. Here are some time management tips I have learned in my college experience:

• If it takes less than five minutes, do it now.

Chances are if you procrastinate on something small, you are going to forget about it. Whether it is writing something down, sending an email, or organizing your notes, just get it done. The perk of this is it is something off of your to-do list that you won’t even have to write down!

• Use a digital calendar you can access on all of your devices.

Planning ahead is essential, and using a calendar makes it easy. If you have apple devices, I recommend using the calendar app and syncing your calendar across your devices (bonus points for color coding)!! If you don’t have apple devices, try seeing if you can find one embedded in your email. I know Office 365 emails have a calendar feature you can access with any device as long as you simply sign into your email. At Iowa, this is attached to our ascribed student emails. Try it out!

• See if you can work, volunteer, or complete research on a consistent schedule.

It is easier to get things done if you don’t have to worry about keeping track of when to do them! Ask for a consistent schedule in the activities you are involved in. For example work after class on Mondays, Thursdays, and Sundays. Volunteer Wednesday nights once every two weeks. Work in a research lab before and between classes on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. No matter your schedule, make it something you can get used to.

• Study every day.

No one has time to effectively cram in college. Study a bit every day, type a few paragraphs for that paper, or even take it easy and rewatch lectures. Whatever you do, do something. It will pay off not only in the long run for the retention of information, but you are also going to thank yourself when you are running low on time to get an assignment in.

• Let people know your limits.

College will eat up every second of your time if you allow it. However, you still have to allow time for yourself in order to be healthy and productive. When you need a break from all that is going on or have to tell yourself when to sit down and do something, don’t get talked into doing something with your time you don’t want to. Let your friends know “Sorry, that’s time I set aside for…” It can be as simple as cranking out assignments and sending emails, or just going out for coffee with yourself to clear your headspace in the day.

Good luck Hawkeyes and Future Hawkeyes with schedule planning! It can take some trial and error with each semester as classes change, but generally, these are my rules of thumb!