Knowing Where Your Time Goes is Essential in College

Time management is an issue that many college students struggle with. Personally, I go to class for 15 hours each week, work for 20 hours a week, and sleep for 56 hours each week. However, there are 168 hours in each week (24 hours x 7 days) and I can only account for 91 of them. I have a feeling that many college students can relate to my situation, and although it’s not really a big deal if you cannot count where every single minute of every single day goes, knowing how much time you spend on your daily activities can help you become a better student. Confused? Read on and I’ll explain.
Most college students study about three hours outside of class for every hour they actually spend in a classroom. This means that if you are taking 15 hours in the upcoming semester, you should be studying for 45 hours outside of the classroom. However, if you do not set aside the time for this responsibility, you probably are not going to actually do it.
This scenario can be applied to many other aspects of your life, such as cleaning your dorm room, going to the gym, or holding down a job. For several years I have heard my friends say they cannot hang out because they just don’t have the time. So, in order to keep you from becoming one of those people, try using this Weekly Time Usage List to help you discover that you really do have time to do all of the things you want AND study those 45 hours a week!

First, let’s address the things you have to do: school, work, and sleep. Like I said above, this makes up 91 one of my weekly 168 hours, so I have 77 hours left in my week for personal activities. In order to determine your personal activities, make a list of all the things you have to do each week. This list could include activities such as eating, cleaning, and studying.
Let’s say that you take 2.5 hours to eat each day, 2 hours to clean your house each week, and 45 hours studying. This means that you would spend 47 hours on your personal activities. All in all, you are spending 138 hours on the things you have to do each week, leaving yourself 30 hours for having fun, hanging out with your friends, or other responsibilities.
So, the moral of this lesson: if you plan out your time and budget it according to the things that you have to do, you will end up having time to do the things you want to do. There are many ways to keep yourself on the schedule, but the way that has worked best for me has been keeping a planner with designated times for all of my responsibilities and then actually following that planner.
Do you have any tips for managing your time in college? Share them below in the comments section!
Also Read:
You Need More Than a Watch to Manage Your Time in College
How to Stay Organized in College
How to Manage Your Time in College