4 Ways to Save Time in College

By Tiffany Sy on November 23, 2016

What’s the one thing that college students have in common? Well, there are a lot of things but it seems that in college, there’s not enough time. Not enough time to finish the project, not enough time to finish that essay that was assigned two months ago, and not enough time to hang out with your friends.

I’ve been in multiple college situations (UC, community college, and private) so I am well aware of the lifestyles of each campus environment. Depending on how many classes you take in community college, I believe that you have enough time to do what you need to do for your classes since it’s a bit more lax than going to a UC or private college.

When I went to a UC school for one year, I felt that it was tougher than community college but I still had enough time to complete my assignments on time while still finding time to do what I wanted to do. When I went to USC, time was of the essence but again, I completed my assignments on time while still finding time to go to events and activities.

lifehack.org

If you want to know how to save time in college, keep reading for my four tips.

1. Plan your outfits well in advance.

This notion particularly applies to the ladies since they have that never ending conundrum of finding what outfit to wear to class. It’s fun to dress up and look nice going to class but in most cases I believe no one will be paying attention to your outfit. So if you want to pick your outfit on the day of, then I suggest you do it quickly so you won’t waste precious time in the morning.

However, what I always did and what I still do today is I lay out my outfits in advance. On Sundays, I would pick out my outfits from Monday to Thursday/Friday. I would also lay out my pajamas to save extra time when I get home. It’s a simple practice that will save you time and ensure you more time to complete what you need to do for your classes. If you’re going to be extra busy, lay out your outfits for two weeks or maybe even three weeks.

2. Plan out your meals.

This notion coincides with the first one but it’s a little harder to stay on track with. However, for me, it wasn’t really a problem because I used one of my practices from my article on how to save money on food in college and I stuck to it. With this and any plan, if you stick to it when it’s carefully planned out, you’ll be good.

Every week on Sunday, I would plan out what meals I would have for that week. I would list out what to eat — breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Then, I would look and see if there were any events on campus where they would be serving free food and incorporate that into my schedule. Then, I wold decide what to eat for the other meals.

In most cases, I would bring my food and not buy food from the campus dining options because during lunch and dinner time, the lines can get really long, which would just be a waste of time. A roadblock in this is if a friend will ask you to eat with him or her, which could lead to you talking for some time. If you have to meet, then make sure to keep it to a scheduled time and to not go over so you can go back to your room or dorm to finish your assignment.

3. Don’t procrastinate.

It’s common sense but yet, students still procrastinate. Procrastination is really bad but if you are the master of procrastination or do your best work when it’s crunch time, then that’s great. However, if you don’t do your best work in a short amount of time, then heed the cons of procrastination. The main drawback to procrastination is the fact that life happens. Life happens and unexpected things may happen.

Let’s say one of your team members flake on doing their part for the group project or paper or if the printer is out of ink or paper, then what do you do? Sure you can get creative but the point is, it’s better to be done early than do wait until the last minute. You will be less stressed about deadlines and will have more time to attend last minute gatherings.

A bonus tip: do not panic or get stressed if things happen. It’s a part of life and just look at the situation as something you can and will overcome.

4. Prioritize, prioritize, prioritize! 

I had a friend in college that was planning on getting her license. She hasn’t studied yet nor scheduled a time with the DMV to take the exam. However, she had time to hang out with her friends. I followed up with her on her plans and she said “I don’t have the time.” If you have time to hang with your friends, you certainly have time to study or even take five minutes out of your day to schedule a meeting with the DMV.

Really, it’s all about prioritizing: what do you value more? If you really value something, then you will find the ways, means, and time to do it. We all have the same amount of time in a day and the successful ones make efficient use of their time. Find ways to maximize your 24 hours given to you and you will be on your way to more spare time to devote to yourself on doing things that make you happy.

There you have four tips I used and still use today on how to save time in college. You can easily carry out these practices when you graduate so make sure to use these tips as you go on throughout your adult life.

Do you have any other tips on how to save time in college or in life in general? If so, I would love to know in the comments below. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Make sure you enjoy your time with your family and eats lots of good food.

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