by Jessica Freeman

When students are trying to name the benefits of getting higher education, they are mostly focusing on the perspectives for better jobs and salaries. We often forget that college courses also help us discover our true interests, and they improve our chances of achieving fulfilling goals in life.

Did you know that Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson were roommates when studying at University of Texas? Anderson was probably the smarter one, since he wrote a paper about Edgar Allan Poe for his roommate. It was an A+ paper, and it scored them a better bedroom. The logic behind this example is simple – more studying leads to better luxury, even while you’re still at college.

Can Everyone Study Effectively?

Unfortunately, students cannot always study as much as they would like to. The point of learning something is to preserve it in your long-term memory. Most of the facts you learn, however, stick only into the working memory, which lasts for a very short time before the brain dismisses it.

There’s another problem that prevents students from achieving ultimate efficiency during their studies: each of them has a different learning style. Many students are visual learners, but others are aural, physical, verbal, social, solitary, or logical learners. It seems like the modern educational system is trying hard to engage the visual learners, but what happens with all of the others? The students are placed into a mold, and they have to adjust their style in accordance with the type of classes they follow.

Maybe you could get used to the type of education you get, but how do you get used to the fact that you have to sacrifice having fun for the sake of studying? We all want to party, but the good life results with not-so-good test results. Still, there are students who make it. You see them at all parties and they have tons of friends, but they still write all their essays and get good results on tests. How do they do that? The secret is in proper time management.

With the right approach, every goal is possible.

10 Tips on Effective Time Management

1. Use Every Moment

When you’re busy, every moment in the day is precious. Have your tablet with you at all times. When you’re taking the bus or you’re waiting for a lecture, you can get something done. Do some research for an important project and pin some online resources. Read part of the studying material you need to cover for the tests. Use the moment!

2. Make To-Do Lists Every Single Day!

Write a monthly plan and include all tests, papers, and courses you need to cover. Then, translate that plan into weekly goals, and create daily to-do lists that help you achieve them. Google Calendar is a classic tool to use for that purpose. When you have a plan, you’ll notice it’s easy to find a gap where your favorite TV show fits in. Suddenly, you realize that a 24-hour day gives you more space than you assumed.

3. Create Blocks of Courses

What happens when you leave 50 minutes of free time between the courses? You end up having coffees and scrolling through Twitter, waiting for the next course. You’re wasting valuable time. Try this method: separate your days in four different blocks: lectures, relaxation, studying, and good times. It won’t be easy for you to go through all those lectures without taking breaks, but when you know that you’ll be done with them soon, your mind will stay focused and excited about the relaxation that follows.

4. Start the Day Early, but Get Enough Sleep

If you stay up late and wake up early, you can’t expect to be all fresh and focused during the lectures no matter how much coffee you have. Try going to sleep before midnight and have at least 7 hours of sleep. Start the day early. Make yourself a cup of coffee and relax before you get into the chaotic day. When you’re mentally prepared to face the challenges, they won’t overwhelm you.

5. Realize the Moment When You Need Help

Some of the research papers are so challenging that they consume your entire time. As a result, you have to sacrifice some of your studying time to get them done. Or do you? The most productive students have a secret: they get writing assistance from services like Australian Writings. When you collaborate with professional writers, you’ll get all projects done on time, but you’ll also improve your research and writing skills. The service works according to the tutoring principle: you get tips on writing while watching the author in action.

6. Do Your Homework

Do you remember how we told you to organize your day in blocks? Well, that studying part should also include your homework. When you spend some time with your assignments every single day, they won’t pile up. Your memory from the lectures is still fresh, so it will be easy for you to complete them. Plus, you’ll be refreshing the information your brain just processed, so your brain will turn it into long-term memory.

7. Turn Studying into a Habit

Did you know it took 21 days of an effort for an activity to turn into a habit? Science says so. You can turn studying into a habit if you force yourself to study for an hour every single day, for at least 21 days. After that period of time, studying will turn into a daily ritual; a habit you do without any effort. If you accomplish that, you’ll go through much less stress during exam week.

8. Make Priorities

You have too many tasks on your to-do list? Start with the most important one. When you get it out of the way, you’ll be less stressed out and all other points on your lists won’t seem that challenging. Use different colors to indicate the importance of the tasks on your list, and act accordingly. If you have to postpone some of the tasks, you’ll be relieved you’re doing that with the less important ones.

9. Don’t Multitask

You decide to write a paper while watching the latest episode of Narcos? That won’t go so well. When you scatter your energy across different tasks, you can’t be effective. Plan to devote enough time to each task, and don’t get distracted by doing something else while you’re at it. Multitasking is overestimated.

10. Learn How to Say No

You always enjoy hanging out with your friends, but sometimes that’s not possible. Maybe you have a paper to write, studying to do, or you’re simply too tired. It’s okay to say no. You have your life in front of you; you can still hang out with them. At this moment, it’s important to do what’s right.

College is a place for studying, but having fun as well. With proper time management, you’ll be able to do both. You’ll use every moment effectively, and you’ll experience the joyful life you always imagined. Fun doesn’t have to endanger your goal of becoming an A+ student!

Jessica Freeman is passionate about content writing and journalism. She finds her calling in making others interested in topics of education, essay writing, and career. You can follow her on Facebook and Google+.

This article was shared with us by CollegeWeekLive.