As students grow older, the sense of responsibility grows. Gone are the worry-free days, where all you were concerned about was what food you’ll have for lunch at school the next day, or whether your parents would let you stay over your friends house over the weekend. It’s hard growing up and going off to college for higher education.
But there’s just a handful of things that college and university don’t really teach their students. Managing your time and yourself is a life skill that many fail to adjust in college life, which directly affects all the things you do now, and in the future. It’s important to recognize that time = money and you can’t waste your time doing nothing, so you have to manage how you do things to achieve the goals that you have.
What is self-management?
The idea of managing something is to overlook all aspects of an operation, and in this case, it’s about the operation of your daily life. Self-management refers to a plethora of different things, including time management, goal management, financial management, or even health management. Students should keep all of these things in mind while they are studying, which only makes their workload much more difficult. Keeping yourself well in all aspects is a chore but it’s definitely worth it to find the best way to live your life.
So, how can I learn self-management?
There is no one easy or simple solution, as everyone’s mind works differently from another. But there are certain things that work for most. The ideas are the same; controlling what you can and keeping important information and things in mind when you are making decisions in your life. Many students struggle with this concept – but taking a look at it from a different angle will shed light on it. Here’s a list of ways to develop self-management skills.
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Have Goals
If it’s important enough for you, it should be written down somewhere as your goal. Whether its losing some weight, finishing a course with a certain grade, having a goal to reach is important for your motivation. It provides you a reason why you’re doing something or not doing something. You can even break it down to yearly goals, monthly goals, weekly, and even daily goals. Student’s overlook this very important part of your life – it’s okay to be worried and carefree, but even after all of that there needs to be an answer to the question “why?” Set your goals and never look back.
This means also, academically setting goals for yourself within your course. Think about adding these to your goals:
- Finish reading x amount of pages a day/a week
- Studying materials a week before an important test
- Achieving a certain grade on a quiz/test/essay/course
- Completing projects ahead of time
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Set a schedule
This ties into “having goals” but in a micromanagement way. Daily or weekly schedules gives you more of a feeling that things are being accomplished. Its like waiting for the weekend to come so you can chill at your friends place or go to your favorite restaurant. What’s the point of setting a schedule? Well it makes sure that your time is being utilized and that you have some motivation to look forward to. If you set aside time to go to the gym and you really enjoy that, you know exactly when you’ll go and you’ll have the motivation to get all your work done before then.
Students who set schedules for themselves tend to be a bit more organized and aware of everything that is happening around them. They’re able to think in advance about what they need to accomplish now to do something later, like studying for a few hours now so you can hang out with your friends later. This type of self-management is essential for your work-life balance and should really be practiced.
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Assess yourself
Saying you’re going to finish something is different from actually finishing something. Accountability plays a huge role in self-management. The self means that you only rely on you for all the progress you make or don’t make. Be honest to yourself and if you aren’t hitting your goals, or adjusting your goals to make up for your past mistakes, then maybe you need to take a step back and reassess what you are doing and change it. It’s okay not to reach goals, as long as you can acknowledge it and make positive changes towards meeting your goals.
This step is especially hard because you want to feel good about yourself and making your goals, but sometimes you just fall short. Knowing that it’s okay and that you can move on is all the motivation you’ll need to pick yourself back up. Keep yourself accountable, and nothing can stop you from getting what you want.
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Relax a bit
Lots of students tend to over-worry and over-stress and it seems to make their lives more miserable. The burden of failing a test or a class is enough to make students have a bout of depression. It happens to everyone and its quite common. There’s a solution that can definitely address this problem, and it’s to relax. Students forget to relax from time to time and it takes a toll on them. This is just a friendly reminder that your mental health is important and you should do something that relaxes you every now and then to keep your mind sharp.
Here’s a shortlist of things that can help you relax and help your mental health:
- Get good sleep! 7 – 8 hours a night is ideal, but avoid sleeping for 3-4 hours only
- Take regular breaks during studying – research shows your brain stops remembering after a certain point of fatigue
- Eat healthier – the food you eat affects your mood; so avoid oily fatty foods that make you want to sleep! Opt for healthier fruits that give you the needed sugar to function
- Talk to someone – whatever is bothering you, you can always vent to someone to release that anguish
- Realize there is more to life – it’s crazy to see how different people end up in different places, studying isn’t the point of life, so find your purpose.
Self-Management skills are essential for life, so take it seriously and find ways to improve yourself. It’s not an easy situation but it is important to learn. If you are still having trouble with schoolwork and assignments, head over to Assignment Expert for all your assignment needs.
