Time management is a crucial element of getting through college – and ultimately getting a job. As a freshman you joined every club that sounded remotely interesting – from community service to major-related to the Disney movie-lovers’ club. Then as a sophomore you joined organizations and associations and took on leadership roles. As a junior you were bogged down with your high-level classes. And now as a senior you’ve accumulated so many roles, and you still have to find time to look for a job on top of that!
Let’s break down your week and see how much time you have.
24 hours a day x 7 days a week = 168 hours a week.
What do you have to fit into those hours?
15 credit hours of classes 15
3 hours studying/homework per credit hour 45
8 recommended hours of sleep per night 56
1 hour eating each day 7
1 hour maintaining e-mail 7
2 hours at your job each weekday 10
140
That leaves you 28 hours a week. That is 4 hours a day of “free time.” Try cataloging how you spend your time. Take a day or two – maybe even a week – and write down everything you do along with the time you took to do each task. This includes television, video games, phone calls, texting, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and any other time-wasters you haven’t even thought about before. Where does your time go?
Make a plan for what to change. Start by setting aside 15 minutes before go to bed to apply for one job each night. You can still watch your favorite TV show or scroll through Twitter. But don’t say “I don’t have time.” Make a to-do list, set an alarm on your phone to remind you to apply for a job, or find something else that works for you. Then stick to your plan. You’ll find that there is enough time in a day. You just have to use it wisely.
“Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.” -H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
