1. Plan your day

Before beginning your day, it helps to have everything already planned out. Either do it the night before or in the morning. By doing this, you're less prone to wasting time. Also, planning ahead everyday gives you an idea of what you need to accomplish. You'll also be able to see whether your goals for the day align with your long-term goals.

2. Utilize your resources

In this age of technology, there's a multitude of digital features you can choose from to organize your busy schedule. A smartphone user can easily take advantage of their built-in calendar, or download other free applications. If you're a bit old-fashioned like me and prefer writing things down, then there are also many tools at our disposal. For one, there are planners that can be bought from the student store or online. In UC Merced, the Bright Success Center, located in KL 222, also offers free weekly, monthly, and semestral calendars. If you need more guidance, there are also workshops held by peer mentors about time management skills and resources. With all these resources, all you need to do is find the one right for you.

3. Learn to focus

We all have our own peak times. Some work better in the morning, some in the afternoon, and some at night. Find the time when you work the best, since this will help you accomplish things more efficiently. Equally important is finding the right environment. If you know you get easily distracted with noise and friends, don’t do work in a place where you’re subjected to that. Or if your bed always lures you to take a nap in the afternoon, then don’t stay in your room.

4. Don’t multitask

A common misconception is that by multi-tasking, you’re getting more things done. On the contrary, you’re more likely to complete your work when you do it one project at a time. Multi-tasking divides your focus between many different tasks. This leads to a low-grade efficiency and bigger room for error. As you’re switching between assignments, you might find it hard to focus well and end up making mistakes. Then, as a result, you spend more time fixing what you did wrong than getting work done. Also, when you’re multi-tasking, you don’t finish a task, which might increase your stress. By doing one thing at a time, you’ll be able to give yourself a bit of satisfaction every time you cross off a task and therefore be more motivated to keep going.

5. Be flexible

Life is full of surprises. You’re bound to come across something that will require you to take time off from doing your work. Maybe an emergency from home or with friends suddenly comes up, or maybe it’s just a social you can’t miss. The key is planning ahead. Don’t put off that big essay until the night before, which also happens to be the night you can’t do your work. Divide the project into small chunks, and do a part of it every day so you don’t feel overwhelmed and stressed as you’re nearing the deadline.