When balancing all of the rigors of college classes, finding time to see your friends, working a part-time job, and remembering to call your parents, time management can make or break your chances of being successful. College is important, not only for obtaining knowledge about a particular career field, but also for finding yourself. You have to test your limits and find out just how much stress you can handle before you shut down. College is both miserable, trying, and incredible all at once. It appears to onlookers that I have my life together, but in reality, it has taken me a long time to get to this place. The secret to having your life together is possessing time management skills. Time management skills are vital for a happy life, but also for success in a career setting. Here are some of my own tips to help you manage your time while in college.

1. Get a planner.

I have never been so dependent on an object before, but I am lost without my planner. If I do not write it down, chances are it won't happen. If you consider how much you have to do for each class every day, for four or five classes, it can be too much to remember. It also can put your mind at ease to finally be able to cross off the last item on your to-do list.

2. Write out a list of everything you need to do.

This is basically "get a planner, part 2" because these two tips go hand-in-hand. The planner will help you remember what day's assignments are due and what time you have to be at work. The list will be more specific, and giving yourself an itemized list of tasks will help ease your anxiety.

3. For each assignment on your list, allocate a specific amount of time you have to do it.

For example, you have one 10-page essay to write, two online quizzes, and three chapters to read for your classes. Instead of shutting down mentally, think about how relieved you will be if you get everything finished early, rather than waiting until the night before it is all due. Once you have a good mindset, think about how long it should take you to do each assignment. Two online quizzes should take about an hour total, and if you stay focused, three chapters of reading should take maybe two hours tops, depending on how well you are taking outline notes. The 10-page essay is going to take the most amount of time, so give yourself six hours (not consecutively) total to get it done. Set timers on your phone or laptop to let you know when you should be finished with each assignment. This brings me into my next point.

4. For every 30 minutes of work, take a five minute break.

This tip may help you defeat procrastination. If you had to sit through a whole essay for two hours, you would get burned out and likely give up. Taking short breaks to get a snack or to pet your dog could make a world of difference for your concentration and motivation. Make sure you discipline yourself enough to actually go back to working when the five minutes is up though.

5. Schedule your work availability in a way that balances money and personal enjoyment.

Working nearly full time is a great thing for some college students, but for others, it isn't realistic. Know your limits. On average, I work about 25 to 30 hours every week, but I make my class schedules to either only Monday, Wednesday, Friday, or only Tuesdays and Thursdays, and not every day if I can help it. That way, I can devote full days to school and work full shifts the days I am not at school. I often find that the more I work, the better I do in my classes because I know I only have a certain amount of time to do everything I need to do. Don't forget about your family and friends, though. Call your parents and hang out with your friends, but map out each week in a way that is going to make you feel both happy and accomplished.

Whenever you are getting stressed, take a moment to breathe. Be a responsible young adult, have fun, grab a friend to study with, and remember that the time management skills you develop in college will help you in your future career and in life!