Google Calendar has been around for a while but I never appreciated its existence until this semester when I used it to schedule my classes. It’s amazing since it can sync from your Gmail account to your Calendar app for those who use an iPhone. At first, I just used it so that I could easily check to see when my next class was since last semester I was late to mandatory discussion sessions a few time because I thought my class started at a different time. So far this semester, I have been saved from forgetting to go to class several times. The real reason I love Google Calendar though is how handy it is during finals week.
I am the kind of person who gets really stressed out during times where there is a lot to be done and I am not sure if I have enough time to get it done. I have a planner where I write in what I need to do every day, but with studying it’s harder for me to plan out what I need to get done in a day, especially if there is a week between now and the exams. Google Calendar has done wonders for my time management. You could easily write down a list of what you need to get done in a day or by the time the exam rolls around but by plotting it into a time slot on the calendar forces you to take a realistic look at what you can accomplish in a day.
I typically write specifically what I have need to study. It’s really helpful to not only write in from what time to what time you want to spend studying for a particular subject, but also what specifically you want to study or how you want to study. Trust me, this works. For example: “Review Powerpoints from Exam 1” or “Outline Readings.” It also reduces the stress of “Can I get everything done in time?” since you can see a visual of how you will spend your time that day if you want to get everything done.
Another feature that helps with the stress of not studying everything before the final is my ability to adjust the calendar. In planners, my problem was always that if you end up not doing something you’d have to cross it out and then write it in for the next day and if you wrote what time you were going to do it but wanted to change the time you have to messily cross it out. With an online calendar, all you have to do is drag the box down to change the time or move it to the next day. It’s super easy and mess free which helps keep me calm. I have learned to be more realistic with my planning and realize that I cannot study for 10 straight hours without a break so I do leave a few spots blank on the calendar to account for the times I know I will need more time to finish studying for something or just blank spaces so that I can take a break.
All in all, if you struggle with time management - I highly recommend giving Google Calendar a try.
