Whether you are an incoming freshman or a returning upperclassmen the amount of homework assigned in the first few weeks of the semester in college can be incredibly daunting, especially with the wide range of social commitments that happen from simply being at college, and even more so if you are in a sport. However, there is a way to manage it all without having an emotional and mental breakdown. Here are nine tips to help manage your time and finish your work without crying and pulling multiple all-nighters.

1. Learn which social situations you are most productive in.

Some people need to study with friends to get all their homework and studying done. Having friends to them is having people hold them accountable to do work instead of explore the Internet, and others might find being alone too boring to actually get work done. However, some people, like me are the opposite. I learned early on in my freshman year that I have to be alone to be productive because whenever I attempted to do homework with people, I would end up becoming a distraction for everyone in the room including myself. I was unable to stop talking. Whatever social environment you need to study, find it out early on and use it.

2. Learn which time of day that you work best at.

It’s college. Everyone wants to be a night person, and everyone knows that college students keep odd hours and can be found being active during the wee hours of the morning; however do not fall into the mistaken assumption that every college student is a night owl. You may not be. In fact, some people work best going to bed early, and then waking up early instead of staying up and burning the late night oil. Whenever you work best, learn it, take advantage of it, and don’t try to be something that you are not.

3. Do not let deadlines and due dates sneak up on you.

Invest in a planner, put all your due dates from your syllabi on your calendar on your phone or computer and have it alert you a week in advance, or find an alternant system that works for you. Find a way to keep yourself aware of what is coming up. Also have some sort of week or month calendar on display in your room so you can always easily see what is coming up soon.

4. Plan in advance…at least a week in advance.

Don’t just be aware of what your schedule looks like for the current week you are on, but be aware what it will look like for the next week. If you know that your next week will be incredibly busy, then plan accordingly for it in your current week to insure that you can get everything done that you need to get done.

5. Eliminate distractions

If while working on your computer you constantly find yourself scrolling down Facebook and taking Netflix breaks, or you keep playing on your phone, then turn the Internet off on your computer and keep your phone out of eyesight. If you study best in a group of friends, then use them to keep you accountable for staying on task. If noise distracts you and you want absolute silence, then put on headphones and do not play music, or go to a place that enforces a silence policy. If people distract you, then study in a private place. If you can’t, then put on headphones to make it clear that you are not going to socialize.

6. Use your weekends.

Take advantage of the fact that you do not have classes on Saturdays and Sundays, and do your homework and get ahead. Don’t just do you homework for Monday, but also work on your more long term assignments and try to finish your homework due Tuesday as well.

7. Do not go one day at a time.

The key to never getting behind is to always try to get ahead. Do not just do your homework for tomorrow, but make sure you start your homework for the day after tomorrow as well, and be sure to chip away at long projects every night while you work.

8. Learn when to say “No”.

There is so much to do in college, but it is impossible to do everything. Sometimes you will have to say “no” to a party or event, or you will have to say “no” to a club or organization that you want to join, because joining them will result in over commitment. It is impossible to do everything.

9. Find an activity that takes a large part of your time.

This may seem counterintuitive to managing time, but for many people, it is not because it adds structure to your day. Having a large block of your time reserved for something else forces you to schedule around it and not waste time. As a swimmer, I found myself getting much more done during swim season when I had less time because there were always two to three hours a day where I would be at practice that I had to plan around. When the season was over, and I had less time, my day lost structure, and I wasted time.

Managing time can be difficult, but once done well, it makes college life much easier.