College is like an incredible gift that unfortunately comes with having to choose between sleep, social life and school. If you get straight A's and have a social life, chances are you do not sleep well. If you get plenty of rest, and have an active social life, it is very difficult to excel in school. However, many students do not realize that it is possible to have and maintain all three parts of college, and sometimes also jobs and extracurricular activities. Below are must-read tips on how to get more out of your time, and furthermore, your college life.

Try to always be productive.
Whether it is doing homework, studying or even sleeping, always try to be productive with your time. Try to avoid aimlessly scrolling through Facebook, Instagram and other social networks, and instead devote that time to schoolwork, chores or jobs. Even hanging out with friends is more productive, in my opinion, than social media because honestly who looks back and says, "I remember that time I was on Facebook, it was so much fun." If you are scrolling through social media aimlessly and cannot get anything done, chances are you are tired and need to take a nap. Social media is probably the main culprit right next to partying, that uses up much more of our time than we may want. The next time you are out with friends or at a party and it is not as fun as you like, perhaps it is a better time to go to bed early or study. The next time you are laying in bed being lazy, try to get some work done, or even go out with friends. Instead of working out when you are behind in classes, take a break from working out or try to merge studying and some form of exercise into one activity.

Sleep.
Sleep is the most complicated thing, especially when we hit adulthood. We sleep half of our lives, and usually are behind on sleep. In fact, college students are some of the most sleep-deprived people in the country, according to a study which says College students especially need sleep with all the information we are learning. Sleep is very hard to figure out, and even if you do somehow figure out a manageable sleep schedule, a new semester always arises and with it the need figure out sleeping again.

One of the tricks with sleep is using your time more effectively, as stated earlier, and figuring out the best times that you can take a nap. Most studies say that the best time to take a nap is in the afternoon, and that a nap should be no longer than 10 to 30 minutes. If your naps are too long, they can make you more tired for the rest of the day and waste valuable time you need to get things done.

Make a schedule.
My life has never been simpler than with an everyday schedule. I plan out everything from when I am going to eat lunch and dinner, to what time to workout, when the best times are to do homework, and even when the best time to take a nap is. Once you get a general sense of class and extracurricular activities, it is easy to make a schedule, even in your head. Freshmen especially should start with a schedule, since college involves a lot of new adjustments and it's hard to balance everything form the start. Same goes for upperclassmen, where work becomes harder and schedules become more packed each year. Schedules are the key to success, and the key to a more organized and happier life.

Make changes.
If you feel your semester is really out of hand, chances are there is something that needs to be taken out, added or drastically changed. Consider if you sleep too much or too little, or if you party too much, or if you spend too much time on homework (which is possible, by the way). Do not over-study, or you'll start to lose information. There is a point where you need to give yourself a break or you will wear yourself out and lose your ability to recall information. Everyone has different activities going on in their life, but there is always some way to change things and make better use of each part of your daily life. A little change can go a long way.

Create a balance.
Take what you need to prioritize in your life. If this happens to be multiple things, figure out how to balance them. Sometimes our top priorities are all equally important, and sometimes certain priorities are more important then other priorities. Always put your priorities first, even if it is hard to do so. This also helps you make better use of your time in the short run and long run. If you go out when you should be doing homework, and end up not having a super fun time, then you just wasted hours of time. Also, try to finish all the most important things such as homework, studying, and other such things before doing other activities such as having a social life or relaxing. Finishing work before doing fun activities makes those activities much more enjoyable. Having things out of the way, and sorted out also makes it easier for you to sleep, and be less stressed.

Figuring out how to manage your life can be complicated, but it can relieve so much stress and thus make the few years we have in college count more. Plus, later in life we will be able to manage the even crazier things that come along, such as having a family. It is hard to organize everything, especially when we have different and harder classes every semester, but it is possible.