Step 4: Helpful Hints to Get Everything Done

We’ve collected some of our best tips to help you stay on task, manage your time, and get stuff done!

Conduct a Time Audit

How efficient are you with your time?

How much time every week do you spend on your schoolwork? For every hour of in-class school time you should be spending about 3 hours on that same classwork outside of class

How much is devoted to other activities you must do, such as work for pay, sports, etc.?

How much is devoted to activities that are not required (playing video games, etc)?

Clock Dude Says

"Relaxing is key, but are you wasting too much time every week??"

Optional Activity

Pick one day this week and do a time audit.  Keep track of how much time you spend on every activity. Were you surprised by any of your findings?

Prioritize

The amount of schoolwork you have to do will ebb and wane.

Planning ahead of time helps smooth this out.  Get ahead of the work so it does not all hit at once.

If there is a week with a massive workload – prioritize! Assignments worth a greater % of your grade should be given more time

Clock Dude Says

“The end of the semester tends to be a busy time for schoolwork.  Try your best to get ahead of this by starting as early as you can."

Chunk It Out

Some of your projects will be quite large and feel overwhelming

Don’t let that overwhelm you!

Break big projects into pieces and set time goals for finishing each piece

Watch how to break down a big project with Marco!

Saying No to Peer Pressure

Sometimes, saying “No” to peers or social opportunities is necessary to achieve your academic goals and stick to your daily or weekly plan. Here are some tips to stand your ground and put your schoolwork first:

  1. Just Say No.
  2. Give a reason why you can’t or it’s a bad idea.
  3. Make a joke.
  4. Make an excuse why you can’t.
  5. Suggest they work or study with you instead.
  6. Ignore the suggestion.
  7. Repeat yourself if necessary.
  8. Leave the situation.
  9. Thanks, but no thanks.
  10. Be honest, explain why you have to make the hard choice to study and do your work. If you don’t, you may not be able to continue at PSU in the future. Most friends can support and respect your choice.
Conquer Procrastination

If procrastination impacted your ability to succeed, this is an optional resource that can help.

When you’re struggling with procrastination, remember your why – why you are in college (from Module 1 of the Rebalance Program!)

Also, know your barriers – what causes your procrastination?

  • Work is too hard:  There’s academic help (there is a module on this)
  • Too stressed:  There’s mental health help (there is a module on this)
  • Hate the work:  Build in short fun breaks & rewards as you accomplish each piece of the task
  • Perfectionist:  Aim high, but there is no perfect.  So, do a good job but don’t torture yourself aiming for perfection

Watch this video on advice for dealing with procrastination