The older you get the more you may feel like time is racing by.  Just think about the times you heard your parents comment on how fast the day went, their schedules crammed with one meeting or project after another.  Now that you’re enrolled in college and doing the educational work that can prepare you to excel in a career field you’re passionate about, don’t be surprised if time starts to feel like it’s sped up, causing it to seem difficult to keep up with reading, project and test assignments your college professors have given you.  Fortunately, one way you can keep up with your coursework and school assignments is to create daily schedules.

Items Including on College Student Daily Schedules

By creating a daily schedule you can organize your day and week.  You can also start to build time management skills, a talent that employers often look for in workers before and after they hire them.  You can find free daily schedule templates online at companies like Microsoft and Avery.  You can also create your own daily schedule templates using technological software like Excel, Lotus 1,2,3 or Word.  Include items in your daily schedule such as:

• Wake up time (when you want to be out of bed and heading for the shower)
• Breakfast (it’s long been said to be one of the most important meals of the day; give yourself time to enjoy a healthy breakfast each morning)
• Class related activities (note when you’re going to leave your dorm or home for college courses; if you’re commuting to and from school, give yourself enough time to drive to campus, park and walk to classes)
• Study time (rather than studying each evening after you’ve finished taking all of your classes, consider setting aside three to four days a week to study)
• Reading (consider setting aside time to review upcoming chapters in textbooks your professors have assigned)
• Lunch and dinner (avoid the habit of skipping meals, so you don’t overeat right before you retire to bed)
• Exercise and physical fitness (jot down a time of the day when you’ll exercise by walking briskly, jogging, playing tennis, swimming, etc.)

Of course, if you work part-time or full-time, include the hours you’re at work on your daily schedule.  After you create your daily schedule, review it.  Make changes where necessary.  For example, you might discover that you need to allocate an extra hour to study or to sleep (It’s important to recharge your inner batteries). 

Post your daily schedule in an area where you’ll easily see it (e.g. above your college study desk).  Review your schedule at the start or end of the day, making additional changes until your schedule feels comfortable for you.  Within a few weeks you may start to complete activities listed on your schedule without thinking, making it easier for you to manage your time and know which days of the week you have time to spare to hang out with friends, catch a movie, visit the mall or participate in another favorite activity.