“That’s due today????!!!!!!!!” said every college student at some point in their academic career. Come one lets admit it, life as an adult is harder than we thought. Mom and Dad made it seem so easy but we didn’t pay attention to the details of it all. I realized now that mom and dad had times set up for what they were going to do. Paying the mortgage/rent, car/ insurance and other things were carefully planned out, if not total chaos came about. Everything ran smoothly because they managed their time successfully.

Time management has played a crucial part of my life especially in college. Time legit flies when we are having fun or when we are super busy. As a college student, I have learned the key to surviving is to manage my time. Prioritizing my time to study for certain tests or even when it comes to deciding when to go out. There have been many times when I have multiple tests in a week or even on the same day! Killer, I know but it is the sad truth that everyone can relate too.

Time management has it benefits on health (just in case you were wondering). Time management lowers stress. Now who doesn’t want that???!! We don’t want to stress anything. We want to live our best life every day without a care in the world.  Less stress leads to more energy to do the things that we actually want to do. Let it be yoga, cardio, reading (for fun) or even watching that tv show/ movie you really wanted to watch.

Confidence is something we all want at any age. Let’s start now! Time management makes us feel more confident in our ability of getting things done. The sensation of dong that laundry or homework or paper on time is an awesome feeling. Then you can watch the other students lose their minds as the dreaded deadline approaches. More confidence means better results. Think about it, if we get things done on time then we can proofread it and correct the errors that at times we overlook due to the overwhelming amount of stress we feel. Perfectionist can ensure their very best work. There is always some task that are more stimulating than others but we want to ensure to give our very best in everything we do. I like to make sure that what I handing in or doing reflects me as a person. I am not a perfectionist but it gives me satisfaction knowing that what I handing in is the best that I can.  Therefore, less meltdowns and less eating that pint of ice cream in attempts to drown out our emotions.

Those were the benefits of time management so let’s see the flip side of not managing time adequately.  The most obvious being stress.  Stress always seems to rear it ugly head and cause us to think inadequately. The second being poor performance. If we don’t take the appropriate time to leave the house for a class, doctors’ appointment or even a job shift. Lateness is usually correlated to not having a timed departure.  This then leads to being impatient. Impatience on the road or even with fellow students/human being is very unattractive. Imagine being late, so you press on the gas in an attempt to not be “that” late. Who knows what is bound to happen from becoming a speed demon.

Clear goals are what we want to achieve. Who doesn’t want to live to their full potential? I can’t think of doing anything without planning it out so that everything has a pleasant outcome. Managing my time has given me a different perspective of life. I know it sounds cheesy but it is true. I learned that transitioning into adulthood doesn’t have to be a nightmare. As children we yearn to become adults, to do what we wanted when we wanted but we soon learn that it isnt all that it believed it to be. Time management doesn’t only apply to college work. Time management applies to all areas in life. Complex lives or simple lives can benefit from managing time. So, the next time you think that you have more than enough time to do something, stop, and rethink that thought.  Think about the lower levels of stress, the satisfying feeling of being able to make corrections if needed, the empowering sensation of giving your absolute best. Time management is totally an underrated tool but can easily be used to solve problems on a daily basis. Make your transition to adulthood as smooth as possible and manage your time!