As a college student, managing your time is a huge factor. Without some sort of organization, one might have difficulties keeping up with what they should be doing. After completing my internship over the summer, one thing I quickly learned was to prioritize my schedule. I was given projects daily to complete within a timely manner or assignments that needed to be finished on a deadline. No matter the situation I was always ready because I was aware of how to manage my time. Here are three useful tips that will help college students or interns manage their time:
Be organized.
Get a planner! Whether you want to go all out and buy a $80 planner with a sticker pack, or if you’re frugal and you want to download and print a free one, you need a planner! They are extremely helpful for keeping track of your important life. It also never hurts to have a back up digital planner on your phone or laptop!
Don’t take on too much.
Don’t overload your schedule. Think about how long it takes you to complete a project on average. From there determine how many projects do you feel you are capable of taking on. It’s never a good idea to stretch yourself too thin. You’ll become overwhelmed and won’t put your best into your work.
Always communicate.
When managing your time, you have to communicate with either the project manager or your team in a timely manner. There is nothing worst than waiting until the night before to tell your manager or team that you weren’t be able to complete a project. People tend to be more understanding and helpful if you talk to them and give them plenty of notice. You might be able to find someone to help take some of the workload off of your plate. Or they may even extend the deadline for you.
The more organized that you are, the more professional you’ll appear. It’s always good to remember that people want to work with someone who is known for their good work ethics. Being organized shows people that you pay close attention to details. Keeping your work organized, remaining practical about how much you take on, and being in constant communication with your team is the best way to improve your way in manage projects in a timely and sufficient manner.