Tips for Time Management Time management is extremely important, especially for adult learners. Most adult learners, attending college have jobs and personal commitments, it can be hard to find time for each. It is helpful to set aside time for each. It is a good practice to plan when each individual assignment will be worked on. Having support and using the resources available is essential. Being flexible while going to school is also important. All of these things are helpful to be successful as an adult learner in a college setting. Starting college later in life can be quite a shock in regards to the amount of time it takes. It can be hard to balance a job, family life, and schooling, all at the same time. One way to make sure there is a proper amount of time devoted to each is to use time blocks. Making a calendar that states specifically when each area, will ensure success in the workplace, college, and make sure personal time is not neglected. Planning out how the school time will be used, will also help in time management (Landsberger 2003). Assignment planning is helpful to know how long each assignment will take, when is it due, and which is the most important. Landsberger (2003) says “When studying, get in the habit of beginning with the most difficult subject or task. You'll be fresh, and have more energy to take them on when you are at your best. For more difficult courses of study, try to be flexible: for example, build in reaction time when you can get feedback on assignments before they are due.” At first it may be hard to determine how much time a test or essay may take, it is better to overestimate than underestimate the amount of time it might take. When prioritizing classwork, it is helpful to look at the overall weighted percentage of the item and how it will affect the grade. Doing the most heavily weighted assignments first, ensures that those assignments will be completed on time. On the calendar that is created with the time blocks, it can also be helpful to write the due dates of each assignment, test, or forum, on this calendar as well. This will give a visual picture of how much time is available to complete the task (Dunlosky, 2011).
Even if every minute is planned out, things sometimes don't go according to plan. Unexpected situations are part of life, but remaining flexible and anticipating such situations will help with time management (Mancini 2003). According to Cornelissen (n.d.) “Whether course content is delivered by Internet, video, audio, or print, test all class components before the term starts. Keep hard copies of course materials in a binder, including lectures, exams, office hours, and discussion groups.” This is helpful so that there is no wasting of time trying to figure out how to get to the assignments. If overtime is required for a job, or a family member gets sick, it is important to be flexible and think about how the calendar can be moved around to accommodate such instances. If a bad storm came, or there was a power outage, think about if there is another location to complete coursework. If the primary computer used for schooling were to break, plan for other recourses that could be used to get the work done. Being flexible when balancing school, work, and personal time, is important because, life happens and it is important to be prepared.
Having support systems is important. Motivational, organizational, and peer support, are three systems that are needed in college. Motivational support often