Having a hard time doing everything

This is my first year in college and I'm having a real hard time organizing my life! The class schedule, the part time job I have at the caffeteria, studying, and participating in a couple of clubs, I just don't know how to do everything. I'm very stressed out and i'm afraid all this stress will hurt my school work. i don't want to dropout but I don't know how to keep doing everything either. Do you have some suggestions?

Hi Jill,

The first year of college can be tough, especially the first semester. Hang in there, it will get easier with time! In the meantime, here are a few tips to help:

1. If you don't already have one, get a calendar/day planner. Whether it's the pen and paper variety, electronic PDA or a calendar on your computer (iCal, Outlook), this will definitely help keep you organized. Write down class times, meetings, your work schedule, assignments due, and other important events. Always knowing what is ahead keeps your stress down.

2. Concentrate on one or two extracurricular activities only. Spreading yourself too thin leads to stress and does not allow you to devote as much time or effort to these clubs as you could. Find one (or maybe two clubs) you really enjoy, are passionate about, and/or will help you after you graduate and focus on those.

3. Eat and sleep well. You will perform better when you eat regularly and choose healthier foods. I know this can be hard in college, so keep a stash of healthy snacks like nuts, whole grain crackers and fiber-rich granola bars. This will help you stay alert. Getting on a regular sleep schedule will help with stress and focus as well. It sounds simple, but it will really help!

4. Remember that academics come first! You are in college to get an education and that is your number one priority. Once you get used to college life, you can add more extracurricular activities, nights out with friends, or more hours at your part-time job. A little investment now will pay off big time!

I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any more questions or concerns.

I completely agree with everything Amber suggested. The first year is an unbelievably difficult challenge. I struggled with time management for years, and I still have a lot to learn; but here are a few things that have helped me.

First, I went to an academic counselor to ask for help. I put this off for a long time because I thought that it was not an important enough problem for a counselor to deal with. Big mistake. This is an issue that almost every student struggles with at some point, and any counselor worth talking to will be well prepared to help.

The first thing my counselor had me do was to keep a log of everything I did throughout my day for a week. I had to list every little thing and be completely honest. By the end of it, looking at that list really made me think hard about how I was spending my time and why.

Then, based on that list, I tried to identify three specific priorities for the semester (i.e. come to every class with discussion questions prepared, follow up with new people I meet, stay in touch with friends back home, etc.) This really helped me to stay focused on what I really wanted to accomplish and to let myself off the hook for the rest.

The last thing I learned was to be up front about my time commitments both with others, and more importantly, with myself. It is much better to give yourself enough time to do three things well than to be frantically doing five things poorly. Also, as a former volunteer and volunteer manager, I know that committing to be a part of something and then not having enough time to do it well can do more harm then good.

These are all good suggestions. Thanks guys, I also seem to have a lot of trouble figuring out how to manage my time. I'm also a Freshman and i really thought I had figured it all out. And then I didn't do great in a couple of classes. It's a work in progress.