Do you make to-do lists and schedules, or do you find yourself procrastinating and waiting until the last minute to begin tasks and assignments? It is a common habit by many people used to delay responsibilities until only a short amount of time is left before they must be completed. Proactivity is easier said than done, but with midterms just around the corner, effective time management strategies are critical in every student’s schedule.

 Prioritization is key when it comes to staying organized with your time. Your most important tasks need to be accomplished before all else, or you may find yourself struggling to fit everything in. A simple way of going about this is making a list of each of your daily activities and ordering them from greatest to least importance. Working your way down the list from top to bottom will ensure that you complete the most important tasks before they are due. Oftentimes, you may not be able to get to everything on your to-do list, so making sacrifices by prioritizing is imperative.

 In order to wisely use your time resources, it is necessary to have a designated place to keep a running record of everything you have planned- An agenda is a must. Between extra-curricular activities and schoolwork, it is not always easy to recall everything you have scheduled. Be sure to prioritize your events by highlighting the most important ones. Updating your agenda weekly will help you maintain focus and get more done without distractions, as you will have a clear list of goals. Simply listing out all of your responsibilities for the week can greatly decrease your level of stress and increase your level of productivity.

 At the end of the day, we must be conscious of our time and what we want to spend it on. There are twenty-four hours in a day, and you choose how you spend them. In a survey done by salary.com, eighty-nine percent of respondents admitted to wasting time daily at work. Be sure to use extra time to your advantage, do not procrastinate, and be proactive. Those extra twenty minutes you spent scrolling through Twitter this morning could have allowed you to cross something off your to-do list. Sophomore Bernadette Rodts explained, “I play basketball, and in between games I pull out a Quizlet to study and manage my time wisely.” Balancing extra-curriculars and schoolwork is not manageable without being conscious of your time.

 Studies show that it almost always takes twice as long to complete a task than what we originally predict. In that case, it is extremely important to be aware of how much time we have and to monitor that time so that it is not wasted, and instead used to be productive. Prevent unnecessary stress and time-crunches; time management is extremely valuable, and you will find it to be rewarding in the future.