Classes, exams, study groups, extracurricular activities, work, etc. when combined with poor time management all lead to academic stress.

I am not going to tell you that you need to have a stress-free life. Academic life comes with stress, but I am hoping to help you alleviate some of that stress by a simple time management tip. It is called putting all your necessary activities on your calendar.

I am assuming that you have a calendar (paper or a file) that includes your classes, assignment deadlines, exam dates, extracurricular activities, and work schedules. If you don’t have such a calendar, please make one now (and not tomorrow). Each Sunday afternoon or evening, check your schedule for the coming week and do the following on your calendar:

1) add study time for each lecture (at least one hour of study time for each hour of lecture) or group study times (at least two hours per topic)

2) add self-care time to exercise, do yoga, walk and anything that relaxes you

3) write down the time that you will go to bed and the time that you will wake up

4) finally, in a separate notebook (or on the same calendar if you have room), make a list of things to do for that week and, if possible, write the day of the week that you are going to accomplish that task next to it.

The key to making a successful schedule is to stick to it and be reasonable. We only have 24 hours in each day and we need to sleep at least 7-8 hours per day. If you are in class 8:00-9:00 am and then from 10:00-11:00 am, your one-hour study time cannot be 9:00-10:00 am. You simply won’t have enough time to do it.

When you have a clear idea on what your day, week, and month look like, you can relax a bit and conquer each task as it is planned.