Over my first semester at The Ohio State University, I have greatly improved upon my time management skills . Because everything was on a set schedule before college, each day was pretty simple for me to plan out. I would go to school from 7:00am to 2:30pm, have practice from 3:00 to 5:00, go home, shower, eat dinner, do homework until about 9, watch a TV show with my family, then head to bed and do it all over again the next day.
Now in college, things are much different. The coursework is more rigorous, the class times are more spread out, and no one is telling you when to do what. There is not a set time to go to practice or workout, and there are not parents or teachers making sure you go to every single class and get all the homework done.
Because of this independence, however, I have found that I gained a lot of responsibility. I make myself get up to get to class on time; I map out what busses I can take there; I plan out when the best time is to workout; I find what extracurricular events I want to attend, and go to them on my own.
Time management was not easy for me in the beginning of the semester. It took me a little while to adjust to all the extra free-time, and all the extra work to do. I found myself creating to-do lists constantly, which eventually turned into my nightly routine. Making lists keeps my organized, and helps me focus on what I need to accomplish day by day. I now have adjusted to college and love the flexibility of each day. Time management is an important tool that I know I will use throughout the rest of my life. I am thankful that college gave me the opportunity to discover time management techniques that work for me.