Monday, February 10, 2014

College Survival Guide - Smart Scheduling

Lets talk about scheduling! We all know the basics of don't overlap things, give yourself time, space, and blah, blah blah. But what does that all mean and how do you affectivly schedule your time? Well, take out those planners because Kimmie is here to help!

Let me start by saying that smart scheduling is more than just writing down things on a calendar, it is actively mapping out your days so you know that you have time for everything. I talked about the basics of this and the importance of writing everything down in my Organized and Prioratized post but this post will be going farther in depth about the importance and key points of smart scheduling.

1. Start with the major blocks. Start with things that repeat or you know you are committed to such as classes, work, youth group, church, etc. These things are key parts of how you spend your time so it is crucial that you block this out first!

2. Write everything down! If you have an assignment assigned to you or a deadline for work you want to write it down so you don't forget and you can prepare for it. I honestly can't put enough emphasis on doing this so you can be up to date and keep your life organized. This has become such a habit for me, and I lost my schedule when I moved home, every time I went to write something down in my planner and couldn't I honestly was like "I feel naked" because I couldn't. Felt like this:

3. Plan your day. Each morning or the night before set aside a couple minutes to plan out your day and goals for the day. It will help you keep your day on track and know what you have to do and need to do.

4. Set aside personal time. The cliche "all work and no play makes me a dull boy" works very well if you forget this step. You have to set aside time for yourself to relax, decompress, or dance around the house in your underwear.
What ever it is you have to create that balance like a scale. Just remember that you sometimes have to put yourself first and this is one of those excuses to let yourself just unwind.

5. Review your to do list. If you are like me (insane and wacky! haha) then you might have an ongoing to do list, if not you should. Look at the things you have on this list and then set aside time to get some of the things you have on there complete. (Don't forget to prioritize by what is more important or has a sooner deadline.)

6. KEY POINT: Make sure not to over book yourself! This includes not giving yourself sufficient time in between commitments or allowing things to overlap or just over committing. Even if you schedule perfectly and are still running ragged then you should rethink that "perfect" status. Don't burn the candle at both ends!

Good luck and big hugs <3 Kimmie

P.s. and to send you away with a smile I had to include a gif from Risky Business because when it comes to dancing in your underwear Tom Cruise is an expert!

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