How Come I Never Have Enough Time?

Do you have trouble finding enough time to study? Do you frequently find yourself rushing to places, missing deadlines, feeling you have insufficient time for relaxation and personal relationships, or having a general sense of being overwhelmed? Do you realize that you probably have as many as 68 hours of available time each week?

Steve, like all other students in the world, has a 168 hour week (seven days x 24 hours). If he goes to bed at midnight and wakes up at 8:00 a.m., he is sleeping 56 hours a week, leaving 112 waking hours. Steve is taking 15 credits this semester and works 15 hours a week at his part-time job.

Combine those 30 hours with two hours a day for eating and personal care, and he still has 68 hours of available time a week. Even if he studies 30 hours a week, he still has a considerable amount of time left--38 hours--for other activities! That is, if Steve plans his time and uses it prudently.

The Social Sciences offer students two principles that can help them utilize their time effectively. The first is efficiency, a term used in Industrial Psychology, which means the most output for the least input. In other words, students who plan and use their study schedule efficiently avoid wasting time and are able to get their work done with the minimum amount of time and discomfort.

Parkinson's Law, a term developed by a British historian from his lighthearted observations of politics, states that work expands

2 to fill the time available. It is quite common for students to use a whole hour to complete an assignment that would only take a half hour with total concentration.

To become an efficient student who avoids the pitfalls of Parkinson's Law, Steve starts each week of classes by making a written schedule showing all the hours he is awake. He fills in the hours he spends in class and at work each day, including any travel time necessary. He then notes which hours comprise his 68 hours that are available for studying and entertainment.

Steve next makes a list of goals he wants to accomplish that week. Realizing that he needs to prioritize his list of goals, he fills in those activities that need to be completed by a specific deadline and then plugs in those that are less urgent.

Steve estimates how much studying time he would like to devote to each of his classes on a daily basis in addition to making time available to study for tests or complete any projects he knows will be due. He also marks down scheduled social and recreational activities.

Since most students have not kept a schedule before, it would be best to overestimate the time needed for each activity in order to insure that there will be enough time to accomplish everything that is planned. This extra time would be used in case the student has underestimated the time needed or is interrupted while working.

It is very important to schedule in time to relax and have fun--for sports, friends, going out, or whatever you prefer to do with your free time. This plan will help you accomplish your goals 3 and still allow you plenty of leisure time if you follow your new schedule.

When planning your schedule, don't be discouraged at first if you don't complete everything you set out to do. Remember that you are trying something new and it will take some experience and revision, according to your own personal characteristics, to work out the schedule that best suits you.

It is important to get started organizing your time right away. Taking the first step causes much less stress and frustration than procrastinating.

Be kind to yourself. Accept when things don't go as planned, and learn how to adjust your schedule as needed. Be sure to allow sufficient time for entertainment, since a relaxed, happy student is more likely to be efficient and successful.

Finally, keep in mind that for most students, there really is enough time!