Dr. Argo

Dr. Argo,

I’m a freshman here at UWF, and I’m really struggling with my classes. I always made straight A’s in high school without really studying. I’m finding that I’m not doing so well in my classes with my usual night before cramming for tests. I can’t seem to stop procrastinating though and it’s completely stressing me out! Any tips to do better in my classes?

Thanks,

Procrastinator

Dear Procrastinator,

It’s very normal to feel overwhelmed by the changes in coursework and responsibility when starting college. It’s good that you are asking for help early rather than waiting until the end of the semester. That’s a good sign that you’re on the right track for planning ahead! I have faith that if you apply some time management techniques, you will be well on your way to success in your classes.

Here are some tips to better manage your time:

Establish goals — set academic, personal and career goals, and make sure they are meaningful, specific, time-oriented and realistic.

Prioritize your goals — Use the A, B, C method ( A = urgent, important/ B = important, non-urgent OR urgent, not important/ C = not important, not urgent).

Break each goal down into action steps.

Schedule specific times during the week to accomplish the action steps.

Study during your peak time — the time of day when your concentration is the best. Think of college as a 9-5 job.

Study the most difficult subject first, when you have the most energy.

The Five-Minute Plan ­— commit yourself to working on the task for only five minutes. When the five minutes is up, decide if you want to continue working. If you want to continue, commit to another five minutes, and so on.

Bits and Pieces Approach — when you feel overwhelmed by a big task (like a term paper), pick a piece of the task, any piece of the task, and do it. It doesn’t matter when you begin, as long as you being.

Remember to schedule time for recreation, exercise and relaxation as well!

Best of Luck,

Dr. Argo